Baked Tacos

We really love tacos in this house. We'll turn anything into a taco flavored version of the original - taco pizza, taco salad, you name it! Tonight, we just wanted plain tacos. We've always had soft tacos. For some reason, I've never made hard shell tacos in the entire 10 years Matt and I have been together. Come to find out, the corn taco shells actually have a lot less carbs in them than the soft flour tortillas. I think we'll be making these a lot more often now!

I got the idea to bake the tacos from a friend. And they turned out great! I hope you like them.

Baked Tacos
Makes: 4 servings

8 corn taco shells
1 lb ground beef, turkey, or chicken
taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheese such as cheddar or Monterey Jack
Taco toppings such as lettuce, tomatoes, scallions, salsa, hot sauce, etc.

• First, bake the empty taco shells so they get warm and crispy. Place the taco shells on a baking sheet and bake at 325° F for 5 - 6 minutes.
• While the shells are baking, brown up the meat in a skillet on high heat until thoroughly cooked and no longer pink, about 4 - 5 minutes. Stir in the taco seasoning and remove from the heat.
• Remove the taco shells from the oven, stuff them with the taco meat, then top them all with shredded cheese.
• Place the tacos back in the oven for about 2 - 3 minutes until the cheese is melted.
• Top with your favorite toppings!

Loaded Chicken & Black Bean Burritos

I had some left-over rotisserie chicken from the Buffalo Chicken Blasts that I made the other day so I decided to use it up in these Loaded Chicken & Black Bean Burritos. I also boiled the bones to make chicken stock. Waste not, want not! Anyhow, these burritos are really yummy with chicken, but you can also leave out the chicken for Meatless Mondays.

Loaded Chicken & Black Bean Burritos
Makes: 8 Burritos

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped
15 oz can of black beans
4 oz can of green chilies
1/2 cup salsa verde
1/2 medium yellow onion, 1/2" dice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
8 burrito size flour tortillas
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

  

• In a saute pan, cook the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent, about 10 - 12 minutes.
• Add the chicken, black beans, green chilies, salsa verde, cumin, cayenne, garlic, salt, and pepper. Stir and continue to cook on medium about 5 minutes until heated through.
• Sprinkle about one ounce of cheese on a tortilla then melt the cheese either in the microwave or under the broiler.

• Spread 1/8th of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla then roll up like a burrito.

• Serve with sour cream, salsa verde, sliced green onions, etc.
• Note: If you don't want to use a rotisserie chicken, you could bake two chicken breasts at 400° F for 20 - 25 minutes, then chop up.

Chalupas

Matt and I love Chalupas from Taco Bell. There, I said it. 

We're not big on fast food but for some reason those darn chalupas are so addictive! Whenever I eat something really yummy at a restaurant, I always try to recreate it at home. Some attempts are more successful than others. Before I make my first attempt, I'll usually search the web for the copy-cat recipes that already exist - no need to reinvent the wheel, right?! I usually read the comments which reveal how true to the original the recipe really is. When I did my initial Google search for chalupas, I realized the web is sadly lacking in any decent recipes. So, here's my attempt at a Chalupa. It's not in the same shape as you would find at Taco Bell and the shell tastes a little different. But, mine tastes better if I do say so myself - ahem! Tell me what you think!

Chalupas:
For the shell:
I actually stole this flour tortilla recipe from Smells Like Home. However, instead of cooking them in a fry pan, I deep fried them with the deep fryer on 375° F for about 2 minutes on each side. They will puff up super huge but don't worry. Once you take them out, they'll flatten out. Once the shells are golden brown, remove them from the oil and let them drain on a paper towel before topping them.

For the topping:
1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
4 oz shredded pepper jack cheese
shredded lettuce
1 tomato, diced
4 green onions, chopped
Salsa con queso

• Brown the ground beef in a skillet over high heat until cooked through and no longer pink.
• Drain the ground beef, return to the pan, then mix in the taco seasoning according to the directions on the package.
• Top the chalupa shell with desired combination of taco meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, green onions, salsa con queso, etc.

Classic Guacamole

I've got to be honest, there is absolutely nothing special about this recipe. It is just like the hundreds of guacamole recipes you'll find if you just Google the topic. However, sometimes a classic is just what you need. No fancy additions or spins on the original. Just pure and unadulterated. I love guacamole and it's super easy to make. There's no reason to buy the store bought stuff with all the salt and preservatives.

My guacamole is a mild recipe. I know what you're thinking, and no, I haven't lost my mind. I actually prefer a  mild guacamole. I like the avocado to be the star of the show, not the heat.

Guacamole
2 Ripe avocados
1 Clove garlic
1 Roma tomato
1 Jalapeno pepper
2 Tbsp lime juice
Salt

• Cut the avocados in half. Give the pit a good whack with your knife then twist. This is the easiest way to remove the pit. If this method makes you nervous, you can always just give the avocado a good squeeze instead.
• Scoop out the avocados with a spoon and drop them into a bowl.
• Toss the avocado halves with the lime juice so they don't start to oxidize and turn brown.
• Mince the garlic super fine - you don't want to bite into a large chunk of raw garlic!
• Cut the top off of the jalapeno then cut it into quarters. Scoop out the seeds. Lay each quarter flat on your cutting board then cut out the fleshy membrane that was holding the seeds. All of these steps will remove a significant amount of the heat. If you like spicier guacamole, leave the seeds and membranes on the pepper.
• Cut each section into 1/8" match stick size strips. Then finely dice so that you have a 1/8" dice.
• Add the garlic and jalapeno to the avocado and lime juice mixture. Mash up the mixture with a fork. You can make it chunky or creamy, depending on your preference.
• Cut the tomato in half. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds and fleshy membranes in the center of the tomato. You'll be left with two hollow shells basically.
• Cut each section into 1/4" strips. Then dice so that you have a 1/4" dice.
• Add the tomatoes to your guacamole.
• Add salt to taste. Matt and I prefer only a little bit of salt so I add about 1/8 tsp. You may need more, depending on personal taste.
• Run and hide so you can eat it all before anyone realizes you've made guacamole!

Note: you may want to put on gloves to cut the jalapeno. If you don't wear gloves, make sure that you thoroughly wash your hands afterward and for the love of God, don't touch your eyes or nose for several hours after cutting the jalapeno.

Chicken Quesadillas

This is another recipe that took me a while to perfect. Even now, I still make little adjustments to it, depending on what I'm in the mood for. As you know by now, Matt and I love Tex-Mex style food and really anything spicy. Quesadillas are a great, easy Tex-Mex style recipe that's also very budget friendly. We used to eat these all the time in college and right after college when we were flat broke. In fact, my Quesadillas might be the reason Matt married me! haha

Chicken Quesadillas
2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tsp adobo seasoning
3 Strips bacon
6 Medium flour tortillas
4 oz shredded cheese such as mild cheddar, monterey jack, pepper jack, etc.
Hot sauce (We like Frank's - if you're a Texas Pete's kinda person, it's ok, nobody's perfect!)
Butter (I use Smart Balance)

  

• Trim the chicken then cut into very small pieces - about 1/4 inch cubes.
• Place the chicken in a bowl, toss with the adobo seasoning, then set aside.
• Chop up the bacon into small strips (this is called a "lardon" in case you're curious), then cook over medium-medium high until crisp. Set aside.
• Drain the bacon fat from the pan and wipe clean. Spray the pan lightly with cooking spray oil, then brown the chicken on medium high heat until completely cooked through.
• Once cooked, set the chicken aside in a new, clean bowl.
• Place the pan back on the heat and turn the heat down to medium low.
• Very lightly butter 2 flour tortillas on one side.

• Place one tortilla, buttered side down, in the frying pan over medium low. Then top with 1/3 of the cheese, 1/3 of the bacon, then 1/3 of the chicken, then shake on as much hot sauce as you like. Top with the second tortilla, buttered side up.
• If you want to go really crazy, you can spread some salsa con queso on the second tortilla.
• You can also add some roasted red peppers, avocado slices, or I even like to add broccoli and cauliflower in mine, crazy as that sounds.

• Cook until golden brown and the cheese is melted, then flip and cook the other side until also golden brown. 
• Using a pizza cutter, cut the quesadilla in half, then thirds so you have 6 slices.
• Repeat with the remaining ingredients until you have 3 quesadillas.

These are great served with salsa, guacamole, olives, sour cream, etc.