Oven Baked Tacos

If you don't like a messy, crumbly taco then these double decker tacos are for you. Crunchy shells wrapped in corn tortillas to hold everything together! For best results make these right before dinnertime and serve immediately. 

Ingredients:

2 kale leaves, chopped well

1 lb ground beef

1 tsp onion powder

1 cup diced red pepper

2 tbsps taco seasoning, store bought or homemade, see note below)

a few drops of Tabasco sauce

6 hard taco shells

6 - 6" soft corn tortillas

1/2 cup refried beans

1 cup salsa, divided

1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

Place the chopped kale in a saucepan with a little bit of water. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat. Once the kale has wilted, drain and squeeze out the water with your hands.  Set aside.

Brown beef and red pepper in a skillet then add onion powder and taco seasoning. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the kale and 1/2 cup salsa. Heat through.

Now to assemble... I used these Stand and Stuff Ranch Blasted taco shells (I really didn't taste much difference from plain shells). Take a soft corn tortilla spread with refried beans and wrap it around a hard shell.

Divide the filling in 6 portions and spoon into the hard shell. Stand it in the baking dish. When they are all stuffed top them with shredded cheese.

Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes.

Then add your favourite taco toppings like more salsa, chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes or sour cream. But my all time favourite to add is CAESAR salad dressing! For real!

Serve with a side of rice and peas and you're good to go!

NOTE: Homemade Taco Seasoning link here 🠋

https://hotandcoldrunningmom.blogspot.com/2016/05/homemade-taco-seasoning.html

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Lentil Beet Soup

Meat free and hearty as heck!

Ingredients:

2 tbsps olive oil

3/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1 cup diced cooked beets

4 tsps minced garlic

1 tsp dry thyme

1/4 tsp cumin

1 bay leaf

1 1/4 cup lentils, rinsed and drained

5 cups broth (veg, chicken or beef)

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Boil in water or roast beets like a baked potato for about 1 hour or until tender.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven to medium high heat. Add onion, carrots and celery and cook 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium and add the beets, garlic, thyme, cumin and bay leaf. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the lentils and broth and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in the balsamic vinegar for just an added layer of flavour.

Remove the bay leaf and serve up with a nice crusty bread.

Makes about 6 servings.

Adapted from: feastingathome.com

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Asian Cabbage Rolls

The umaminess is real! 😋 

Sweet, spicy, salty and pungent all rolled up together in these Asian-inspired beauties! A twist on the usual Polish, Ukrainian, Romanian, Turkish cabbage rolls... they seem to have a little history everywhere! Who doesn't love a good cabbage roll?

Ingredients:

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup tomato paste 

1/4 cup light soya sauce

3 tbsps hoisin sauce

3 tbsps brown sugar

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 

1 1/2 - 2 tsps sriracha sauce

4 tsps minced garlic 

1 tbsp minced ginger 

2 tbsps cornstarch

Filling:

1 green cabbage, 12 leaves and 3 cups shredded

2 carrots, shredded 

1 lb ground pork 

1 cup cooked rice

1 small onion, chopped 

4 tsps minced garlic 

1 tbsp minced ginger 

1/4 cup soya sauce

1 egg, beaten 

Sesame seeds to garnish 

Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer 3-4 minutes. Remove 1/4 cup of sauce and cool in the fridge. Set the rest of the sauce aside. (This sauce is so good I may make some up to use with chicken breasts or pork tenderloin!)

To prepare the cabbage first remove all the tough outer leaves. Score with a knife around the stem.

Carefully lower the cabbage head into a large pot of boiling water. Boil 3-4 minutes then take it out of the water and remove what leaves you can. Score again and return to the water. Continue doing this until you have 12 leaves. Boil the leaves 1-2 minutes to soften then cut a wedge in each leaf to remove some of the thick vein. Pat dry with paper towels. Shred more of the cabbage to make 3 cups. Place shredded cabbage and carrots in a strainer and lower into the boiling water for 1 minute. Then run under cold water and drain well.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and oil a 13 X 9" baking dish. 

Mix the cabbage, carrots, pork, rice, onion, garlic, ginger, soya sauce, egg and reserved 1/4 cup sauce together. Divide the filling in 12. Take a large spoonful and place filling in the end of the cabbage leaf. Tuck end in and start to roll, folding the sides in and ending at the stem end. Place seam side down in prepared dish.

Once the rolls are completed spoon the sauce all over them.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Cool 5-10 minutes then serve with sesame seeds on a spoonful of sauce.

Serves 6 people, 2 rolls per serving

Adapted from: fromachefskitchen.com

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Jamaican Yam for Two

Jamaican yam with it's red skin and pale yellow flesh is kind of a cross between a starchy white potato and a sweet potato. If you're cooking for someone who doesn't like sweet potatoes, you might give these a try.

Ingredients:

1 medium Jamaican yam

olive oil

garlic powder

oregano

black pepper

Brush the yam clean then cut in half lengthwise. Score the flesh at 1/2" intervals making a crisscross pattern. Brush with olive oil gently opening the cuts to let some oil seep inside. Sprinkle with seasonings then place cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the skin with oil and add more seasoning. Roast at 400°F for 35 minutes flipping halfway through the cooking time. It should be fork-tender when cooked.

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Maple Sweetened Beets

These beets do not have a maple taste, but just lightly sweetened to enhance the natural earthiness of the beets.

Ingredients:

4 medium beets

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsps maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

Start with roasting the beets. Brush them clean then place in a baking pan and cover with foil. Alternatively you could wrap each beet in foil like a baked potato. Roast in a 400°F oven for 1 - 1 1/2 hours until they are easily pierced with a fork. Let cool enough to peel, the peels should pretty much slip right off, then dice them. I made a whole pan of roasted beets but will use just 4 in this recipe.

Once your beets are diced toss them with olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper. Place them in a baking pan and dab with butter. Bake at 425°F for 15-30 minutes. Goes well with most any meat.

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Citrus Brined Chicken

Brining does not make your chicken salty, it simply makes it more tender and seasoned right down to the bone! 

Ingredients:

1 tbsp salt for every cup of water added to cover chicken

10 whole cloves

2 bay leaves

1 orange, quartered

1 lemon, quartered

4 chicken legs

1 onion, sliced

a bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley

dabs of butter

sage, rosemary, thyme and black pepper

Place the chicken legs in a baking dish (or resealable bag) and add the orange and lemon pieces, giving them a little squeeze as you add them. Boil 2 cups of water and add the salt, cloves and bay leaves. Stir to dissolve the salt then place in the fridge to cool. Once completely cooled pour over the chicken. If you need more water dissolve salt in hot water then cool completely before adding it. Once the chicken is covered (or mostly covered) by the brine, refrigerate it for a minimum of 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

When ready to cook rinse the chicken well in cold water then pat dry with paper towels. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Discard the brine water.

Lay onion slices and parsley on the bottom of a 13 X 9" baking pan and place the chicken legs on top. Add the orange, lemon, cloves and bay leaves to the pan. Add dabs of butter on the legs then sprinkle sage, rosemary, thyme and black pepper to taste.

Roast at 425°F for 45-60 minutes or until internal temperature reads 165°F. Spoon juices over a couple of times during cooking.

Let rest 5 minutes before serving. (I cheated and used a store-bought gravy here!) The chicken was even better the second day!

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Parsley and Walnut Pesto

Parsley is still growing strong in the garden. So here's a quick and easy recipe that can add a burst of flavour to pasta, fish or chicken. 

Ingredients:

3 cups loosely packed flat leaf parsley

3 heaping tbsps chopped walnuts

2 tsps lemon juice

2 tsps chopped garlic

3 tbsps parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Pull the parsley leaves off the main stalks, the fine ones can stay. Place them in a food processor along with everything except the olive oil.

Now, while the processor is running, pour the olive oil in a thin stream and blitz until smooth.

Your pesto is now ready to use or freeze for a rainy day!

Makes 1 cup. Freeze in ice cube trays then pop out and toss into a ziplock bag. Each cube is about enough for 1 serving of pasta and will be ok in the freezer for 6 months.

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