Saturday Trip Around the World

Recently Mom, dear sister and I went on a little adventure. We were looking for Hibiscus flowers to make tea. It took us to a little shopping center in Broadmoor where we enjoyed a Vietnamese lunch and shopping in a Super Mercado. They were right next door to one another. It was like a quick trip around the world.

Danh's Garden is a nice Vietnamese restaurant that offers a large selection of Vietnamese and Thai dishes. They have everything; spring rolls, noodle soup, pho, fried rice, stir-fries and bubble tea. We ordered fresh spring rolls, Tom Yum Soup with Vegetables, Basil Fried Rice with Chicken, and Basil Shrimp. Oh and we split a Milk Bubble Tea three ways. All very tasty.

When we finished lunch we went next door to Carniceria Super Mercado La Ranchera. They have a great selection Mexican herbs and spices, fresh meats and produce that you can't find in your typical grocery store. They even had a freezer with paletas (popsicles). We found the Hibiscus Flowers and decided to buy two bags. We also found some fresh Chorizo for my Birthday Taco Dinner. More about that in my next post. Dear sister had to have Bistec (thin beef steaks) to marinade for tacos. Mom and I had to buy the Nopals (Cactus Paddles) again for tacos. We all agreed we would not have a problem eating Mexican food two days in a row.

The Bistec was perhaps the most challenging. I just struggle with cooking thin cuts of beef on the gas grill. I think I need to break down and get a charcoal grill. They were very tasty because I used the marinade from my Mexicana Beef Tacos. But they never got those smoky grill marks you look for from grilling. We topped them with some Spicy Avocado Cream, Pickled Red Onions, Cilantro and Cotija Cheese. We made the Spicy Avocado Cream from a jar of jalapeno salsa dear sister brought back from Canton and an avocado. It was a big surprise how spicy and flavorful just those two ingredient turned out. It was so good. Creamy and spicy. I put it on everything until there was not a drop left. 

Then there was the nopals. I loved the cactus! We grilled it with some corn and made tacos. We adapted this Grilled Cactus and Corn Salad recipe into our own taco recipe. Again we loaded these tacos with Spicy Avocado Cream, Pickled Red Onions, Cilantro and Cotija Cheese. This was my favorite of the tacos. I loved everything about them. They had great texture and flavor. Cleaning the cactus was work but the tacos made it worth it. The next day Mom and I made a quesadilla with all the leftover steak, cactus and corn. That was Mom's favorite. I think she would do everything again just for another quesadilla. All in all this was a successful dinner and a fun trip. I look forward to going back to both of these little Broadmoor spots. If for nothing else to get more tacos ingredients. Now for the recipes.

Grilled Cactus and Corn Tacos
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 nopales, or cactus paddles
2 small to medium cob of sweet corn
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Lime, cut in half for juice
8 corn tortillas
Spicy Avocado Cream (recipe below)
Pickled Red Onions (recipe below)
Cilantro, coarsely chopped
Cotija cheese, crumbled
Lime, cut into wedges

Directions

Pre-heat the grill to medium-high heat for 10 minutes.

Clean and prepare the nopales. Trim or cut the edge off each paddle; trim the stem end too. Use a small knife to trim each of the needle locations flush with the rest of the paddle. Brush the cactus and corn with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Grill the nopales and corn until soft and slightly charred. The nopales should take about 5 minutes on each side; cook the corn for roughly the same time rotating several times. Let cool, then cut nopales into thin strips about 1/4 inch and cut corn kernels off the cob.

In a large bowl, combine nopales, corn, juice of half a lime, cilantro, and a light drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Warm tortillas on the grill flipping often until soft and warm about 30 seconds or in the microwave again for about 30 seconds.

To serve place a spoon of cactus and corn mixture in each tortilla. Garnish with pickled red onion, spicy avocado cream, cilantro and cotija cheese. Just before eating, squeeze a little fresh lime juice over each.

Note: The cactus and corn mixture could be served as a salad or side dish as well.

I grilled extra corn. Dear sister loves corn.

Spicy Avocado Cream
Make about 2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup jalapeno green salsa (We used Green Fudge brand from Canton)
1 large avocado, seeded and peeled

Directions

Place ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.


Pickled Red Onions
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Makes about 1/2 to 1 cup

Ingredients

1/2 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 red onion, thinly sliced

Directions

Place first 3 ingredients and 1 cup water in a pint or quart size mason jar. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve. Place onion into jar; pat down to make sure onions are covered with vinegar mixture. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Place in refrigerator until ready to use. Can be made 2 weeks ahead.

Linking to:

The Lazy Gastronome - Taco Tuesday Blog Hop

Pancake Tacos

This recipe was inspired by brown sugar bacon. I watched a few videos on the Brown Sugar Bacon BLT where they made this bacon. When I tried the bacon for myself it screamed pancakes to me. It has a sweet, salty, nutty flavor sort of like pecans. I knew it would be just delicious with pancakes. Well since I am taco obsessed right now I decided to use the pancakes for taco shells. All that was left was deciding on the rest of the fillings. Since it is pancakes and bacon then it should be breakfast right? So eggs? Maybe cheese? But what kind of cheese? And I can't forget the salsa! I decided on scrambled eggs, goat cheese and an apple salsa. After all goat cheese is mild and creamy and it goes well with eggs and apple. The scrambled eggs and goat cheese were so creamy, a great contrast to the crunchy bacon and apple salsa. The salsa turned out to be the biggest surprise, such a delicious combination. The honey, lemon, green onion, and cilantro really makes the apple salsa. It is the perfect crunchy topping for these pancake tacos. I can't wait to try it on a salad one day too. It is great with the bacon. I know both would make a great salad. Now believe me when I say this is a filling breakfast. Huge in fact, so get really hungry before you make it.

Pancake Tacos
Serves 2

Ingredients

Shake and Pour Pancake Mix

Apple Salsa:
1 pink lady apple, chopped
Juice of one lemon
1 green onion, sliced
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. honey
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste

8 slices low sodium center cut bacon
Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp. Butter, divided
4 eggs, beaten
2 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Maple syrup, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.

Prepare pancake mix according to package directions and set aside.

Combine salsa ingredients and set aside.

Place bacon in a pan over medium heat. Cook until you start seeing a little brown color on the bacon (see first bacon photo), flip and sprinkle with brown sugar. Cook the second side until slightly brown, flip and sprinkle with brown sugar. Watch carefully the bacon will brown (or burn) fast now that it has brown sugar on it. Flip one more time to caramelize the sugar. Remove from pan and set on paper to drain.

In another non-stick pan, melt a little butter over medium heat. Pour enough pancake batter to make a 6" pancake. When you see bubbles on the surface of the pancake check to see if brown and flip. Cook until second side is brown. Place on a foil lined baking sheet and put in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter until you have four 6" pancakes.

In another non-stick pan, melt remaining butter over medium low heat. Add beaten eggs and season with salt and pepper. Gently stir eggs until soft curds form, continue to cook until eggs are set and remove from heat.

To assemble the tacos, start with a pancake, place two pieces of bacon inside, add a fourth of the eggs, top with crumbled goat cheese and apple salsa. Drizzle with a little bit of maple syrup.

after first flip with brown sugar sprinkle

with maple syrup drizzle

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Tornadough Alli: Throwback Thursday Link Party
Reasons To Skip The Housework: STH Link Party
The Lazy Gastronome - Taco Tuesday Blog Hop

Salmon Cream Cheese Relleno Taco

It's that time again! Time for another Relleno Taco creation. When I started thinking about more ideas for a relleno tacos, I had just made the Mesquite Grilled Tacos. So I had fish tacos and pico still on my brain. So the idea of using salmon and a tomato caper salsa seemed logical. I knew salmon, capers and shallots were delicious together with cream cheese. And you know chilies and cream cheese are a perfect match. I could not have been happier with the outcome. This one is perfect for summer! Lots of cool and fresh ingredients. It was so good! Sort of a jalapeno popper, lox bagel and taco all wrapped into one. It had the contrast of hot and cold ingredients. It was salty, briny and a little sweet from the salsa. It was also smoky and spicy from the charred poblano. Then there was the cream cheese; it tamed the spice of the chili and added a creamy component. It had just a little bit of everything going for it. I LOVED IT! It may be in my top three of all relleno tacos. I can't wait to make it for a girl's night. The poblano and cream cheese combination is sparking many more delicious ideas. I hope you will give this one a try. Be sure to come back for more relleno taco creations in the future.

Salmon Cream Cheese Relleno Tacos
Serves 2, Make 4 tacos

Ingredients

6 to 8 oz. salmon filet
Drizzle of olive oil
Herb Medley Rub
2 Poblano peppers
4 flour tortillas
4 oz. cream cheese, softened

Tomato Caper Salsa:
1 tomato, diced
1/2 shallot, finely diced
3 tsp. capers
1/2 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Directions

Set salmon out on the counter to take the chill off of it. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. 

Combine the ingredients for the tomato caper salsa, mix well and set aside.

To grill the poblanos: Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Place poblanos on the grill. Grill for five minutes on each side until skins are charred. Remove poblanos and cover with plastic wrap. When poblanos are cool enough to touch, peel off the skin of the poblanos. Cut poblanos in half from stem to tip, remove seeds, stem and veins being careful not to split open the sides of the pepper.

To cook the salmon: Grease a baking sheet with a little olive oil or use a sheet of aluminum foil. Place salmon on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil. Season salmon with Herb Medley Rub. Bake for 6 minutes, remove from oven and flake with a fork.

To warm tortillas: Place a skillet on high heat, when hot warm the tortillas on both sides until warm and blistered. 

To assemble the tacos:  Place a poblano half on each tortilla. Smear a 1 oz. slice of cream cheese on each poblano. Top with a fourth of the flaked salmon, tomato caper salsa and serve.

Linking to:
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Spatulas On Parade: Wonderful Wednesday
The Lazy Gastronome: Taco Tuesday

Peach Pico de Gallo

This post started out as a taco idea, but I soon discovered that one ingredient stood out as the best part of the taco. The Peach Pico de Gallo was definitely the star. The taco was okay but nothing to drool over. The crunchy, sweet and juicy topping was something to get excited about. How did the new pico come to be? Well I wanted to make a fruit topping for a mustard grilled pork taco. I used my usual Pico de Gallo recipe and substituted 3 peaches for some of the tomatoes. I also used a yellow bell pepper instead of the green. This is what makes the peach pico crunchy. I omitted the garlic altogether and added some agave nectar to adjust the sweetness of the peaches. It really turned out amazing! It is great with chips for a sweet and salty snack. It complements BBQ flavors well. It is also delicious with pork, chicken, fish and shrimp. I also tried some on a ground turkey taco that I had seasoned with Piri Piri Barbecue Sauce. Very good! Definitely a great use of all those summer peaches available now. I will definitely make another batch before summer is gone. I hope you will too.

Peach Pico de Gallo
Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients

3 large peaches, pitted and diced
1 roma tomato, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 small red onion, diced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tsp agave nectar, or to taste
Handful of cilantro, chopped
Kosher salt to taste

Directions

Chop all ingredients and combine in a large bowl.  Add lime juice, oil, vinegar and cilantro. Stir to combine and season with salt to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Serve with chips, BBQ, pork, chicken. shrimp, or fish. Try it as a salad topper too!

Huevos Rancheros Tortilla Pizza

Surprise! Here's another Tortilla Pizza. I know, you are not surprised are you? I woke up this morning and wanted something simple for breakfast. My first thought was an "Egg Thingy" with re-fried beans and salsa. Well although tasty it looked like a mess. So while thinking how to improve on the idea it came to me that a tortilla pizza would be nice and neat. And it was; very easy to assemble and serve. I think this could easily become a common breakfast around here. Best part almost nothing to clean up. I love all the flavors mixed together in a perfect bite. The yolk and salsa are delicious with the beans and egg. So happy that there are leftover ingredients just waiting for me in the frig. 

Huevos Rancheros Tortilla Pizza
Serve 1

Ingredients

1 small flour tortilla 
olive oil cooking spray
2 Tbsp. low sodium vegetarian re-fried beans
1 tsp. diced pickled jalapenos
2 Tbsp. 2% sharp cheddar cheese
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. salsa (green or red)

Directions

Place a sheet pan upside down on the middle rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Spray one side of tortilla with olive oil spray. Place tortilla spray side down on a piece of aluminum foil. Spread tortilla with re-fried beans. Top with diced jalapenos, cheddar cheese and egg. Place your tortilla and foil on the sheet pan in the center of the oven and bake for 9 minutes. Remove from the foil, drizzle with salsa of you choice and enjoy!

Print It

Linking to:
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Life Is Fantasmic: Saturday Dishes - Cinco de Mayo

Piri Piri Turkey Burger

I have been experimenting with different Piri Piri Condiments. Recently I made Piri Piri Turkey Burgers. I used my new condiments, Pineapple Pico de Gallo, lemon zest and Piri Piri Seasoning. Do you think I left anything out? I tried to pack as much flavor in there as possible. I used Piri Piri Mayo inside the burger with the zest of one lemon. Then I seasoned the outside with the Piri Piri Seasoning. They were moist and well seasoned. I loved the rusty red color the seasoning gave them. They were also wonderfully smoky. I tried the Piri Piri Mayo and Pineapple Pico first. It was delicious but the winning condiment was the Piri Piri Ketchup. It was AMAZING! By far my favorite condiment I tried on the burgers. It complimented the Pineapple Pico de Gallo and for some reason it highlights the red pepper flavor in the Piri Piri Sauce. Delicious! It has that sweet and spicy thing going for it. I can't wait to try it out on the family. I think making sliders so everyone can try each version might be a good idea. I will be sure to share that experiment with you too.

Piri Piri Turkey Burgers

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

20 oz. ground turkey (93% lean)

Zest of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp. Piri Piri Mayo

Piri Piri Seasoning, to taste

Olive oil

Piri Piri Ketchup

Pineapple Pico de Gallo

4 Hamburger Buns

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine first 3 ingredients gently. Shape mixture into 4 patties, making the patties thinner in the middle then the edge. Coat hands in a little olive oil and rub on the outside of each patty. Season both side with Piri Piri Seasoning.

Grill, covered with grill lid, 6 to 7 minutes. Flip burger and grill covered for another 6 minutes. Place hamburger buns on the top rack of the grill to toast (optional). Serve on hamburger buns with Piri Piri Ketchup and Pineapple Pico de Gallo.

Shown above with Piri Piri Mayo

Linking to:

The Diary of a Real Housewife: Friday Favorites

Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

Ms. en Place: See Ya in the Gumbo

Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?

Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays

Back to the Basics: Tuesdays with a Twist

Dizzy, Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Creative K Kids: The Ultimate Party on Google+

Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Pineapple

Suiza Rellenos Tacos

I bet you are thinking there she goes again. She is obsessed with Rellenos Tacos. 
I AM!!!! I admit it. I wonder if there is a group yet? 

Well this recipe came to mind while on the phone with dear sister tonight. We were discussing what we could throw together for a quick meal. We had grilled poblanos ready to use. I had just made Cilantro Lime Salsa with six fresh tomatoes from Ed Lester Farms. Dear sister said she wanted to make Pico de Gallo with her veggies from Ed's. So it felt like Mexican night! I knew I had tortillas, poached chicken, cheese, sour cream and avocados. Sister had a bottle of green salsa. So Suiza Rellenos Tacos were born. It is a mash up of my favorite enchilada suiza and chili rellenos tacos. I loved the sour cream and avocado with the poblano. They had a cooling effect on the spicy poblano chili. These were really, really good tacos! I will have to plan to make this meal again real soon.

Suiza Rellenos Tacos
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 poblano peppers
1 poached chicken breast, shredded
8 small flour tortillas
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
8 tsp. green salsa or taco sauce
8 tsp. light sour cream 
1 Avocado, sliced
Cilantro, to garnish

Directions

To grill the poblanos: Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Place poblanos on the grill. Grill for five minutes on each side until skins are charred. Remove poblanos and cover with plastic wrap. When poblanos are cool enough to touch, peel off the skin of the poblanos. Cut poblanos in half from stem to tip, remove seeds, stem and veins being careful not to split open the sides of the pepper.

To assemble the tacos:  Place a poblano half on each tortilla. Place some chicken over the chili, top with cheese. Warm in the microwave for a 30 seconds to a minute to melt the cheese. Top with salsa, sour cream, an avocado slice and cilantro.

Linking to:
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Creative K Kids: Tasty Tuesdays
Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures: #FoodieFriday
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
Hungry Harps: #GetHimFed Fridays
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Creative K Kids: Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party
The Crafty Side of Sarcasm: Retro Repin Party
Life Is Fantasmic: Saturday Dishes - Cinco de Mayo

Ground Beef Chili Rellenos Tacos

When I went to Ed Lester Farms this last time I got four pretty poblano peppers. I knew I wanted to make a new Chili Rellenos Taco recipe. This is perhaps the spiciest of all the Chili Rellenos Taco recipes I have shared with you. You have the heat of the poblano, the spices of the taco seasoning and the Rotel in the Cucumber Ranch Salsa. Dear sister and I commented on the heat level but just kept on munching. I think her exact words were, "the heat just keeps building". So you have been warned. I used cheddar for this taco because that was the norm in my house with taco meat. I really liked it with all the other flavors. This recipe made for a deliciously spicy taco night.

Ground Beef Chili Rellenos Tacos
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 poblano peppers
1 lb lean ground beef
1 packet Taco Seasoning
8 small flour tortillas
1/2 cup 2% cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Cucumber Ranch Salsa (click here for recipe)

Directions

To grill the poblanos: Pre-heat grill to medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Place poblanos on the grill. Grill for five minutes on each side until skins are charred. Remove poblanos and cover with plastic wrap. When poblanos are cool enough to touch, peel off the skin of the poblanos. Cut poblanos in half from stem to tip, remove seeds, stem and veins being careful not to split open the sides of the pepper.


To prepare the beef: Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Add taco seasoning and water as directed on the package. Simmer until all water is absorbed. Turn off heat.

To assemble the tacos: Warm the tortillas on the grill or in the microwave for a few seconds. Place a poblano half on each tortilla. Spoon the seasoned beef over the chili, top with cheese and salsa.  

Cucumber Ranch Salsa

This is yet another recipe inspired by the WW recipe review board. At least two members posted reviews for Cucumber Salsa Salads. I tried both recipes and liked different things about each. One was cucumber heavy and used Rotel. One was heavy on fresh tomatoes but added onion, celery and cilantro. The is my version using my favorite ingredients from both. I loved the spice of the Rotel and the additional crunch from the celery and onions. I decided to use a more even balance of tomato to cucumber. And what would salsa be without cilantro? It is crunchy, fresh, bright and the ranch adds a mellow creaminess to the vinegar. I just love rice vinegar. It is mild and has just a hint of sweetness. This is great as a salsa but also makes a good side dish or salad. It is also great as a topping for salad, chicken, fish, shrimp or tacos. The Rotel is spicy so use mild it you don't like spicy foods. I use original Rotel and it is spicy but not painful. It has lingering heat. It was just perfect for dear sister and I. We enjoyed it on Ground Beef Chili Rellenos Tacos and as a side. I really enjoyed having this crunchy salsa in the refrigerator this week.

Cucumber Ranch Salsa

Makes about 8 cups

Ingredients

2 English cucumbers, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 Rotel tomatoes, drained

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

1 pkg dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1/2 cup rice vinegar

3 - 4 stems cilantro, chopped

Directions

Mix dry dressing mix with rice vinegar, pour over veggies and let sit for at least 3 hours in refrigerator, stirring often. This keeps for many days and gets better as it sits.  

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
Jam Hands: Recipe Sharing Monday
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
The Chicken Chick: Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Guacamole

Cinco de Mayo is just days away. Do you have a dip for your tortilla chips? How about Guacamole? This is how I have been making guacamole lately. I use all the usual ingredients; ripe avocado, tomato, onion, garlic, lime juice and cilantro. But instead of fresh jalapeno I use pickled jalapeno. This way I can put in just enough to match my mood. Plus pickled jalapenos usually have a very consistent heat level. You just never know how hot a fresh jalapeno pepper will be. This guacamole is delicious as a dip for tortilla chips. It is also great on tacos, nachos, salads or any Mexican dish. If you press plastic wrap on to the surface of the guacamole it will stay nice and green. The lime juice helps too. So you can make it a little ahead if you need to. I hope there is a Cinco de Mayo celebration in your future and this recipe will come in handy. Have some fun for me!

Guacamole

Makes about 1-1/2 to 2 cups

Ingredients

1 garlic clove, minced

2 Tbsp. red onion, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. pickled jalapeno, minced

1 Roma tomato, chopped

2 medium large avocados

Juice of 1 lime

2 Tbsp. cilantro, roughly chopped

Kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Stir to combine mashing some of the avocado with a fork. Press plastic wrap on to the surface of the guacamole so that there are no air pockets. This helps prevent browning. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips, or as a topping for tacos or any other Mexican dish.

Want more dips for your chips?

Check out these recipes for your Cinco de Mayo Celebration.

Pico de Gallo

Cilantro Lime Salsa

Hot and Smoky Salsa

Hot Sauce

Pineapple Pico de Gallo

Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa

Garlic Lover's Hot Sauce

You want those chips to be a meal?

Check out these Nacho ideas.

Grilled Shrimp Nachos

Breakfast Nachos

Linking to:

Horrific Knits: Inspired Weekends

The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend

Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist

Anyonita Nibbles: Tasty Tuesdays

Buns In My Oven: What's Cookin' Wednesday