Vegetarian Tostadas

After I made that yummy Taco Bell wanna be sauce, I knew I had to use it for more than just eating like soup.  I wanted to make bean burritos, but gluten free tortillas just never seem to want to be made into burritos.  They are always cracking and falling apart so you end up with a burrito in your lap instead of in your belly.  

I needed a quick dinner, so I ended up deciding on bean tostadas.  

I took my gluten free tortillas, crisped them up in the oven.  Then I topped them with refried black beans, an extra generous portion of the sauce, and then topped it with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and avocados.  After I took the picture, I dumped on at least 3 gallons of the sauce, but didn't want to show that my finished product looked like a crime scene....which may be ok, since Halloween is this week, but not very appetizing to stare at. 

Vegetarian Tostadas

2 brown rice tortillas

Your choice of oil or cooking spray

1 can refried beans

Taco sauce

Assorted veggies (lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, olives, jalapeño slices, onions, bell peppers, etc)

(Non-dairy) Cheese and sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 400.  Brush or spray tortillas on both sides with oil or cooking spray.  Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes until crispy.  You can turn them halfway during cooking but it's not completely necessary.  Be careful to watch the tortillas closely because they will finish suddenly and will go from done to burnt in what seems like half a second.  

While the tortilla is cooking, heat your beans, chop up your veggies, and get out any other toppings you may want.

As soon as the tortillas are done, put them on your dinner plate.  Spread each tortilla with half the beans.  Top generously with sauce.  Pile on your toppings and then finish with more sauce.  

Enjoy right away or your tortilla will get soggy.  Enjoy!!!!

Recreating Childhood Treats

Although I don't eat fast food anymore, one thing I will always have a soft spot for in my heart are Taco Bell bean burritos.  When we were growing up, we didn't have much money for extras, especially after my dad died.  Mom would occasionally get us lunch out, which was a huge treat.  Usually it was 39 cent tacos and bean burritos.  You could feed four hungry kids plus mom for about $5!

I was excited when Taco Bell came out with their grocery store line, but was dismally disappointed when I saw all the ingredients.  What are "natural flavorings?"  Usually MSG?!?!?!  Ick! 

I've tried to recreate it at home, but never had good results.  I'm guessing it's because I don't keep a stash of "natural flavorings" in my kitchen.

Then, a few days ago, I found a recipe to recreate those childhood memories.  Yum Yum Yum!  I made it right away.  Hubby declared way better than Taco Bell and said that it tasted way better than something you could buy in a jar from the store!

So if you are like me, and are eating healthy, but still have the occasional cravings for your favorite chidhood treats, go visit Peas and Thank You and make Momma Pea's recipe for  

Border Bean Burritos with Mild Sauce.  

While you go make this...I'm going to go back to my bowl of sauce which I will be eating like a bowl of cold soup...

What favorite childhood treat do you no longer eat but still crave?

Taco Salad with Avocado Dressing

My friend Lauren came over for dinner after she got back from a short vacation.  She said she was needing to detox from all the fun and suggested we make a taco salad.  

My grandma and my mom make this super yummy taco salad that has a homemade avocado dressing  mixed in the salad.  I'm sure I loved the salad mostly because it had crushed up Fritos in the salad, but I did remember that the dressing was really yummy.  

I tracked down the recipe from my aunt and was so disappointed to find out that it had sour cream in it. Dairy does NOT do my body good anymore, so I decided to try to find another avocado dressing recipe.  None of the ones I found were even close to my grandma's recipe, so I ended up combing all the best parts of the dozens of recipes I read into my own, allergen-friendly, avocado dressing.  

I made the dressing in a mixing bowl with an immersion blender, but you could definitely make this in a blender, a magic bullet, or even a small food processor.  

Avocado Green Chili Dressing

1 Avocado, skin and pit removed

Juice of 1 Lime

3 tbl water

3 tbl olive oil

1 garlic clove (I used my fermented garlic)

Small handful of Cilantro (leaves...stems too if you're lazy)

1/2 of a 4oz can of diced green chilies

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp chili powder (opt)

Add all ingredients to a blender and process until smooth.  Cover and chill for about 30 minutes while you are preparing your salad.  

When we made our taco salads, we put in everything that we could find that would go in a taco salad.  Lettuce, tomatoes, taco meat, onions, olives, crushed up tortilla chips, roasted corn kernels, salsa, etc.  I also like to add black beans or kidney beans, but didn't have any at the time. Once again, this is one of those super flexible meals that will adapt to whatever you have on hand.  

This post was shared on Whole Food Fridays Week #11 and Creative Thursday Link Party #26

Lazy Homemade Salsa

My garden hasn't done as great as I hoped it would do this year.  

I'm not really sure what I'm doing right or wrong.  

I'm trying to grow everything organic, but stuff just isn't producing like I had hoped. 

This is only my 3rd year having a garden, so I know I still have lots of learning to go. 

One thing that amazed me this year is that I had a couple plants pop up out of no where and start bearing fruit. 

One is a zucchini plant that has produced two large squashes.

And the other is a yellow pear tomato plant that is the most abundant tomato plant I have ever seen.  

I picked so many of those tiny pear tomatoes the other night that I decided to make salsa.

If you have ever made salsa, it can be quite a labor intensive process, between peeling, seeding, and chopping all the tomatoes and other ingredients.  

And don't forget that time when you chopped a jalapeño and then rubbed your eyes a few minutes later....  OUCH! 

I did not have the time or the energy to do that to a bowl full of tiny tomatoes and a handful of tiny tomatillos. 

So I cheated. 

I got out my handy food processor, dumped everything in, gave it a whirl, and ended up with a tasty fresh salsa.

This "recipe" is very forgiving and can be modified according to your tastes and what you have on hand.

Lazy Homemade Salsa

4 cups of fresh tomatoes and tomatillos (husks removed) 

1 bunch of cilantro, large stems removed

1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters

1-2 jalapeños, stem removed, seeded (if desired...seeds=spicy)

Juice of 1-2 limes

Salt, to taste

Rinse off all your veggies.  Place all your ingredients, except salt, in the food processor and chop until desired consistency is reached, about 5-30 seconds.  Add salt to taste.  Can be served immediately, or chilled to let the flavors develop.  Stays good in the fridge for a couple of days (if it lasts that long!).

Eat with a giant bag of scoops because you are too tired to make dinner and then fall asleep on the couch in your {clean} gym clothes. 

Or pretend you are an adult and don't have the metabolism of a 12 year old, and use it in your favorite recipe, or to top a taco {salad} after your workout and post gym shower.

BLT tacos

What happens when you have an open package of bacon you need to use up and an open package of taco shells?

You make BLT tacos. 

I remember seeing an awesome recipe for BLT spring rolls a couple months ago, and I've been meaning to make them. 

But this night I was feeling extra lazy and spring rolls were way too much effort. 

(They really aren't that much effort, it was just a bad excuse to be lazy)

Tacos.  One of my favorite foods.  

They are quick and easy and faster than a 30 minute meal.

So what happens when you have an open package of bacon you need to use up and you want to have tacos for dinner?

You make BLT tacos. 

Dave asked me to marry him all over again when he ate these. 

BLT Tacos

Bacon

Chopped lettuce

Sliced tomatoes

Sliced avocado 

Taco Shells

Cook bacon to desired level of crispness.  Cut strips in half.  Place two halves in a taco shell.  Add a slice of avocado, top with lettuce and tomatoes.  

Enjoy! 

Shared on: Totally Tasty Tuesdays 

Welcome to Taco Tuesday

Growing up in a town that's heavily influenced with Mexican culture, has really made me love Mexican cuisine. Yes, yes, I know.  Much of the food in California isn't authentic Mexican food, it's Cal-Mex, Tex-Mex, Colorado-Mex, New Mexico-Mex, etc.  While I'm not a fan of the fast food or major chain Mexican restaurants, I love local, hole-in-the-wall places like Murillos (location of hubby and I's first date!), Vasquez Deli, and Chando's Tacos. 

When I was little, my mom had a copy of the Sunset Mexican Cookbook, 1983 edition.  I remember reading it like it was a Nancy Drew book, absorbing every word in the book on how to prepare everything from tamales to enchilada sauces to flan.  We cooked Mexican food often at my mom's house: enchiladas, tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and chili verde.  My mom is well known for her green chicken enchiladas and a pan of those is a coveted birthday, Christmas or "just-because" gift.  

Now that I'm on my strict elimination diet, Mexican food is pretty much on the "banned" list right now.  I tested positive to wheat, dairy, coriander, and cumin, and also found that I need to severely limit my intake of corn, beans, tomatoes, and peppers in order to feel better.  That means no tortillas, no salsa, not hot sauces, no "Mexican" seasonings, no crema, no refried beans, and no queso.  While I'm waiting for that magical day in August when I can start adding foods on-by-one back into my diet,  I have been trying to eat some of my favorite menu items minus all the ingredients on my allergy list.  

Last summer, I was talking to a farmer at the market and they were selling prickly pear cactus pads, also knows as nopales.  I had never had cactus before and didn't know it was edible. I vaguely remember a prickly pear cactus margarita at a chain Mexican restaurant, but wasn't sure if it was made from cactus or that was just the name because of the color.  Nights involving margaritas are very fuzzy in my memory.  Except for the night there was a clown drinking margaritas at that restaurant's bar, but that's another story....  I told the farmer I had never had cactus and asked how it tasted.  He replied, "Delicious" with a big grin on his face.  I asked him his favorite ways to prepare the cactus, and he said that there was too many to count.  He started listing off all the ways you could eat cactus, and I suddenly felt like I was watching Bubba talk about all the ways you can eat shrimp. I really love that this particular farmer removes all the needles prior to selling.  They can be dangerous and difficult for the newbie to remove, and can really harm you if you accidentally ingest one. 

Now that cactus is back in season, I always make sure to get some at the market each week.  While I haven't really branched out and made them in the million and one ways the farmer said you can, I have found them to be a quite delicious as a taco filling.  This week I decided to mix them with some ground chicken.  It was so yummy, despite not having my beloved Pepper Plant Seasoning added in (I added salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders to give it some flavors).  Today I splurged and ate corn taco shells, but you could just as well put this in a brown rice tortilla or on top of a salad.  

Nopales and Ground Chicken Tacos

 

1 lb 99% fat free ground chicken

1 lb nopales, needles removed, cut into small, bite-sized pieces

2 tbl coconut oil

2 tbl pepper plant seasoning (or 1-2 packages of your favorite taco seasoning)

taco shells

desired garnishes: avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, crema or sour cream, guacamole, queso, chopped onions and cilantro, etc.  

Heat a heavy skillet with 2 tbl coconut oil over medium high heat.  Add nopales, and saute until soft, about 5 -10 minutes.  Remove from pan and set aside.  Add ground chicken, brown and crumble, about 10 minutes.  Add your seasonings and about 1/4 cup of water (or whatever your package directions say) and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add nopales and mix together.  Spoon the chicken nopales mixture into taco shells.  Top with desired garnishes. ¡Buen provecho!