Zucchini Boats filled with Spicy Lager Lentils

I’m going to take a bit of a break from bread recipes today and tell you all about these Zucchini Boats filled with Spicy Lager Lentils! If you are a fan of spicy, Tex-mex cuisine, you need to add this recipe to your repertoire.

The Husband and I absolutely love zucchini. Can’t get enough of the stuff, which is a bit strange because neither of us liked it one little bit when we were kids. Now I want to eat it all the time. One of our absolute favorite sides are these Zucchini Spicy Grilled Corn & Cheese Pancakes:

And zucchini adds moisture as well as flavor to my favorite Banana Bread recipe:

So yeah, we are all about zucchini here. Stuffing a few of them with some spiced up lager lentils seemed like a great idea. And boy was it ever! I first told you about these lentils when we made tacos with them. Absolutely delish!

Now we’ve got those same spicy lentils wrapped with zucchini, rather than a tortilla. This is great news if you are trying to cut back on carbs. And you still get to top these Zucchini Boats with all the same fun toppings you would put on a taco.

Another win is that these little boats are perfect for a Meatless Monday! I swear you won’t miss that meat at all.

Later this summer, when you are absolutely swimming in zucchini, you will be so happy that I shared this idea with you. And the recipe is easily customizable, so if you are a hardcore carnivore – go ahead and add some meat. Turns out there really aren’t any rules. So have fun creating your own version of these Zucchini Boats today! (but I gotta say…these Spicy Lager Lentils are pretty amazing…)

• Servings: 4
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe inspired by: The Mountain Kitchen’s Meatless Mexican Zucchini Boats

Ingredients:

• 1 cup lentils, cooked (you will end up with about 2 cups of lentils when cooked)
• 1 white onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 oz. chopped green chilis
• 1/2 cup salsa (your favourite – We love Green Mountain Gringo Salsa)
• 6 oz.- 8 oz. lager beer (I used Estrella Damm, Dos Equis would be great too )

For the spice mixture:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon Spanish Smoked paprika
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the Zucchini Boats:

• 4 medium zucchini – halved and with a channel scooped out for the spicy lentils
• Shredded Mexican Cheese
• Toppings: sour cream, Cotija Cheese, salsa, fresh jalapeños, fresh cilantro

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and tin of green chilis, cook for another minute or two.  Add the spice mixture and cook, stirring frequently. You don’t want to burn the spices just crank up the flavor by cooking them.

Add the lentils, salsa and 6 ounces of the beer and stir to combine. Let cook for 2-3 minutes. Using a potato masher or fork, gently mash the lentils until the mixture reaches the consistency you are happy with. Cook another few minutes until hot. If the lentils start to dry out, add another glug or two of the lager. ( If you haven’t slurped it down…cooking is hard & thirsty work!)

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.

Slice the zucchini in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon to dredge out a channel for the spicy lentils to sit in. Don’t remove too much of the zucchini. Take care to leave at least 1/4″ flesh in the zucchini. Just remove the center seeds and discard.

Place the zucchini on the prepared baking sheet.

Fill the prepared zucchini boats with the spicy lentils. Sprinkle shredded Mexican style spicy cheese over the tops.

Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until the zucchini are fork tender.

Remove from oven. Add any additional toppers you would like.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Boats filled with Spicy Lager Lentils brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Spicy Taco Egg Cups

Woohoo! It’s Cinco de Mayo! And we’re still on lockdown! No drinking margaritas in the cantina for the Husband and I. Nope – looks like it might have to be shots of tequila on the couch. I guess we better get some food on the stomach if that’s the way it’s gonna go today. And I have just the thing: Spicy Taco Egg Cups!

These little firecrackers pack quite a punch! At least they do when I make ’em, ’cause we do love our spicy food. But don’t despair if you don’t – you can tame them down accordingly. Just don’t use any cayenne and use a very mild salsa. They will still have tons of flavor, just not as much of the “burns so good-ness” that we love.

While I’ve got you here I’d like to take the opportunity to remind you of some other great recipes that would be perfect for today such as my favorite Guacamole (there is a secret ingredient in it!)

Or how about this Tres Leches Cake with Dulce de Leche Glaze

And who could forget the Double Decker Taco Cupcakes

But let me get back to these little Taco Egg Cups. Here is another fantastic piece of information – they can actually be pretty low in calories if you concerned with the Covid 19 pounds that I’ve mentioned gaining while in quarantine. Just use lean ground beef and reduced fat cheese. There you have it, low calorie (around 100 -ish per cup) and tasty! They come together pretty quickly as well. So while you’re making a batch of these, have your quarantine buddy fire up the blender for some frozen Margaritas. Nine in the a.m. isn’t too early to start with the festivities is it? Cinco de Mayo will turn out just fine at home after all!

• Servings: 12 Egg Cups
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe slightly adapted from: Food Faith Fitness

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 lb. ground beef
• 1/2 Tablespoon Taco Seasoning
• 3/4 Cup Salsa (your choice, but I love Green Mountain Gringo)
• 6 Eggs
• 4 Egg whites (or 3/4 cup store bought prepackaged egg whites)
• Pinch of salt, pepper and cayenne if you like it spicy!
• 1 Cup Mexican Cheese Blend or Pepper Jack Cheese

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375°F and GENEROUSLY spray the wells of muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add in the ground beef and cook, breaking up, until no longer pink. Add in the taco seasoning and stir until well mixed.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salsa. Set aside.

In a large pyrex measuring cup, whisk together the eggs and egg whites with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Pour the egg mixture in the wells of the muffin tin, trying to distribute equally among the wells.

Spoon about 2 Tablespoons of the beef mixture into the muffin wells.

Finally, top each muffin cavity with 1 slightly heaping Tablespoon of the cheese.

Bake until the eggs are set and lightly golden brown, about 20-23 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes and them carefully remove them from the muffin pan to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy!

Spicy Taco Egg Cups brought to you today by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Links for Helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Spicy Taco Egg Cups:

OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop

Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup

Cupcake & Muffin Tin

Green Mountain Gringo Salsa – here is an Amazon link, though you can likely get this at your local grocery store.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

I thought Spring had sprung over the weekend! Yup…the mercury shot on up to 61°F! Balmy I tell you. But alas, I understand that it was just a tease and the cold/wet Wintry weather is headed back in our direction. Good thing I have this spicy, oh so flavorful Chicken Tortilla Soup on hand to warm me up. The zesty broth is simply chock full of tender chicken as well as a  savory veggie and black bean blend. It imparts all those “feel good” vibes that the old classic Chicken Noodle Soup does, yet it does it with a kick! And this soup is not only delicious, but it is also really easy to make. I’m telling you, all you do is put all of the ingredients into your slow cooker, turn it on and then just walk away. No fuss, no worries. And when you return (7 hours later for my part, though you can cook this soup on the high setting and it will be done in 3 -4 hours) you just shred the chicken breasts and stir the meat back into the soup. At that point, while that shredded meat is settling in, you just do a little prep to get all of your toppings ready to go. And I must say, do not skimp on your toppings. I mean this soup is indeed tasty served “au naturale” but I can assure you, there is no way that I will pass up an opportunity to add gooey cheese, chunks of avocado, sour cream and fresh cilantro to pretty much any meal! Yeah, toppings are not really “optional” for me, but to each his own.

As for the tortillas, the Husband and I just came across Tostitos Rolls, which are the Tostitos tortilla chips, rolled into little cylinders. Crumble them over the top or simply enjoy them as a side, they are fantastic with this soup! So if Winter has got you down and you’re a bit short on time (and/ or kitchen motivation), make up a big batch of this Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup. Folks will be glad you did!

• Servings: 6 -8
• Difficulty: easy
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Recipe slightly adapted from: Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
• 4 cups good-quality chicken stock
• 2 (14-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 (10-ounce) cans Rotel Diced tomatoes, with juice (we used the Hot variety diced with Habanero)
• 1 (15-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1-2 dried arbol chilis
• 1 white onion, peeled and diced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more/less to taste
• fresh lime wedges
• optional toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, diced avocado, fresh chives, diced red onion, shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla strips/chips/rolls

Directions:

Add all of the above listed ingredients to a slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 hours on high heat or 6-8 hours on low heat, until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily. Remove chicken breasts from soup. Use two forks to shred the chicken and then add back to the soup. Remove the chilis, and discard.

Serve warm with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and topped with optional toppings if desired (Don’t be silly….of course you want the toppings!).

You can refrigerate this soup in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Links to Useful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup:

Crock-Pot Slow Cooker

Kuhn Rikon Avocado Knife

Rotel Diced Tomatoes – This link is for 4 cans, enough for two batches of this soup

Chile de Arbol

Tostitos Rolls – We thought these rolled tortilla chips were great with this soup!

 

Spicy Summer Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad

Wow! Last Wednesday was the first day of Fall and apparently for once the weather in the good old State of Virginia agrees with the calendar. Temperatures around here have been just glorious. The humidity has chilled out and the days are warm but the nights are just starting to get a bit of chill to them. I for one could not be happier, though it did seem a bit sudden. Usually summer lingers on around here for quite some time. I won’t say anything more about it though because I don’t want to speak too soon and “word” it. (Yup…I sure did word it. I wrote the last sentence about the great Fall weather over the weekend. On Monday the temperature crept back up to 80°, and was accompanied by remarkable Virginia swamp-like humidity. I knew it was too good to be true!)  I’ll just say, here’s one more great summer recipe which should carry over nicely into Fall…Spicy Summer Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad.

This salad can be served room temperature or even chilled if the mercury starts to creep up again. And it has a bit of a spicy kick to warm you up a bit if the chillier temperatures persist. If you have any leftover Spicy Grilled Corn from those Zucchini, Spicy Grilled Corn & Cheese Pancakes that I told you about a couple of weeks ago, this is a great way to put it to good use! The husband and I usually enjoy this dish on Meatless Mondays, and I serve it over a bed of lettuce. It gives it a taco salad-y kind of vibe. Another option, if you were feeling a bit more carnivorous, would be to add in some spicy chicken or grilled steak. And although we love it as a main dish, it would also be great as a side next to a big old burrito, taco or enchilada. So there you have it… all the healthful benefits of quinoa and all the fresh spicy tastes of summer. What a winner!

• Servings: 4
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe adapted from: Once Upon a Chef

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 cup pre-washed quinoa (if not washed, follow package instructions for rinsing)
• 1-2/3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or 1 cup chopped tomatoes, from 2 medium tomatoes
• 1-1/4 cups Spicy Grilled Corn – recipe to follow (can use canned corn if you don’t have fresh)
• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed
• 2 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons lime juice, from 1 large lime
• 1 avocado, cut into bite-sized chunks
• Cotija cheese, crumbled
• shredded iceberg lettuce (to serve Quinoa Salad over – if you desire)

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minutes or so. Add the spices to the onion/garlic mixture and stir to combine

Add the quinoa to the onion/spice mixture and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes. Add the vegetable broth and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Cover the pan tightly with a lid, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 17-20 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Transfer the cooked quinoa to a mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator.

When the quinoa is cool, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, tomatoes, Spicy Grilled Corn, black beans, scallions, jalapeno, cilantro, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Right before serving, scatter the avocado chunks and Cotija Cheese over top.

Spicy Grilled Corn

Ingredients:

• 3-4 ears of fresh corn in husk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• ¼ tsp chili powder

Directions:

Combine olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, brown sugar and chili powder in small bowl and whisk together.
Preheat grill.
Peel back the corn husks, discarding all but a couple inner layers. Remove corn silk, then baste with dressing, and recover corn with remaining husk.
Grill on med-high for 20-25 minutes, turning 3-4 times during cooking time.
Remove the corn from grill and allow to cool a few minutes. Once it has cooled enough to handle, cut off stem end, place the flat cut end on bottom of large bowl, and use a corn zipper to strip the kernels from the cob. Or if you don’t have a zipper, run a small sharp knife down the length of the cob, slicing off kernels.

Enjoy!

Spicy Summer Tex-Mex Quinoa Salad brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

 

 

Spicy Lager Lentil Tacos

I’ll keep those Meatless Monday recipes flowing with this my latest offering…Spicy Lager Lentil Tacos! Everyone loves tacos right? We love all spicy food around here and tacos are not exception. I must admit though, usually when we have tacos they are stuffed with some sort of spicy grilled meat. Just take a look at these Carnitas Tacos, Double Decker Taco Cupcakes, and Carne Asada Tacos. I think my Breakfast Tacos are the only meatless variety I’ve mentioned thus far, and they are stuffed full of egg, which I know is off limits for some folks. So here is a spicy, flavourful meatless taco that everyone will love…Spicy Lager Lentil Tacos!

I found this recipe over at Delish Knowledge. Now the recipe as they posted it is very healthy and vegan. Mine, well…..I’d like to think it was a bit healthier than your average meat-stuffed taco, however  I must admit I took that virtuous vegan creation and altered it a bit. Yup…I added in some beer, a bunch of cheese and some sour cream. Go figure! What can I say, I have a weakness of cheese…oh yeah and beer….

So although these tacos are not suitable for vegans anymore, they still do offer all the benefits of lentils. Lentils, besides being quite tasty, are packed full of protein, essential amino acids and vitamins. They are also pretty inexpensive if you are on a budget. They add great texture to these tacos and really take on the wonderful smoky spicy flavours of the spice mixture.

We had several meals from this batch of lentils, tacos one night, followed by burritos and finally as a Spicy Lager Lentil Taco Salad. I tell you, you won’t miss the meat at all and I bet you’ll find that you are eating them on days other than Meatless Monday.

• Servings: 12-14 tacos
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe adapted from: Delish Knowledge

Ingredients:

• 1 cup lentils, cooked (you will end up with about 2 cups of lentils when cooked)
• 1 white onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 oz. chopped green chilis
• 1/2 cup salsa (your favourite – We love Green Mountain Gringo Salsa)
• 6 oz.- 8 oz. lager beer (I used Estrella Damm, Dos Equis would be great too )
• 12 – 18 small taco sized Corn or Flour Tortillas, or Taco Shells

For the spice mixture:

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon Spanish Smoked paprika
• 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the Taco toppings:  Your choice of: shredded lettuce, sliced jalapenos, diced tomatoes, shredded mexican cheese, sour cream, cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, guacamole, sliced avocados, jalapeno/cilantro crema

Ingredients:

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and tin of green chilis, cook for another minute or two.  Add the spice mixture and cook, stirring frequently. You don’t want to burn the spices just crank up the flavor by cooking them.

Add the lentils, salsa and 6 ounces of the beer and stir to combine. Let cook for 2-3 minutes. Using a potato masher or fork, gently mash the lentils until the mixture reaches the consistency you are happy with. Cook another few minutes until hot. If the lentils start to dry out, add another glug or two of the lager. ( If you haven’t slurped it down…cooking is hard & thirsty work!)

Place a heaping spoonful or two into warmed taco shells or tortillas and add your toppings. The lentil filling will make about 12-14 tacos, depending on how stuffed you like them!

Enjoy!

Spicy Lentil Tacos brought to you by: Runcible Eats (http://www.leaandjay.com )

 

 

Southwestern Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Wow! I am on a roll this summer with the Meatless Monday recipes! Yup…you guessed it…here’s another one. Southwestern Quinoa Stuffed Peppers. Fresh bell peppers (I used red, yellow and orange peppers, being horribly prejudiced against the green ones. I swear they taste different -and not in a good way- from their orange, red and yellow cousins) stuffed with a mixture of quinoa, black beans, spicy grilled corn, green chilis, tomatoes, fresh cilantro and lots of ooey-gooey mexican blend cheeses. No meat in sight, but plenty of spicy fresh flavour!

This recipe has got all of the things I’ve been obsessed with this summer, quinoa, grilled corn, and fresh veggies. I’m still completely smitten with quinoa. If you’ve been following along with me, you’ve already seen me blog a couple of truly tasty quinoa recipes here in the recent past, like the Caprese Quinoa Bake and the Thyme Mushroom Quinoa Risotto, and I’m sure there will be more to come. It’s not often that you can find something that tastes great and is also really good for you, being protein packed, high in fiber, phosphorus and magnesium, a good source of calcium and having high levels of antioxidants and omega 3’s. Not to mention, it’s gluten-free for all of you gluten intolerants out there.What a fantastic meal! And with no meat, it fits the vegetarian bill as well. But you hard-core carnivores shouldn’t despair, you could just add a bit of ground turkey/ground beef or if you really wanted to keep that Mexican vibe and add even more of a kicked up spicy flavour you could add in some chorizo sausage.

As good as that chorizo sounds, I think I’m going to stick to the meat free version. I’ve told you about the points I think I am somehow awarded (surely someone is keeping score…) for every meatless meal and these little pepper gems are so yummy, the meat is just not necessary. I tell you, the husband and I love these Southwestern Quinoa Stuffed Peppers just the way they are… Zesty, spicy, hearty AND healthy! You just can’t go wrong!

• Servings: 3 - 6
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe adapted from: Barbells & Bellinis

Ingredients:

• 6 bell peppers (I used assorted)
• 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes 
• 1 14 ounce can black beans, drained 
• 1 cup of quinoa, cooked per directions
• 1 – 1 1/2 cups fresh spicy grilled corn, recipe below (can use frozen or canned corn if you must)
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 4 oz. diced green chilis
• 2 teaspoons of cumin 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 1/2 teaspoons of garlic powder)
• 3 teaspoons of cilantro
• 1 teaspoons of salt 
• 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you like your food)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil 
• 1/2 to 1 pound of  mexican blend, or pepper jack cheese (whatever ‘ya got around) shredded
• Even move Cilantro for garnish
• Crumbled Cotija Cheese,  fresh sliced avocado and sour cream for serving

Directions:

Cut tops off of the bell peppers and remove seeds and membranes.  Heat a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.  Add olive oil and onions.  After onions cook for about 5 minutes or until they soften.  Add cumin, chili powder, garlic, cilantro, salt and red pepper and cook until beef is browned, about 5 minutes.  Stir in quinoa, diced tomatoes, diced green chilis, grilled corn and black beans, cooking for another 3 minutes.   Turn stove off.  Stuff peppers with the quinoa mixture and place in a casserole dish or dutch oven (I used one of my favourite Le Creuset pans).  Top with shredded cheese.  Cover with foil and bake at 375º F for 40 minutes.  Remove foil in last 10 minutes of cooking.  Top with cilantro and crumbled Cotija cheese. Serve along with fresh slices of avocado and sour cream.

******Carnivore Alert: If you just can’t bear the thought of a meatless meal, (hey…no judgement here…) add 1 lb. of ground turkey or beef into the pan after you cook the onions and proceed with the directions as written above.

Spicy Grilled Corn

Ingredients:

• 3-4 ears of fresh corn in husk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• ¼ tsp chili powder

Directions:

Combine olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, brown sugar and chili powder in small bowl and whisk together.
Preheat grill.
Peel back the corn husks, discarding all but a couple inner layers. Remove corn silk, then baste with dressing, and recover corn with remaining husk.
Grill on med-high for 20-25 minutes, turning 3-4 times during cooking time.
Remove the corn from grill and allow to cool a few minutes. Once it has cooled enough to handle, cut off stem end, place the flat cut end on bottom of large bowl, and use a corn zipper to strip the kernels from the cob. Or if you don’t have a zipper, run a small sharp knife down the length of the cob, slicing off kernels.

Enjoy!

Southwestern Quinoa Stuffed Peppers brought to you by: Runcible Eats (http://www.leaandjay.com )

Carne Asada Tacos

Taco Time! And not just any old tacos, but mouth-wateringly delicious Steak Carne Asada Tacos. These were some of the best steak tacos I’ve ever eaten. And I swear, I’m not just saying that. The meat, which had been marinated overnight, and grilled to perfection thanks to the mad grilling skills of the husband, was very flavourful and truly tender. It practically melted in your mouth. And the toppings…Oh the toppings!

There was the usual mexican cheese blend and sour cream to be sure, and I had just made up a batch of that stunning Zesty Black Bean & Grilled Corn Salsa that I told you about a couple of days ago. And although tasty perched on top of tortilla chips, that salsa really shone on top of these spicy tacos. And then I really turned up the heat by adding a bit of that Jalapeno/Cilantro Crema that I told you about a week or so ago. That was nothing short of spectacular! My taste buds were singing, let me tell you! Yup, exactly like I said…Best. Tacos. Ever.

Carne Asada means grilled meat and traditionally steak is the meat of choice, usually a flank steak or skirt steak to be specific. Personally I love flat iron steaks and lucky for me (and the folks I was serving) flat iron was on sale at my local grocery store. So if you are making these tacos, or should I say, when you are making these tacos, once you have managed to choose the steak, the next step is to marinate it. I believe allowing the meat to sit overnight really gives that tangy marinade time to work its magic, but I suppose if you are really pressed you could call it quits after about 4 hours. And if you are not a fan of tacos, which I can’t imagine. I mean…what are you like?!!!  Everybody like tacos!

This marinade will yield up a wonderfully flavourful steak that you can eat all on its own, cut up into chunks for skewers,  or slice thinly over a fresh green salad. Bottom line is, whatever you do, grill up some of this unbelievable Carne Asada Steak. You’ll be glad you did!

• Servings: 4-6
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe for marinade from: Plentytude

Ingredients:

• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, minced
• Juice of 3 limes and 1 orange
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• A few turns of freshly cracked black pepper
• a couple of dashes of cayenne pepper
• 2 – 2 1/2 lbs. flat iron or flank steak
• 12 taco sized (the smaller ones) flour or corn tortillas
• taco toppings like: shredded Mexican Cheese, crumbled cotija cheese, zesty black bean & grilled corn salsa, fresh salsa, guacamole, Jalapeno/Cilantro Crema, fresh diced tomatoes, sour cream, fresh cilantro

Directions:

Combine garlic, cilantro, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Cover another bowl with a gallon-size plastic zip bag, and roll down the sides to cover the zipper area. Place steak in bag and pour marinade on top of steak. Close the bag securely, pressing out excess air, and massage the marinade thoroughly into the steak. Leave the bag in the refrigerator overnight.

Heat up a grill. Season each piece of meat with a few turns of freshly cracked sea salt and black pepper, and grill to desired doneness. Remove steak from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice steak across the grain into thin slices and serve with tortillas and taco toppers of your choice.

Enjoy!

Carne Asada Tacos brought to you by:  Runcible Eats (http://www.leaandjay.com )

 

 

Zesty Black Bean & Grilled Corn Salad

I’ve got a great Summer Salad recipe for you today. Zesty Black Bean & Grilled Corn Salad is just the perfect dish to enjoy on those hot and steamy days. Served cold it is wonderfully refreshing, and just bursting with fresh summer flavours. Not to mention, this baby has got a bit of a kick to it! With all of those jalapenos, cayenne peppers and red pepper flakes, your taste buds will sit up a take notice! Now I prefer to grill up some corn to use in this recipe. I know it is a bit of extra work, but it is so worth it. Corn is in season right now and there is an abundance of it at all of the local markets. Lovely fresh corn, spiced up with a marinade and fired over a grill just puts that frozen or canned corn to shame!

This dish is very versatile and works great as a side salad, is very tasty over some greens as a Meatless Monday entrée or makes a delicious salsa served with tortilla chips. I most recently served it along with some Carne Asada Tacos (recipe soon to follow – stand by) and folks went wild! Definitely add this little gem to your summer recipe book of tricks!

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe slightly adapted from: Bowl of Delicious

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons honey
• juice of 3 limes
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups of fresh grilled corn (scroll down for recipe)
• 1 -2 jalapenos, diced fine
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced fine
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 avocados, diced

Directions:

Prepare Spicy Grilled Corn as per the recipe below.

Whisk together olive oil, honey, lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes  and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.

Add black beans, grilled corn, jalapenos, red pepper cilantro and avocados to bowl. Toss gently to coat with dressing.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.

For the Spicy Grilled Corn:

Ingredients:

• 3-4 ears of fresh corn in husk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• ¼ tsp chili powder

Directions:

Combine olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, brown sugar and chili powder in small bowl and whisk together.
Preheat grill.
Peel back the corn husks, discarding all but a couple inner layers. Remove corn silk, then baste with dressing, and recover corn with remaining husk.
Grill on med-high for 20-25 minutes, turning 3-4 times during cooking time.
Remove the corn from grill and allow to cool a few minutes. Once it has cooled enough to handle, cut off stem end, place the flat cut end on bottom of large bowl, and use a corn zipper to strip the kernels from the cob. Or if you don’t have a zipper, run a small sharp knife down the length of the cob, slicing off kernels.

Enjoy!

Zesty Black Bean & Grilled Corn Salad brought to you by: Runcible Eats (http://www.leaandjay.com )

 

 

 

 

Tex-Mex Grilled Corn & Tomato Salad

Hmmm….I was afraid I might have waited a little too late in the season to talk about all of the delicious late summer veggies. I really did think Fall was here. Boy was I wrong, not only has the mercury hit 85° F (29°C) around here but sounds like it is slated to shoot up to 88° F (31 °C) on Saturday. Really?!! Completely out of line Mother Nature! So, I guess it isn’t too late to talk about those summer veggies after all. I talked up tomatoes last time and today I will be talking about corn. I’m always happy to see corn on the cob at summer picnics and BBQs. Grilled up with this spicy marinade, you’ll think of it more as a treat than a vegetable!

We certainly ate a lot of this Grilled Corn & Tomato Salad this summer. (It was another vehicle for my plethora of cherry tomatoes!) Sometimes we served it as a side dish, but a few times we made a big salad, added a few strips of grilled chicken and then spooned this spicy corn and tomato mixture over the top as a zesty dressing.

If you have never grilled corn before, you simply must get started! Grilling it gives it a wonderful smoky flavour which goes along wonderfully with the natural sweetness of the corn.

Simply peel those husks back, remove the corn silk, brush the salad dressing over the kernels and then gently fold the husks back over the corn. Grill for 20-25 minutes. Believe me, you will have a hard time not gobbling all that corn up right off the cob before you can get it anywhere near the salad bowl. Delicious! Absolutely one of summer’s best!

Tex-Mex Grilled Corn & Tomato Salad

recipe from: Mom Foodie

Ingredients:

• 3-4 ears of fresh corn in husk
• 1 cup grape tomatoes (sliced in half)
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, (de-seeded & diced)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• ¾ tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• ¼ tsp chili powder

Directions:

Combine olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, brown sugar and chili powder in small bowl and whisk together. Separate dressing in half. Use half to baste the corn and the other half to dress the salad.
Preheat grill.
Peel back the corn husks, discarding all but a couple inner layers. Remove corn silk, then baste with dressing, and recover corn with remaining husk.
Grill on med-high for 20-25 minutes, turning 3-4 times during cooking time.
Remove the corn from grill and allow to cool a few minutes, then cut off stem end, place the flat cut end on bottom of large bowl, and use a corn zipper to strip the kernels from the cob. Or if you don’t have a zipper, run a small sharp knife down the length of the cob, slicing off kernels.
Add the tomato, cilantro, jalapeno and ½ the dressing. Mix well.
Serve at room temp or chilled.

Enjoy!