skinny taco salads (oh, and clean too!)

before, i posted these skinny-ish taco salads. they're great. but sometimes you need not just a skinny-ish, but an actual skinny. make sense?  k, good. oh, and it's clean, so for any clean eaters out there, this is for you! oh, and it's delicious.  convinced yet? you need: 1 lb extra lean ground beef 4 tbsp taco seasoning, divided (recipe here) 1 can black beans, drained & rinsed chopped romaine handful blue corn tortilla chips , crushed 4 tbsp salsa 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt

in a large pan, brown your meat.  once it's cooked add in 3 tbsp taco seasoning and 1 cup water.  let simmer until liquid is cooked down.  while your meat is simmering, in a small saucepan add your beans, a few tbsps of water and 1 tbsp taco seasoning.  cook on low until heated through.  once your meat and beans are done, it's time to assemble your salad.  start with your romaine lettuce, top with beans, meat, salsa, yogurt & chips.  dig in!

taco seasoning.

we love mexican. it's my second favorite cuisine, behind italian. so making my own taco seasoning was a no brainer.  the sodium in the store bought stuff is insane.  no thank you!  it's just so easy to make your own, and in the end, cheaper too.  

you need:
2 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or if you don't want spice, omit)
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp salt
mix all of the spices together and store in an airtight container.  i use 3 tbsp per 1 lb meat.  i double, triple or quadruple the recipe depending on how much i want to make!   skinny & clean taco salad recipe coming soon!

Huevos Rancheros

I'm a huge fan of eggs.  Not just for breakfast.  I love an over easy egg over asparagus.  Break the yolk and let it pour over the veggies.  Sooo good.  I also once ate a burger with an egg on it.. DE-lish.  So tonight I tried a new dish that I've never had.  I don't know why I waited so long to try it, it was super simple, one of my favorite cuisines(mexican), and involved eggs.  Triple threat.  The following recipe is for two...

You Need:

1 can black beans, drained

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp oil

1-2 tsp lime juice

4 flour tortillas(small)

1/2 c sharp cheddar cheese

2 eggs

salsa

cilantro

In a small saucepan combine the beans, garlic, cumin, chili powder, oil & lime juice.  Mash them up with a potato masher to desired consistency and heat through

  While those are heating, start "toasting" your tortillas.  In a large pan add a quarter size circle of oil, heat over medium heat and add two tortillas.  Once they start to bubble, flip.  Do this to all of your tortillas.

 Once your have those done, spread your bean mixture over two tortillas, top with your other two tortillas, and lastly sprinkle with cheese.

Set those aside and crack your eggs in the same pan over medium heat.  Let them cook to over easy, then place on top of your tortilla stack.

   Top with salsa and cilantro.  Eat.

Oh, and crack your yolk and watch all that glorious gold goodness pour over your creation.

 

 We didn't stop there.  We splurged on this amazing tub of gelato(it was $6, and that is a splurge for us, considering it's now gone...).  It was worth every penny.  SO good.

Happy Weekend!

Super Easy Restaurant Style Salsa

Before we get started, as you can see my blog has changed - I finally got a "big girl" blog page, one that wasn't a free generic from blogger.  I'll post about the whole experience(it's been awesome!) later.  For now, bear with us while we're under a bit of construction :)

Ya know the super delicious salsa you can only seem to find in a mexican restaurant?

I found a super easy homemade version.  Now it's not a total duplicate, I don't think anyone will ever find a recipe that makes an exact match.  It's one of those mysteries of the universe - no one except the mexican restaurant workers can do it.  I'm jealous.  But this recipe is close, and it's totally easy.  I'm a major salsa snob too, and this passes my test with flying colors.

You Need:

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can diced tomatoes w/ chilies

1/2 medium onion

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

3 jalapeno rings (if you don't want your salsa spicy omit these)

1 tsp honey

a bunch of cilantro(which I didn't have this time)

 I use my handy manual food processor from Pampered Chef(which by the way, I love and have no clue how I've gone my whole life without it!).  First I process my onion, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro and honey.  Then I transfer that to a mixing bowl.

 Next I process both cans of tomatoes separately and add them to the bowl, combining all ingredients as I add them.  

 Put it in an airtight container and store in the fridge.

Ever since the first time I made this I haven't had anything else since then.  I refuse to buy store bought salsa anymore because this stuff is just so much better.

Mexican Monday

Happy Monday!! 

Today was abnormally warm for a February day.  

I was craving something fresh and light.  

Dinner tonight was fish tacos and spiced black beans with tomato salad.  

SO yummy, I don't know where to even start!

It's super easy, and only semi-homemade, so it's a perfect weeknight meal.  

What you need:

1 lb tilapia

1 packet baja citrus marinade

1 pkg small flour tortillas

toppings(we had lettuce, salsa & cheese)

1 can seasoned black beans

handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered

a few splashes of lime juice

a few shakes of adobo 

Prepare the marinade according to the packet and add your fish.  Let it sit for 15-30 minutes or more if you can.  I prepared mine, went for a run, picked up Max from daycare then cooked it.  So it was probably a good  hour or so and it was perfect.  

 I took the next picture after we made our tacos, but basically just put your fish in a large pan and cook it over medium-medium high heat.  I poured some of the leftover marinade over the fish when it was cooking also so it would get a little saucy.  Once it's cooked just flake it up.  It probably took about 10 minutes to get to that point, so it's a quick meal, done in no time.  

 For the beans and tomato salad all you need to do with the beans is heat them on the stove over medium heat until they're heated through.  If you have time and want to make your own, have at it.  It's Monday and there's no time for that around here!  The tomato salad is easy and could be prepared in a million ways to go with any meal.  In a bowl combine the tomatoes, lime juice and adobo(found in the ethnic aisle) and toss to coat.  Done.  How easy was that?  

 Now just fix up your tacos and enjoy your Mexican Monday!

Fish tacos are SO my new favorite food.

Cheesy Ooey Gooey Enchiladas

You would think that after eating four of the yummies from my last post that I'd want something healthy & light for dinner.  Well, that's not how it's going down today.  It's a snow day, a day to splurge, a day of chocolate, sugar, cheese & more cheese.

This recipe was one I made up as I went tonight.  We had leftover refried beans and diced chilis that I knew I had to use up, so those were my inspiration.  First I browned a pound of ground beef, added some taco seasoning and water and let it cook down.  Then I added 5 slices of american cheese.  Weird cheese choice?  Not really.  I wanted something that would make it creamy & gooey, and not many cheeses can accomplish that.  And if I'm being honest, it's all I had, but it turned out GREAT.  After that melted in I added 2 tbsp of the diced green chilis.  Then I prepared my tortillas.  I used whole wheat topped with a smear of refried beans, then added a spoonful of my meat mixture.  Wrapped them up and placed them seam side down in a 9x13 baking pan.  I poured a can of mild enchilada sauce over & topped w/ some more shredded mexican cheese - voila, done!  I want to start making my own enchilada sauce, I have a recipe I've been dying to try.  Next time.... :)  I baked them at 375 until they get bubbly and looked done.  Very technical, huh?  I take things out of the oven when they're bubbly and look done - so sue me.  This meal could easily be doubled or tripled and would definitely freeze well.  

Happy Fiesta-ing,

Linds

P.S. Has anyone considered natural deodorant?  If so, did you make it?  If not, why not?  I made a batch tonight, so stay tuned, I'm going to product test this one before sharing.