Wednesday, August 24, 2011

#2: Lemonade Chicken Tacos

Refreshing lemonade on a hot summer day??? Yes please! This week, we made some super delicious and refreshing chicken tacos made with tart, cold lemonade :-)
 

Ingredients:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts (cut into bit size pieces)
1 cup lemonade
2 tablespoons safflower oil (or olive oil)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion flakes (or powder)
1 bay leaf
1 jalapeno chopped
1/2 cup onion sliced
1/2 cup green peppers sliced
8 tortilla shells (corn or flour- we used flour)

Toppings:
1 large tomato chopped
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 avocado sliced
Chunky salsa
Sour cream

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine chicken, lemonade, oil, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, and bay leaf. After a few minutes, add jalapeno, onions, and green pepper (we like our food spicy). Simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, and juices run clear.
On a plate, place a tortilla shell. Sprinkle cheese onto the bottom of the shell. Spoon on chicken mixture, and top with tomato, cheese, avocado, salsa, and sour cream.

There are a lot of ingredients to this yummy taco, but is a cinch to make!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Taco Numero Uno: Chicken Fried Taco

Who doesn't like chicken and fried in the same sentence??? This past week we decided to put two of our favorite words into one yummy taco...

 
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken cut into chunks
1 cup sliced green pepper
1 cup sliced onion
4 flour tortilla shells
chili powder
crushed red pepper flakes
oil
shredded cheddar cheese
chunky salsa

In a non-stick pan, begin cooking chicken. Once it is almost done, add green pepper, onion, chili powder (we used about a tspn), and crushed red pepper flakes (your choice- we like it hot). After flavors have begun to blend and peppers and onions have softened, add about a cup of chunky salsa. Let simmer.

In a medium-sized pan, put enough oil to cover the bottom. Let the oil get hot because you will be frying! Once the oil is hot, carefully add a tortilla shell. Cook each side of the shell for about 30 seconds or until golden brown. Repeat for each shell. After each shell has been fried, place them on a napkin to soak up some of the excess oil.

Place two tortilla shells on a plate, molding them into a "U" shape. Sprinkle cheddar cheese (and/or any other shredded cheese of your choice) onto the bottom of the shells. Spoon on chicken mixture and top with some chunky salsa :-)

Ashley is ready to eat!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Homemade Tortilla Shells


Why spend money on boring store bought flour tortilla shells when you can make your own? They're extremely easy to make and other than the rest time for the dough, pretty quick to make too. You need 4 simple ingredients for these delicious homemade tortilla shells- flour, oil, salt, and water. How much easier would you want???

You will need:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water



In a medium-size bowl, mix the flour and vegetable oil with your fingers or a fork until crumbly. Dissolve salt in warm water and pour it over the flour mixture, using your fingers to combine the dough. Knead the dough on an unfloured surface until elastic, about 3 to 5 minutes. Place it back in the bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rest for at least 1 hour.

Divide the dough into 12 balls and roll each one into a thin, 8-inch round "tortilla shell". 



Place one tortilla at a time on an ungreased skillet over medium-high heat and warm each side for 30 seconds.  
Makes 12 tortillas.


Thursday, August 11, 2011

Get Excited!

In the beginning, we discovered our shared love of food, cooking, and experimenting with recipes. We decided to cook instead of spending money on food that may not be specific to what we really want that day. One of our creative meals happened to be "Ashley's Turkey Tacos"... And so began the exciting "Yummy Taco Tuesdays".

Over the course of 52 weeks, follow us while we create and discover 52 "types" of tacos. We're not sure if this is going to be the easiest mission, but we are determined to succeed!