Sweet Potatoes and Black Bean Tacos with Lime Crema

There is no doubt about it, we are a nation obsessed with tacos. I know, they are so delicious, and easy and they deserve to have a whole day of the week dedicated to eating them. They deserve to have trucks of their very own and be on t-shirts. 

And they don't have to be one bit bad for you. 

In fact, have these tacos for your Meatless Monday and shock your family with how amazing vegetables can taste. 

As a super added bonus, this taco filling was so much more pleasant to pull out of the fridge than the cold taco meat - I don't know if that is enough to sell you on the idea of making them, but it sure is a plus. 

Taco Tuesday.... on  a Friday!! 

Ingredients

Lime Crema

8 oz. tub sour cream or crema

1 fresh lime 

1/4 tsp salt 

1 clove garlic

Tacos

1 Tbsp olive oil 

2 cloves garlic 

2 large sweet potatoes 

15 oz. can black beans 

1 tsp cumin 

Salt and Pepper to taste 

2 green onions 

fresh cilantro (optional)

8 small (taco sized) tortillas

Directions

Prepare the crema first to allow the flavors time to blend. Mince one clove of garlic and use a zester or small holed cheese grater to scrape the thin layer of green zest from the lime. Add the garlic and about 1 tsp of the zest to the sour cream, along with 1/4 tsp salt and about 1 tsp of the lime juice. Stir the ingredients to combine then refrigerate until ready to use.

Peel the sweet potatoes, then cut them into small cubes (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch square). Heat a large skillet over medium flame, then add the olive oil and two cloves of minced garlic. Sauté the garlic for about a minute or just until it becomes fragrant. Add the diced sweet potato and a couple tablespoons of water. Sauté the sweet potato until they become soft and just begin to fall apart. Add another couple tablespoons of water during cooking if the skillet becomes dry.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse the black beans. Once the sweet potatoes are soft, add the black beans to the skillet. Season with the cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté just until the beans are heated through.

Slice the green onions and pull the cilantro leaves from the stems. Roughly chop the cilantro. Use it to top each taco.

Prior to filling each tortilla, heat them in a dry skillet until slightly browned and crisp on each side. Smear a small amount of the lime crema down the center of the tortilla, then top with a scoop of the sweet potato and black bean hash. Add fresh cilantro if desired.

Egg and Ham Breakfast Burritos

When I make take the time to make these, I wonder why I don't do it more often. It makes life so much easier for all my hungry men in the morning. Days start pretty early around here and these are there most favorite breakfast in the world.  - It doesn't get much cheaper than eggs, potatoes and a tortilla either. 

While I'm not going to give you a specific recipe. - Because I don't use one. I just sorta make them with what I have or what I found on sale and then I make them until I run out of filling.  I am going to give you the instructions to how I do it, and what I think makes them successful. 

 I cook all my ingredients separately and then add them all together. I don't worry about warming up the ham, but if you were going to add bacon or sausage, you would want to cook that before.  If I make them with onions or peppers, I also cook those before.  I always cook the potatoes / hash browns separately so I can get them nice and crispy. And then I cook the eggs very last.  I just cook them and then add them to a giant bowl as I am done cooking them. I don't mind that they are all together, I just think they cook so differently that it is hard to get it "right" when doing it all at once.

  I also let the filling cool off significantly before I fill the burritos. I added a lot of cheese to these, so once towards the end of filling them, they weren't so easy to scoop up. but if your filling is too hot, your burritos will get soggy. 

I like to buy the really really big tortillas, so I can make really big burritos.  I wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer bag. 

When you are ready to eat them, put it in the microwave on high for a minute - since these are so big, they take almost a minute and 45 seconds and then I always always let them sit for a minute or so. I think these helps the heat distribute, but I could be wrong. 

When I made these this last weekend, I cooked 2 cartons with 18 eggs in each of them. It took me less than a hour from start to finish to make 20 burritos for the boys during the week.  I don't know if they'll last that long - they have been disappearing quite fast as midnight snacks and such.  But they are totally worth the time to make a batch for your family.

Veggie Filled P.F. Chang Lettuce Wraps

 P.F. Chang's lettuce wraps are a seriously HUGE internet copycat sensation. Everyone with a food blog has practically done it - this is actually my second time.  - But this time, I wanted to save money and make it a little more veggie friendly, so I chopped up pretty much every vegetable that I had in my fridge and added it to the meat mixture.

SERIOUS WIN! I will never ever ever make them the other way again.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground chicken

2 Cups total chopped Veggies ( I used Cauliflower, Zucchini, Celery - but you could try Broccoli, Carrots, Mushrooms, Sweet Potato or Butternut Squash Cubes)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 tablespoon Sriracha, optional

1 (8-ounce) can whole water chestnuts, drained and diced

2 green onions, thinly sliced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 head butter lettuce (Butter lettuce is used traditionally, but I had Romaine in the fridge)

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add ground chicken and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the chicken as it cooks; drain excess fat.

In a separate pan, (or in the same chicken skillet - with the cooked chicken removed) add your veggies and cook them to your desired done-ness. I wanted mine to stay crisp so I cooked mine for just a few minutes.  Then add your chicken back to the pan. 

Stir in garlic, onion, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger and Sriracha until onions have become translucent, about 1-2 minutes.

Stir in chestnuts and green onions until tender, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To serve, spoon several tablespoons of the chicken mixture into the center of a lettuce leaf, taco-style.

Greek Tzatziki Chicken Salad

I just love a good creamy chicken salad packed with lots of veggies.  This Greek one is really good because it uses Greek Yogurt for the sauce base - and not just as a substitute for mayonnaise.

In true chicken salad style, this is better the second day, if you can resist it that long and not just eat it straight out of the bowl.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup plain 2% reduced-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cucumber, seeded and shredded
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless chicken breast (Cooked!) Mine was a Deli Chicken

Bread, Crackers, Whole Grain Wrap, Pita Chips, Lettuce Leaves for wrapping - Imagine! 

Instructions:


Combine first 8 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken; toss to coat.

Serving ideas, see ingredients above.

Crispy Meat Burritos - Taquitos

Back in the days of my career as a fast food making teenager, I made about a million crisp meat burritos. They aren't anything fancy, taco meat, some cheese, roll it up in a tortilla and the deep fry them. I have a lot of people in my family that would go there and eat them every single day - for 1.99$ a burrito! (say What?!) 

There is an online cooking blog that I follow that has a pretty popular chicken taquito recipe. It is essentially just a chicken enchilada filling with cream cheese and green chilis. Super simple, you roll it up and then put it on a baking sheet that you have sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, and then spray the tops / sides of the burritos with more non-stick cooking spray (or brush with some canola oil) and bake in the oven. 

To make the meat ones, I did essentially the same thing. I made the filling by browning 2 pounds of extra lean ground beef. (I actually made so many because these freeze awesome for dinner another night - and my kids go crazy for them as leftovers - they aren't as "crispy" but they don't seem to care one bit. 

So I browned 2 pounds of ground beef - and added my taco seasoning to make taco meat, just like usual then I pulled it off the heat and put it into a bowl and added 2 cups of cheese - just grated cheddar. And I stirred in the cheese to melt it. 

Then I put about 1/4 cup filling in each tortilla and rolled them up and put them on the baking sheet.  I didn't spray the bottom because I used my silicone sheets, but if I didn't I would have put down some foil and sprayed it with non-stick cooking spray.

If you are going to freeze some, you'll want to do it at this point. "Pre-Cooked" Then when you want to have them for dinner, get them out about an hour before and let them defrost, then cook them in your oven.

Spray the tops / side with cooking spray - this is what is going to make them nice and crispy.

Put them into your oven and bake them at 400 for 10-15 minutes, (depending on where your racks are and how many you have on your tray and how dark you want them to be.

 I don't fill mine too full, because I think it maintains that authenticity of what I am trying to re-create. You can experiment with what your family likes.  - I have really been thinking about mixing some brown rice or quinoa with the ground beef and seeing how that goes over. I did a refried bean and ground beef mixture and I lost half of my fans.

These are so simple, you are going to love making them and having them around for quick dinners, hearty snacks, and on the go lunches.

Folded Enchiladas

It is tough for me to think about Enchiladas and not think about how much work they are. That's terrible isn't it. My family absolutely goes crazy for them. I have done 3 separate blog posts that are all about enchiladas. 

Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce

Layered Enchilada Casserole 

& Sour Cream Enchiladas

I love them too, really I do, but it is hard to want to make something that makes me stand in the kitchen and cook twice. Once to prepare the darn things, with all the filling and rolling and saucing. And then a second time to actually "cook" dinner, put them in the oven and make a salad and such. 

That sounds a little bit lazy, but honestly, I don't have time to spend 2 hours in the kitchen for one meal - no matter how much they like them. 

So these folded enchiladas are a great alternative to traditional ones. No, they don't taste them same, but you can make some pretty delicious ones and they are really speedy to put together. 

In fact, They are an amazing meal to put on your menu plan as a "planned over". That is what I did here. We had ground beef / taco meat leftover and shredded pork roast also left over. I planned to use those. 

So Folded Enchiladas are traditionally served as a side dish, but I served them as the main part of our meal, a small green salad was our side dish. This would be amazing with some beans and rice, it would be amazing made with beans and rice In them... YUMMY!

Ingredients:

Corn Tortillas (yellow or white) You could use flour if that is what your family prefers

Enchilada Sauce (you can use pre-made from a can or make your own.)

Cheese ( I used a shredded mix and also some Feta (because I didn't have Queso Fresco)
Filling (Use what you have, Veggies, Meats, Beans..... )

** Sometimes when I write these "Recipes" down, I think... these people are going to think I do nothing but throw things out of my fridge and call the mess that I make dinner **

Directions: 

Place your tortilla on a med-hot grill or in a skillet to start to cook, when it begins to soften, flip it over and sprinkle cheese on the second side. 

If you are going to make a cheese enchilada, you'll want to use more than if you are adding additional filling. 

When the cheese has been added, then top the tortilla with you filling of choice. I warmed mine up on the microwave before hand because they were cold from the fridge. If you have just prepared your taco meat or what have you, then you won't need to heat it again. You can just top your tortilla. 

 When your cheese gets melty, fold the tortilla. I have seen them folded in thirds (and they looked really cool) but I don't have the skills for that. So I just folded mine in half and topped them with warm enchilada sauce and a little bit more cheese.

The Absolutely Simplest Fancy Fish Tacos

I have been wanting to make fish tacos for a while now. Everyone who eats them seems to go crazy for them - not a specific recipe really, but the idea / food in general. I am not a huge fan of fish, but I have a lot of people in my family that are. I am a big fan of tacos though - and everything that goes with them. 

These two sauces may sound a little intimidating, but they could not be easier. They make one of the most simple dinners that you can imagine - seem pretty upscale and something special. 

One of the best parts, is that you can have both the cream and the salsa made in the time that it takes to cook the fish sticks. 

Avocado Coconut Cream:

1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

½ cup coconut milk, from the can

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 Teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. 

Mango Cucumber Salsa:

2 limes

2 mangoes, diced

1/2 english cucumber, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

I always dice my onions and peppers first and then I add the lime juice (or other acid) and a bit of salt, and I let it sit while I chop the rest of the ingredients. The acid actually "cooks" the onions and peppers and gives them a milder flavor. 

You can make both the sauce and the salsa ahead of time and then at dinner time, just toss the fish sticks in the oven. 

When you are ready to serve - take a tortilla (we had flour this time) and add 2-3 fish sticks. (Little kids got 2, big people got 3). Add some shredded cabbage (like the cole slaw mix) and then top with tons and tons of salsa and a healthy dollop of avocado cream. 

Then you just eat them up and pretend that you are a wildly creative young chef, working in a hip food cart with a line around the block. And not a stressed-out, over-worked, under-appreciated (but STILL totally awesome) Mom. 

 Enjoy!

Crispy Chicken Tacos

Tacos make the world go round. If you don't think so, then you need to come live at my house for a little bit. - 

In fact, we get a little nit-picky about what exactly IS a taco and what is a burrito. I feel like I should be the expert with the final say, since I worked at Taco Time for my entire high school years. Don't you feel like that makes me the expert?

This is a Taco, anything in a soft tortilla that is rolled falls under Burrito Land. 

But I get so grumpy about store bought crispy taco shells - I think don't taste good, they are hard to eat, and for just being a cooked tortilla - they sure are filled with things that you don't want to be eating. 

So Joseph brought home some un-cooked tortillas from Costco the other day, and I am having the time of my life cooking with them. 

I discovered that if I cook them on a really hot griddle - and add shredded cheese and some leftover chicken while the second side is cooking - I can use my spatula to fold them in half and TA-DA the best crispy taco in all the land!! 

You can fill them with leftover chili, or just roasted veggies, you can fill them with scrambled eggs - there isn't really anything that isn't fantastic folded into a crispy tortilla. 

We buy our uncooked tortillas and they are roughly the same price as the giant pack of regular ones that we buy. I have been having a fantastic time playing around with them. If you have the opportunity to pick some up, I really suggest you do.

Sweet Potato Wrap - Create a Wrap

I put this up on the blog a really long time ago, it is so delicious and so wonderful, that I really wanted to redo the pictures and so you would want to make it too. 

The original post is here - Snappily Ever After; Sweet Potato Wrap

Ingredients: 

Spread:
1 medium sweet potato
1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pepper
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon basil

Wrap Ingredients:
4 10 inch flour tortillas
8 slices turkey breast

Optional Toppings: 
1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced
1 avocado, pitted and sliced
Sprouts
1 cucumber sliced
sunflower seeds or slice almonds

Instructions:

Boil sweet potato until softened. Remove skin and mash the potato in a bowl. Stir in garlic, lemon juice and seasonings and set aside to cool.

Spread cooled mixture on each tortilla.

Evenly distribute toppings on each tortilla and roll up to make wraps.

The creaminess of the sweet potato means that you don't meed any mayonnaise in the wrap and you still aren't missing anything as far as moisture and creaminess.  The flavors are amazing together and you can make them ahead of time for the next day's lunch or for planned-overs as tomorrow night's dinner. 

Sweet Potato Wrap

This is the most deluxe and delicious recipe for use of Thanksgiving leftovers - that makes them not taste like Thanksgiving at all.  It is so fantastic and you are going to love it so much, you are going to be just like me and making it throughout the year.  It is also a great way to serve sweet potatoes that isn't too "sweet".  And the sweet potato spread would be fantastic on lots of other wraps and sandwiches - I'll be honest, after we had our wraps, I ate the "spread" the next day plain and it was super yummy! I tell you all my secrets. 

Here is the recipe  First make your spread and set it aside to "cool" if you made it with a hot potato. If you are using a potato that you cooked previously then you can move right along to assembling your wrap. 

sweet potato sandwich wrap

Ingredients: 

Spread:

1 medium sweet potato

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pepper

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon basil

Wrap Ingredients:

4 10 inch flour tortillas

8 slices turkey breast

1 large ripe tomato, thinly sliced

1 avocado, pitted and sliced

(or anything else you can think of - radishes, shredded carrots, sprouts, tuna,..... apple slices. 

Instructions:

Boil sweet potato until softened. Remove skin and mash the potato in a bowl. Stir in garlic, lemon juice and seasonings and set aside to cool. Spread cooled mixture on each tortilla. 

Evenly distribute toppings on each tortilla and roll up to make wraps.

I added tomatoes to mine, but Joseph had his without, because he is not a raw tomato fan. 

Lots of yummy avocado, because.... avocado is  YUM!

Fold up like an envelope - we didn't even bother to roll ours we were so hungry. In fact, the picture in this photo was in danger of being chomped off I was so ravenous to get to mine.

These are HEAVENLY!  I made a few extra for lunches the next day, I just wrapped them up and then rolled the whole thing in plastic wrap and popped them into the fridge. They were even better the next day - if that is possible.