Masonable Mondays #6 - Savory Yogurt and Granola

Welcome to Masonable Mondays #6! Have you seen all the savory yogurts with crunchy toppings out there lately? I liked the idea so I tried Chobani's Pineapple one and loved it. I liked it enough to try to re-create it. So for today's 
#MasonableMondays I am sharing my version of Pineapple Yogurt with Savory Granola. There is really no recipe here except for the granola. If you have access to savory granola options you will not have to cook a single thing. It is as simple as layering crushed pineapple, yogurt and granola in a jar. For my #Masonable I decided to make my own granola. The Chobani flip had a spicy savory granola with almonds and pepitas. The spicy element was chipotle. So I tried to replicate that flavor in my granola. The Domestic Geek came to the rescue. She had a savory granola that featured almonds and a little chipotle powder. So I adapted her recipe and added pepitas. It turned out so good. It is so good with the pineapple flavor. Truth be known, I almost ate it all by the handful before I could fill my mason jars and fruit cups. It is that good! It is great on salads as a crunchy topping too. I think this is another great way to eat oatmeal.  I see lots of savory granola and yogurt in my future. I hope you will give it a try too.

Pineapple Yogurt with Savory Granola
Serves 1

Supplies

1 wide mouth pint Mason jar
1 empty fruit cup

Ingredients

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
5 to 6 oz. plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Savory Granola with Almonds and Pepitas (recipe below)

Directions

Place pineapple in a pint size wide mouth mason jar. Top with yogurt. Place granola in re-cycled fruit cup. Place cup in the top of mason jar. Secure with mason jar lid and ring.

Note: If you like a little sweetness, you can add a drizzle of honey or agave. Or substitute vanilla or pineapple flavored Greek yourt.

Savory Granola with Almonds and Pepitas
Adapted from the Domestic Geek
Makes 4 cups

Ingredients

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 tsp. chipotle powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg white
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
3/4 cup Blue Diamond Jalapeno Smokehouse Almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl combine oats, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt. Stir well. In a small bowl whisk egg white, olive oil and maple syrup. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until they are well coated. Spread mixture in a single layer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Stirring every 10 minutes. Add pepitas and cook 10 more minutes, stirring every five minutes. Once the granola has cooled, mix in almonds. Store in an airtight container.

Instant Pot “Sake” Special Ramen

Last Wednesday was an unusual day for me. I guess I was feeling adventurous? First I did something different with my hair when I went to the salon. Then I went to our sushi restaurant (Sake Sushi) and did not order sushi. I always get sushi? But this time, I got ramen off of the daily specials. It was a first for me. I have never had real proper ramen, just the cheap packaged ramen. I was really impressed. The broth was creamy looking not clear. And the first bite well it was almost smoky and definitely savory. So good! The bowl was beautiful too, loaded with lots of flavorful toppings; like nori, green onion, fish cake (another first), perfect grilled chicken and a ramen egg. The RAMEN EGG! Oh my gosh! I was so surprised with that savory, salty little egg. It was so good! I can’t wait to go to a ramen house one day. I really loved it! So when I got home I started to do some research.

I started by searching for instant pot recipes. Wait! Did I tell you dear sister bought an instant pot during the Amazon Prime Day sale. She is keeping it at my house. [Smile] So that means I got a new toy. I have been using it more than I thought I would. So look forward to more instant pot recipes in the future. This being the very first. Anyway... I knew I wanted to make the eggs and the broth in the instant pot. I found a few recipes but the broth did not look the same. So I kept searching. In the end, I used a little bit of every ramen recipe I read or watched to make this ramen. I made sure to roast the bones like one recipe said to do. I added chicken bones to mellow the flavor like another recipe suggested. I made sure to brown the onions like another recipe insisted. I added dried mushrooms for umami as one recipe recommended. I made sure to stir the broth breaking up the bones to get that creamy broth rather than a clear liquid. I seasoned the broth with the flavors of Japanese soup base as another blog suggest. I used mirin, tamari, and instant dashi for the kombu and bonito flavors. It turned out so good! Very close to the inspiration ramen I had at Sake Sushi. I even made the ramen egg too. I need to work on my technique with this one. The flavor is spot on but as you will see in the photos the shape and color was uneven. I made the mistake of putting something on top to weight it down in the marinade. So one side was squished and had less color and therefore flavor. Don't weight it down! I have four in the frig right now secured with a rubber band and hanging from a chopstick across a plastic container. I feel this is going to turn out much better. My favorite parts of this ramen is the broth, ramen egg and chicken; in that order. I think you should definitely make sure to put those ingredients in your bowl. Maybe add some green onion, not too much just a little sprinkle. The chicken was a surprise to me too. The mirin really added to the color and grill marks. I have never had grilled chicken turn out that attractive. I may start adding mirin to more marinades.

This whole experience was a lot of fun. I made six - two cup containers of ramen broth. I put three in the freezer right away. So now I have it just waiting on me to have a craving. This was time consuming not instant as the title might suggest. But the instant pot was an invaluable tool to the process. It let me develop great flavor in less time and really made the broth spectacular. I see myself doing this again real soon. I hope you give it a try. If you have instant pot or ramen tips for me please comment. I would love to hear about your successes too.

Instant Pot “Sake” Special Ramen

Makes 12 cups of broth; 6 servings

Ingredients

For ramen eggs:

3 eggs

3 Tbsp. reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce)

3 Tbsp. mirin

9 Tbsp. water

For broth:

2 to 3 lbs. pork neck bones

1 to 2 frozen rotisserie chicken carcasses

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 large yellow onion, sliced

3” piece of ginger, peeled and sliced

2 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

4 green onions, whole

3 dried black mushrooms

5 Tbsp. reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce)

2 Tbsp. mirin

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. miso paste

1 tsp. instant dashi granules

For grilled chicken:

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

Reduced sodium tamari (or soy sauce)

Mirin

Sesame oil

Black pepper

For ramen bowl:

6 servings Ramen noodles, boiled to package directions

Ramen broth

For toppings:

Ramen eggs, halved

Fish cake or imitation crab, sliced

Toasted nori

Grilled chicken, sliced

3 green onions, sliced

Mushrooms, reserved from broth and sliced

Directions

Ramen eggs:

Combine tamari, mirin and water in a plastic bag. Set aside.

Place steam rack inside the pressure cooker. Add exactly 1 cup of cool tap water into the pot. Place eggs straight from the refrigerator in the center of the pot. Cook at Low Pressure for 5 minutes*, then quick release (QR).

After quick release, immediately take out the eggs and soak in ice bath to stop them from cooking. Let them cool for 5 minutes or longer.

Gently peel the eggs. Put the eggs in the sauce bag and close tightly. The eggs should be submerged in the marinade. Marinate for at least 3-4 hours in the refrigerator. I recommend overnight.

Take the eggs out of the marinade and discard the marinade. Cut each egg in half to serve. Enjoy the eggs as is or place them in your ramen bowl as a topping.

*Note: Want to know how to cook the eggs just like you like them. [Click Here] to learn how to cook soft, medium or hard boiled eggs in your pressure cooker.

Ramen broth:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place pork neck bones in a roasting pan, season with sea salt and black pepper. Roast for 45 minutes, flip bones over and roast 30 minutes.

In the last few minutes of cooking time, place instant pot on saute. Add canola oil and sliced onion. Cook the onions until brown on one side then flip to brown on the other side. Stir to separate into rings and brown evenly. Turn off and add a little water if necessary to prevent burning.

When pork has finished roasting, transfer the bones to instant pot with the onions.  Immediately pour off fat and discard. Add 1-1/2 cups of the water to the pan, and use a spoon to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the pan drippings to instant pot with the onions. Add chicken bones, ginger, garlic, green onions, and mushrooms. Add cool water to the max fill line. Set the instant pot to cook under high pressure for 30 minutes. When cycle is complete let rest 5 minutes and perform a quick release. Stir the pot really well. Scraping the bottom of the pot and breaking up bones. Set the instant pot to cook under high pressure for another 30 minutes. When cycle is complete let rest 5 minutes and perform a quick release. Stir the pot really well again, breaking up bones some more. Place the instant pot to saute and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes or longer. Turn off if broth begin to splash over the edge of the pot liner.

Let the liquid cool for a little while. Reserve the mushrooms and set aside. Remove the other solids and discard, then strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer, and transferring the liquid to another container. Clean the liner of the instant pot and pour broth back into pot. Season broth with tamari, mirin, sesame oil, miso and dashi. Keep warm and allow flavors to blend.

Serve the broth, refrigerate overnight and remove the fat cap (if you prefer) before re-heating or freeze for your future bowls of ramen.

Grilled chicken:

Place chicken breast in a freezer bag pound to even out thickness. Season chicken with black pepper, a drizzle of sesame oil and equal parts tamari and mirin to cover chicken. Marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, flipping and moving around in the marinade at least once half way through marinating time.

Preheat grill for 10 minutes, lower heat to medium high. Remove chicken from marinade and grill chicken for 6 minutes, flip chicken and grill for 6 more minutes or until internal temperature of 160 degrees is reached. Remove from grill and rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Slice chicken for use as a topping.

Ramen bowl:

To assemble the ramen, cook the noodles (discarding any flavor packets), according to package instructions.

Divide the noodles between bowls. Pour the hot broth directly over the noodles, then add whatever toppings you desire. Serve immediately.

Linking to:
Kahakai Kitchen: Souper Sundays

Masonables

I think we already discussed that an empty Fruit Cup + Mason Jar = delicious snacks and lunches! And even breakfast or dessert! Well now introducing the Masonable! It is the Mason Jar equivalent to a Lunchable. Check this out those fruit cups fit on top of a wide mouth Mason jar too. Now you can pack your crackers on top of your Tuna Salad, Chicken Salad, Egg Salad, or Deli Meat and Cheese. You can make your own Mason jar lunchable or a Masonable.

You might ask why not just put your crackers in a food storage bag? Well they could easily be crushed by a heavy soda can or bottle of water in your lunch bag. With the mason jar and fruit cup they have their own protective bubble. The crackers arrive to your lunch destination in their original shape. Doesn't that make meal prep a little exciting? 

Well when I started thinking about lunches that included crackers, the first lunch that came to mind was tuna salad. So that is what I did first. It worked perfectly! I used our family recipe but you could use any recipe you like. Just fill the jar, top with the lid, stack up round crackers you love, cover with an inverted fruit cup and the ring. You are ready to go. So easy!

Tuna Salad Masonable
Serves 1

Supplies

1 wide mouth half pint Mason jar
1 empty fruit cup

Ingredients

8 round crackers
1 cup Tuna Salad

Directions

Fill mason jar with tuna salad. Place lid on top of jar. Stack crackers on lid. Place fruit cup inverted on top of crackers and lid. Add mason jar ring to secure everything in place. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Guess what! You can use two fruit cups with each mason jar. One inside the jar and one on top. The ring still secures the jar. Now you can pack crackers and a sauce. Think about what that could do for Mason Jar Salads? You can have your salad, dressing and crackers or croutons too! Am I too excited? I might be. Anyway...

Many, many years ago when Lunchables first came out, dear sister's favorite was one that came with a little packet of herb mayo. They do not sell anything like that today and she still mentions it now and then. So when I was thinking about making these Masonables I wanted to include one with a sauce. So here it is a Ham & Cheese Masonable with a Dill Mayo. This mayo is delicious with ham and cheese. The dill and mustard makes it zesty. It is also great with turkey and cheese too.

Ham and Cheese Masonable
Serves 1

Supplies

1 wide mouth pint Mason jar
2 empty fruit cups

Ingredients

8 round crackers
2 slices of cheese, quartered
4 slices of ham, halved and folded
Dill Mayo (recipe below)

Directions

Fill mason jar with slices of ham and cheese. Place one fruit cup in the top of the jar and spoon in the dill mayo. Place lid on top of the cup. Stack crackers on lid. Place fruit cup inverted on top of crackers and lid. Add mason jar ring to secure everything in place. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Dill Mayo
Serves 1

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. grainy Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. dill, dry

Directions

Combine well and serve. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

I hope this meal prep idea will help you with your future lunches. Don't forget to pack a fruit cup too! You need more empties to make more Masonables. And watch out for more Masonables in the future. I have at least four more ideas to try out.

Linking to:
Tornadough Alli: Throwback Thursday Link Party
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

Santa Fe Chicken and Rice Soup

Here is another copycat soup. I was inspired yet again from a can of Progresso soup. This soup is sort of like a light version of taco soup. Or maybe the soup version of Santa Fe Rice and Beans. It is all the yummy ingredients of tex mex in a savory broth. I love the snap of the corn and the creamy black beans. The tomatoes and chilies really add great flavor to the broth too. I made this soup twice once with can tomatoes and hatch chilies I roasted myself. It was good and spicy. The next time I used a can of tomatoes with green chilies and it had a milder heat. So you can choose your perfect spice level. Both are delicious. Now I had no intention of adding cheese to this soup, but dear sister did. It is totally optional but really good. It taste even more like Santa Fe Rice and Beans with the cheesy garnish. Now let me tell you the best part about this soup. The leftovers! There is something about that time in the frig that makes the broth addictive. I would definitely consider making it ahead of time if you can wait that long.

Santa Fe Chicken and Rice Soup

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. chicken fat, olive oil or butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

6 cups unsalted chicken stock

15 oz. diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained*

15 oz. no salt added corn, undrained

15 oz. low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed

2- 2-1/2 cups cooked chicken diced

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/2 cup instant rice

Kosher salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste
Mexican blend cheese, shredded (optional)

Directions

Place 3-1/2 quart soup pot on medium high heat, add olive oil and onion. Saute until onion is translucent and begins to brown. Add garlic, salt and pepper saute 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients except rice; bring to a boil. Add rice lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until rice is cooked. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary. Serve garnished with cheese (optional).

*Note: For a low sodium or spicier version; substitute 15 oz. no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained and 2 roasted hatch chilies, deseeded and chopped for the can tomatoes with green chilies.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Lately I have been all about chicken soup. I have made four old recipes over the past few weeks. I have also had all sorts of ideas for new recipes. So this week I baked two chickens, made stock from the bones and saved the chicken fat. Then I set out to try three new chicken soup ideas. The first recipe is sort of a copycat recipe. I was inspired by can of Progresso Light Chicken and Cheese Enchilada Soup. It is delicious! A creamy and cheesy can of comfort. What I was missing was tortillas. So I thought adding tortillas would be either noodle or dumpling like. I was right. My version is very close to the can in flavor. I started the pot with chicken fat. Why you ask? Well because I had it and two because it boosts the chicken flavor. The green and red peppers add color and Mexican flavor. The tomatoes with chipotle add a smoky chili flavor as if you used enchilada sauce. And the cheddar cheese soup is nice and cheesy without the risk of separating. Is it weird that I used another companies soup to re-create a different companies soup? Maybe? If you leave the tortillas out you have a light creamy and cheesy chicken soup like the Progresso soup. But if you add the tortillas they soften and plump up a bit in the soup. They are delicious and silky like soft noodles or dumplings. I suspect if you double the amount of tortillas you will have a really great southwest chicken and dumplings. Hey! That sounds like three recipes in one. I hope you enjoy it as much as dear sister and I did.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. chicken fat (butter or olive oil)

1 onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups fat-free unsalted chicken stock

10 oz. can of tomatoes with chipotle peppers

2 cans healthy request cheddar cheese soup

4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

4 small flour tortillas

Kosher salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste                    

Directions

In a Dutch oven, sauté the onion, celery and bell pepper in chicken fat over medium high heat. Season with salt and pepper; sauté until veggies begin to soften. When onion is translucent and starts to get golden, add garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes, cheddar cheese soup and cream cheese to broth, stir until soup and cream cheese is well incorporated. Add chicken to pot and bring back to a simmer. Cut tortillas into 1" strips about 3” long, slowly add to simmering soup. Pat down into soup, resist stirring. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and serve.

Linking to:

Love Bakes Good Cakes: The Ultimate Soup Recipe List Linky
Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
God's Growing Garden: Tuesdays with a Twist
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Reasons To Skip The Housework: STH Link Party
Spatulas On Parade: Wonderful Wednesday
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday

Chorizo Tacos

Okay I am way too old to just be discovering Chorizo. Mom, dear sister and I tried a taqueria that was mentioned in the paper recently. Taqueria La Michoacana boosts they have the "Best Mexican Tacos in Town". The Shreveport Times article and many others support their claim. They all commented that their dishes are authentic Mexican. We tried four different types of tacos. Dear sister tried the carne asada (roast beef). Mom and I were a little more adventurous and tried the cabeza (roast beef cheek) and chorizo (Mexican sausage). We all tried the al pastor (roast pork). I really really loved the chorizo! Everything was delicious but it just had the most flavor punch. Which is lucky for me because I can make the chorizo tacos at home. I don't know how I could do justice to any of the others. I will go back to Taqueria La Michoacana for all the others. I will not even attempt to make them at home. I have always been told chorizo taste like cumin, so I was never in a hurry to try it. They were wrong! I think it is so much more complex than that. I loved it! It was moist and crispy and so flavorful. I don't think it is healthy in the least but this is just one of those things you have to indulge in. In fact that is totally what I did this Friday. I made my tacos and thoroughly enjoyed them. In fact, I am looking at this photo and thinking when can I make more? I mean they are so simple, four maybe six ingredients and you have decadent tacos. I say four to six because the restaurant served theirs with lime wedges, green salsa and a fried serrano. I got so excited when mine were plated that I forgot all about the lime and salsa. Well let me tell you they are delicious both ways. So decadent! The chorizo is silky in texture and crispy around the edges. It is a little spicy too. I love the sweet caramelized onions and the fresh crunch of the raw onion. I love the fresh cilantro but it is not as noticeable in this taco as in others. It is just a fresh green topping. I love these tacos! Now I just need to stop myself from making them to often. Maybe it is a good thing I am just discovering the decadent fattiness of chorizo. Try it! Don't wait any longer!

Chorizo Tacos
Serves 2; Makes 4 Tacos

Ingredients

Canola oil
1 yellow onion, divided
1 tube (9 oz.) pork chorizo
Handful of cilantro, chopped
8 corn tortillas
1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)
Green salsa (optional)

Directions

Slice half of the onion into thin rings. Finely chop the other half of the onion and set aside. Heat a large pan over medium high heat, drizzle with oil and add sliced onion. Cook onion flipping often until translucent and browned on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Add chorizo to pan, cook stirring often until most of the moisture has cooked away and the chorizo is deep reddish brown with crispy edges. Remove from pan and set aside. Wipe pan clean with a paper towel. Drizzle in more oil and add corn tortillas. Fry tortillas for a few seconds on each side to soften them. Remove tortillas to a plate lined with paper towels. To assemble a taco place two tortillas in a stack on a plate. Top tortillas with 1/4 of the chorizo, caramelized onions, raw onions and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges and green salsa (optional).

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Linking to:
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Yesterfood: Treasure Box Tuesday
God's Growing Garden: Tuesdays with a Twist
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
The Lazy Gastronome: Taco Tuesday Link Party

Piccadilly Salad

Growing up the family would go to the cafeteria on occasion. Piccadilly Cafeteria is what I remember most. The funny thing is I don't remember the entrees we would get. I remember choosing the appetizers and dessert. There was an Italian salad, gumbo and cheesecake. That is the extent of my memory of the dishes we would always get. I remember the cheesecake being a must have and then having to agonize over whether to get the salad or gumbo. The funny thing is I remember us all getting the gumbo, but Mom and Dad always complained because it wasn't like home. The salad on the other hand was always delicious. It was served ice cold in a little square baking dish with the dressing on the side. It sat on a chilled buffet table so even the dish was cold. This week I decided to relive those cafeteria days by making a Piccadilly Salad at home. The salad is very simple but very flavorful as well. It is a simple layered salad starting with iceberg lettuce. All the flavor comes from the salty and savory toppings. The Parmesan is nutty, the capers briny and the anchovies add salty, slightly fishy, umami flavor. Then you drizzle the whole thing with Italian dressing. With all this flavor there is no need for salt just some freshly ground black pepper. It is so good! Dear sister thought there may have been olives on the cafeteria salad. I tried it with and without. Both are great but I think I like without because the capers shine more. This is a great starter for a dinner party. You can assemble them ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve. They will be ice cold just like the salad of my youth. 

Piccadilly Salad
Serves 1

Ingredients

1/4 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 to 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 to 2 tsp. capers, drained
Black pepper, to taste
2 anchovie filets
2 Tbsp. Italian salad dressing (fat free works too)

Directions

Assemble salad in a chilled bowl. Layer lettuce, Parmesan and capers. Season with black pepper. Garnish with two anchovies and a shot glass filled with Italian dressing. To serve pour dressing over the top.

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Linking to:
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Yesterfood: Treasure Box Tuesday
God's Growing Garden: Tuesdays with a Twist

Mexicana Beef Tacos

I think I have found that secret ingredient that makes restaurant tacos and fajitas so tasty. It is called Maggi Seasoning Sauce! For years my dear sister has said she thought they used soy sauce in their marinades. She was not far off. We now know it is Maggi. It is similar to soy but it has more of a smokey note. When you taste it you will immediately think, that's it! It has a very familiar and memorable flavor. Now that I have convinced you that you need Maggi Sauce, don't fret if you can't find it. One chef says you can substitute equal parts soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. I found my bottle at the international grocery. It is also available online too.

You might be wondering how did I discover this secret? It was totally by accident. I bought the Maggi Seasoning Sauce to make another recipe. When I did a taste test of my new purchase I knew I had found a new flavor secret. I could not wait to experiment. Now I did not make the recipe I bought it for, I decided to try to recreate some tacos I had at a restaurant in Bossier City. The Carne A la Mexicana at El Mariachi are so delicious! They are served fajita style with the tortillas on the side just like the Alambre Chicken Tacos. It is a simple but favorful plate piled high with grilled skirt steak smothered in tomatoes, onions and peppers. They serve it with rice, refried beans, a dollop of sour cream and guacamole. They are so good! What I like about these tacos is it eats like ground beef, meaning it is easy to eat. No pieces of steak or veggie that you can't bite through. But then it taste smokey and fresh like fajitas. It is not heavy on cumin or chili powder the spices commonly found in ground beef tacos. As a bonus if served straight up without sides and toppings they are very healthy too. 

Well, I feel like I have nailed the flavor perfectly. The marinade makes the skirt steak smokey and savory. The pico adds fresh tangy and saucy flavor. I used my homemade Pico de Gallo but your can use store bought or your favorite recipe. If you like spicy add more jalapeno to the pico. It will be great! What I am still missing is their secret to grilling the skirt steak. They get a perfect crust and a medium rare center. So I am still practicing and perfecting the grilling. But I could not wait to share these tacos with you. They are so good! Trust me you have to try these on your next taco night.

Mexicana Beef Tacos
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb. skirt steak
Juice of 1 lime (3 Tbsp.)
3 Tbsp. Maggi Seasoning Sauce
3 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
2 tsp. chipotle hot sauce
Black pepper, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
3 to 4 cups Pico de Gallo
8 small flour tortillas

Directions

Place skirt steak in a food storage bag. Combine lime juice, Maggi sauce, oil and hot sauce, whisk to emulsify. Pour over steak, seal storage bag removing as much air as possible. Place in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Flip bag over every 30 minutes if possible during the 2 hours.

Remove the steak from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. Pre-heat grill to high heat for 10 minutes. Pat steak to remove excess marinade and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes a side. Remove from grill and let it rest 20 minutes. Cut steak into 1/2” dice and set aside.

Heat a large skillet to medium high to high heat. Add Pico de Gallo and sauté until most of the moisture has evaporated. Add the steak and sauté until heated through. 

Place a skillet on high heat, when hot warm the tortillas on both sides until warm and blistered. To serve place beef mixture in warm flour tortillas.

Note: You can add additional toppings of you choice. I have tried cheese, sour cream and guacamole all delicious.

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Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All Bloggy Friends
God's Growing Garden: The Great Blog Train
The Lazy Gastronome: Taco Tuesday Link Party