Street Tacos

This is probably one of my faaaavorite things to make for dinner now that we have THE EGG.

STREET TACOS

The meat: orange honey habanero marinated fajita beef


The toppings: (queso fresco, carmelized onions, tomatillo salsa, mexican crema, cilantro, cabbage, lime, avocado) - I opt outta the cheese and crema but my fatty mcfatfat boyf can't live without them.


All togetha now:

Chana Masala with Spinach

So I'm doing this whole no drinking, no meat, no dairy, no bread, no crackers thing for 1 week (maybe 2??) to reset my bod before a 4th of July wedding. I made Chana Masala with Spinach tonight and it was SO DELICIOUS. Served over brown rice. I highly suggest making this for a meatless meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 can chickpeas in water (also called garbanzo beans) or 1 1/2 cups precooked + 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• juice from one lemon, (approx 2 tbsp )
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
  
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 large bunch of spinach or two handfuls, rinsed

Preparation:

In a large skillet or frying pan, sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes.

Add chickpeas straight from the can, including all the water. Add spices and lemon juice, cover, and simmer about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more water if needed, until chickpeas are cooked and soft.

Reduce heat, add spinach and cover. Allow spinach to wilt for 2-4 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Strawberry Almond Cake!

I saw this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and literally stared at it for two days straight. It looked super easy so I just had to make it. Plus, any almond flavored pastry makes my skirt fly up. Turns out, it was super easy and the end result was so delicious and so sweet. It was especially good this morning for breakfast with coffee.

For Cake:
1 c Butter
1 c Watter
2 c Flour
2 c Sugar
1 tsp Baking Soda
1-1/2 tsp Almond Extract
1/2 c Sour Cream
2 whole eggs

For Icing:
1/2 c Butter
1/4 c Milk
3-1/2 c Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Almond Extract

Cake Directions:
* Preheat oven to 375
* In a small sauce pan, bring the butter and water to boil.
* While butter/water boils, mix dry flour and sugar in a large bowl.
* Pour boiling mixture into the bowl and mix well. Add baking soda, almond extract, and sour cream. Mix well.
* Add eggs. Mix well.
* Pour batter into 9x13 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes (note: I actually had to do it for closer to 30 minutes so just keep an eye on it and make sure it's not jiggly)
* Let cool for 20-30 minutes before icing.

Icing Directions:
* In a small sauce pan, bring butter and milk to boil.
* Add remaining ingredients to a large bowl. Pour boiling mixture into the bowl and mix well.
* Pour onto the cake and let sit for 20 minutes

You can then add any sort of fruit on top. The original recipe on Tasty Kitchen just added the blueberries on top of the slice before serving. As you can see, I covered the top of the cake with strawberries and it was AMAZING. You've been warned, though - it's super sweet. I might even reduce the sugar amount next time I make it just to see what that does to the cake. I would recommend this for sure though and the cake recipe seems like a good basic cake recipe that can be easily altered. Enjoy!!

Menu for week of 6/6

Can't believe it's already June!! This year has flown by and I have a feeling the second half will go even faster- so many weddings and travels and celebrations. I love it. Below is a list of meals I plan on making. But since I leave for Cristina's graduation on Thursday (whoop!), I don't know what I'll get to:

Basil Chicken Coconut Curry
 * In this recipe, the herbs/spice list is intimidating. But what she's doing is concocting her own curry powder so swap that in for the super long list in her ingredient list.

Honey Hoisin Pork Tenderloin
 * Made this a few times and it's been a big hit! Serve with rice.

What have yall got going on this week?

Bananas Foster

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• ½ -1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup banana liqueur (can sub Triple Sec)
• 4 under-riped bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then halved
• 1/4 cup dark rum
• 4 scoops vanilla ice cream

Directions:

• Melt butter. Over low heat, stir in brown sugar, and cinnamon in a flambé pan or cast iron/deep skillet until dissolved.
• Stir in the banana liqueur, bring sauce to a simmer.
• Add bananas cooking for 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning sauce over bananas as they are cooking. (bananas should begin to soften/and caramelize)
• When the banana sections soften and begin to brown, carefully add the rum.
• Continue to cook the sauce until the rum is hot, then tip the pan slightly to ignite the rum.
• When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and place four pieces over each portion of ice cream.
• Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.

Serves Four

Roasted Cauliflower Puree

We grilled some ribeyes last night for Taylor's birthday and he requested cauliflower puree to go with it. It's so good under grilled chicken and steak because it absorbs the meat's juice-- delicious.

I used this recipe but subbed 4 C whole milk with 3.5 C 2% milk (it was all we had) and .5 C heavy cream. It was sooo good!

Ingredients

• 2 heads cauliflower, core removed, cut into florets
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 bunch chives, minced for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. On a sheet tray, spread 1/3 of the florets with the oil, season with salt and bake until caramelized, about 25 minutes.
   
3. Meanwhile, combine remaining cauliflower, milk and half a teaspoon of salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
   
4. Bring mixture to a simmer, cover, and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
   
5. Strain cauliflower from milk mixture, reserving both.
   
6. Transfer cauliflower to a blender.
   
7. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and butter to the blender. Add half of the reserved milk liquid. Secure top on blender and puree mixture until smooth.
   
8. If mixture is too thick, thin by adding some of the remaining liquid. Season, to taste.
   
9. Serve in a large serving bowl topped with caramelized florets and chives.