21. Potato Tacos with Indian Spices, Red Lentil Sauce, and Fresh Vegetable Slaw

Well, here I am with taco recipe number twenty-one!  I think this is the longest it has ever taken me to get a post up after making tacos.  I made these on Sunday evening.  It's now Friday, so I've had plenty of time to reflect on my blog post.  Actually . . . that's a lie.  This has been dress rehearsal and performance week for Footloose - as a result, normal life has been non-existent!  We open tonight and it's going to be a great show.  It's been an exciting week, but not very conducive to blogging.  I'm planning breakfast tacos for tomorrow, and then next week will be back to normal.  I think I've done all right, though.  I'm only a recipe or two behind, and I should be able to make those up once I have my evenings free again.  I'm not giving up on my crazy project!

Since I'm also training for the Sedona Marathon, I've been compelled to reflect on the marathons that I've run in the past.  I've noticed a few parallels between running long distances and completing a long-term writing project.  How do you finish a marathon?  You don't quit.

How do you write 100 taco recipes in a year?  Same answer.  You don't quit.

So . . . tacos!  I decided to do a potato taco - something I haven't done yet.  I also wanted to incorporate some Indian flavors.  I love Indian food!  Indian cuisine does not shy away from carbs!  It's totally fine to eat potatoes, rice, and bread in the same meal.  Ha ha - I love that!

Obviously, if you are trying to reduce carbs in your diet, this is not the recipe for you.  If not, please consider trying these comforting, carbalicious potato tacos!  :)

Potato Tacos with Indian Spices, Red Lentil Sauce, and Fresh Vegetable Slaw

Serves 4 (about 8 generous tacos) with extra sauce

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

1 tbsp. canola oil
Half of an onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
1/2 cup red lentils
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream

For the slaw:

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 small carrot, shredded
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the potatoes:

1 tsp. whole coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1 small bay leaf
5 whole cloves
A 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 medium potatoes, about 1 1/4 lb. total, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. salt
2 cups chopped spinach

8 small flour tortillas

Plain yogurt, for garnish

Paprika, for garnish

Cholula hot sauce (optional), for garnish

Instructions:

1. Toast the spices for the potatoes:  Place the first 5 ingredients in a small, dry skillet.  Heat over medium heat until fragrant but not burned, about 3 to 5 minutes.  Watch carefully!

Set aside to cool.  When the spices are cooled completely, grind them in a coffee or spice grinder.

2. Make the slaw:  Grate the cucumber with a box grater.  Toss with a pinch or two of salt and place in a strainer.  Allow to rest for several minutes so that some of the moisture can drain out.  Squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible and place in a small bowl.  Add the cabbage, carrot, and cilantro.  Toss to combine.  Season with lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Make the lentils:  Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add the chopped onion, reduce the heat a bit, and cook until soft and browned, about 10-12 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger and cook for an additional minute.  Add the lentils and water.  Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and cover.  Cook until the lentils have broken down, about 20 minutes.  Add the salt, cayenne pepper, and cream.  Simmer gently for another couple of minutes.  Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.  You could also use a hand blender for this, but I wanted to make sure the lentils got very smooth so that they would be more sauce-like.  Add liquid if the mixture is too thick.  Return to the pan.

4. Make the potatoes:  Heat  the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.   Add the onions, reduce the heat a bit, and cook until soft and browned, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Add the garlic and ground spices and cook for another minute or so.  Add the potatoes, water, and salt.  Bring the mixture to a simmer.  Turn the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.  Add the spinach, replace the cover, and remove from the heat.

5.  While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the tortillas:  Heat the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, one by one, until browned but still soft, about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.

As they are done, stack them on a sheet of foil.  When you have as many as you want, wrap in the foil and set aside.  You can keep them warm in a 200 degree oven if you wish.  Since this was basically my last step, I didn't need to do that.

6.  Assemble the tacos:  For each taco, place a tortilla on a plate.  Top with a small amount of the potato mixture.  Spoon on some of the lentil sauce.  Top with a small amount of the slaw.  Add a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkle of paprika, and some Cholula (if you wish).  Enjoy!

It's time for another verdict.  Well, as I said before, if you don't have a problem with carbs, these are awesome!  :)  Steve and I were split on the Cholula addition.  I loved it!  He didn't think the tacos needed it.  Try a bit and see if you like it before you add it to the whole taco.

These were VERY filling.  We each had two and I don't think I could have eaten any more.  This would be plenty for four, with two tacos each.

Though these were delicious, I might tinker with the sauce if I had more time!  It was very thick.  I had to add more liquid than I planned.  I did update the recipe to reflect this.  It was still pretty thick, though.  It was less like a sauce and more like another layer.  Nothing wrong with that - but just different than I had expected.  In the future, I might experiment with less lentils and more liquid.  Also, I'm not sure how important the heavy cream was.  It was good - the lentils were luscious!  However, there is so much flavor in the dish that I don't think it would be missed if additional water or stock was used instead.  The small dollop of yogurt provided enough creaminess, I think!

If the cream were omitted and a yogurt or sour cream substitute was used for garnish, these could easily be vegan, which is always a plus!

I would like to make another Indian-ish taco with homemade flatbread for shells!  I wanted to do it this time, but I got a late start and it just didn't happen.  We always seem to have leftover tortillas hanging around these days, so I just went with basic flour tortillas.  With 79 recipes to go, I'm sure I'll revisit Indian cuisine once again.  Next time!  :)

Feel free to comment on this recipe!  Did you try it?  What did you think?  What other cuisines should I try and tacquify?  (I think I just made that word up.  It works!)  :)

Thanks for reading!

20. Smoked Ahi Tacos with Romesco Sauce, Lightly Dressed Spinach, and Parsley Aioli

Well, I'm back with another taco recipe!  I skipped last weekend because it was my birthday.  My wonderful husband took me on a short weekend getaway (complete with a lovely spa package), so I did not do any cooking at all.  Also, this past week was tech week for Footloose, so weekday tacos were pretty much an impossibility!  It's OK, though.  I'm catching up.  I'm making one more recipe tomorrow, so I'm still in decent shape to finish my project!

I finally decided to introduce one of my favorite cooking helpers:  the stovetop smoker!  If you don't have one, don't worry - you can still make this!  You can just add a few drops of liquid smoke to the tuna marinade and cook it some other way.

I would highly recommend getting a stovetop smoker, though.  As far as I know, Cameron makes the most popular one.  We love ours!  We use it regularly - probably at least a couple of times a month.  It's awesome!  You can even cook vegetables in it.  You'd be amazed at how much flavor a smoked onion can add to your favorite soup recipe.  Seriously!

Here's a link to buy it from Amazon:



Read the reviews - it's well worth the price!  It's very easy to use, too.

We love ours and I just wanted to share it!  :)

Well . . . back to the recipe!

I'll be honest - at first, I wasn't feeling particularly inspired about this one!  I was tired after a very busy week, and I just decided to pick something and go with it.  We had some ahi tuna steaks in the freezer that I wanted to use, so the main ingredient seemed obvious!  What to do with them, though?

It would have been really easy to take the tuna in an Asian direction, but I decided against it.  For some reason, I happened to think about how amazing canned tuna from Spain is, so I chose to incorporate Spanish flavors in this taco recipe.  After that, things pretty much fell into place.  I am thrilled with this recipe!  My husband says it's absolutely the best taco he's ever had.  :)

Here it is:

Smoked Ahi Tacos with Romesco Sauce, Lightly Dressed Spinach, and Parsley Aioli

Serves 3 to 4 (about 12 small tacos) with extra sauce and aioli

Ingredients:

For the tuna:

About 1 lb. ahi tuna steaks (I used two 1/2 lb. steaks)
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. hot smoked paprika
3 tbsp. olive oil

For the aioli:

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For the Romesco sauce:

2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup whole raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1 red bell pepper, roasted, seeded, peeled, and chopped
1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp. bread crumbs
1 tbsp. sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp. hot smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the dressed spinach:

3 cups chopped spinach leaves

1/2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tbsp. sherry vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

12 street taco-size corn tortillas

Instructions:

1. Marinate the tuna:  Combine the garlic, shallot, salt, pepper, paprika, and olive oil in a medium bowl.  Add the tuna and coat with the mixture.  Cover and refrigerate while you complete the next few steps.

2. Make the aioli:  Place all of the aioli ingredients in a pint-size glass liquid measuring cup.  Blend with a hand blender until smooth.  Transfer to a small bowl.  Alternately, you can use a regular blender or food processor.

3. Make the Romesco sauce:  Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the almonds and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt to taste and allow to cool.

4. Return the skillet to the heat.  There will still be almond sediment in the remaining oil, but that's OK as long as the heat is not too high.  Add the garlic and cook for about a minute.  Add all of the remaining Romesco sauce ingredients and bring to a simmer.  Reduce the heat to low and cook for a couple of minutes until the ingredients are heated through and thoroughly combined.

5. Transfer to a small bowl or liquid measuring cup and add half of the almonds (Set the other half aside for garnish.) and blend with a hand blender until fairly smooth.  Alternately, you can use a regular blender or food processor.  The sauce will be thick and a little grainy from the almonds.  You can add a little bit of water if it seems too thick.  Cover and set aside.

6. Cook the tuna:  Remove the tuna from the marinade and cook in a stovetop smoker over medium low heat for about 10 minutes (start counting when the smoker starts smoking) or until the tuna has reached desired doneness.  We like ours medium-rare, but you can cook it through if you wish.  If you do this, I would keep an eye on it and cook it until just barely done!  Overcooked tuna is no good!  Alternately, you can grill the tuna or sear it in a hot pan.  If you do this, your cooking time may vary.

7.  While the tuna is cooking, prepare the tortillas:  Heat the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, one by one, until browned but still soft, about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.

As they are done, stack them on a sheet of foil.  When you have as many as you want, wrap in the foil and set aside.  Depending on your tuna cooking method (and how many tortillas you plan to heat), you may want to do this BEFORE you cook the tuna. You can keep them warm in a 200 degree oven if you wish.  For me, it worked out just fine to cook both simultaneously.

8. Remove the tuna from the smoker and place on a plate.

Cut the tuna into strips.

9. Prepare the spinach:  Place the chopped spinach in a medium bowl.  Toss with the oil and vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.  After this step, you may want to reheat the Romesco sauce and/or tuna very gently in the microwave.

10.  Assemble the tacos:  For each taco, place a tortilla on a plate.  Top with a few strips of tuna.  Spoon on some of the Romesco sauce.  Add a small amount of spinach.  Drizzle some of the aioli over all and garnish with the reserved almonds.  Enjoy!

As I said before, Steve thought these were the best tacos ever!  He said he's not sure I can ever top these.  Well . . . that's great, but I have 80 recipes left to go, so I really hope he's wrong!  Ha ha.

After one dinner (for two), there was some extra Romesco sauce and aioli.  It wasn't a problem for us at all!  So . . . while we're at it, I have a confession.  Sometimes, we don't actually eat the leftovers as tacos!  Earlier today, we had some AWESOME tuna sandwiches made with the leftover tuna and some of the aioli on toasted wheat bread.  Then, I used the rest of the Romesco sauce and combined it with some other things to make a tasty pasta dish for dinner.  I'm getting pretty good at reinventing taco ingredients.  It's out of necessity, truly!  :)

If you actually served three or four people instead of two, you probably wouldn't have very much sauce or aioli leftover.  Seriously, though - you could put the aioli on anything!  Right now, I'm having a vision of a delicious artichoke with the parsley aioli as a dipping sauce!  :)  I could also see having the leftover Romesco with crostini!  Sometimes, I would rather not have leftover ingredients.  However, I think the leftovers, in this case, would be a bonus!

Well, I think I'll leave it there.  I have to think of something else to make for tomorrow.  Oh, the possiblities . . .

Feel free to comment on this recipe!  Did you try it?  What did you think?  Do you have any more ideas for me?  I'm open-minded!  :)

Thanks for reading!

Stitch Fix #12 Review - October 2015

Hi, everyone!  I got my latest Stitch Fix box in the mail yesterday and I'm really excited to share it with you.  Overall, it was a good one!

I have to apologize in advance for my pictures.  I had a hard time getting good ones this time around.  It was cloudy and rainy (for a change), and I'm not a professional photographer anyway, so that made for some mediocre shots.  I tried taking some inside and outside and I posted the best of what I got - I hope it's enough to get an idea!

If you're reading this, there's a good chance that you already know about Stitch Fix.  If you've never heard of it, there are many blogs, along with Stitch Fix's own website, that will give you all the details.  I won't write you a novel about it, but I'll tell you the basics:

As a member of Stitch Fix, you pay $20.00 to have your own personal stylist look at your style profile and preferences (which can include a Pinterest board).  They will choose five clothing and/or accessory items specifically for you.  They are shipped right to your doorstep!  You have three days to try the items with other things in your own wardrobe and decide if you want to keep them.  The $20.00 styling fee is credited toward any items that you decide to purchase, and you receive a prepaid shipping envelope to return anything that you don't want.  If you happen to keep all five items, you receive a 25% discount on the whole box!  You can choose to receive fixes every month, every few weeks, or only once in a while.  I've had so much fun with Stitch Fix that I'm currently receiving boxes about every three weeks.

If you're interested in checking it out, here's my referral link: https://www.stitchfix.com/referral/4660198  If you sign up using my link, I'll get a small credit.  Just in case you were wondering, I pay for all my own fixes.  My only relationship with Stitch Fix is as a customer.  I signed up this past January and I've really been enjoying it!

Here are a few links to my previous reviews:

September 2015 - #11

Stitch Fix Keepers

September 2015 - #10

August 2015 - #9

So . . . I have something new to add to my post this time.  Just to prove what a Stitch Fix nerd I am, I made a video of myself opening my box.  Well . . . who are we kidding, really?  I'm pretty much a nerd in an overall, general sense - not just about Stitch Fix!

Be nice - I know I said the words "excited" or "exciting" about 36 times in this video.  It was kind of awkward for me to watch.  Oh, well.  I'll get better.  Ha ha.

If you don't want to bother with my video, feel free to scroll down and read!  Here's what I got this time around:

1.  Zad Bonham Hammered Geo Earrings - Price - $28.00

This was the best close up photo that I got of the earrings.  I had to laugh.  It looks like I'm about three beers into my Friday afternoon.  Ha ha - oh, well.  (I wasn't, by the way . . . )

I probably won't wear these unless I have my hair up or pulled back.  They'll just get lost and/or tangled in my hair.  I wear my hair up regularly, though, so that won't be a problem.  They also match perfectly with the mixed-metal bracelet I got in my last fix!

This was a pretty easy decision!

Verdict:  KEEP

2.  Kut From the Kloth Callie (or Amelia?) Denim Jacket - Price - $74.00

The Stitch Fix tag on this jacket said "Callie", but the fabric tag on the garment itself said "Amelia".  ???  It may have been mismarked. 

As Melanie suggested, I tried this jacket with the dress from my last fix and some ankle booties.  I liked the look.  So did my husband.    

I'm kind of on the fence with the jacket, though.  It's just what I had in mind in terms of style, but it's a little snug.  I think I would only be able to wear it over fitted tops.  It doesn't button comfortably.  However, when I look at pictures of this type of jacket online, they all appear to fit like that.  It's definitely just a layering piece and not something that I would wear as a seasonal garment to keep warm.  I don't know.  I'm not really surprised because I have very broad shoulders!  I could send it back and request a size up in a future fix, but then I wouldn't get my discount.  I'll probably keep it.

Verdict:  KEEP (I guess . . . ???)

3.  Level 99 Charley Zipper Coated Skinny Jeans  - Price - $128.00

and

4.  Mystree Cavalry Relaxed Fit Dolman Sleeve Knit Top - Price - $58.00

These jeans were pretty hard to photograph!  They are a very dark, shiny burgundy.  I posted a few different shots, (one overly-dramatic piano pose with a different top!) but I wasn't completely happy with any of them.  The coated fabric is gorgeous, and you can't really see it in the photos!

They are sooooo tight!  Especially in the knee and calf area.  They don't quite fit over my marathon-training muscles.  Yeah.  That's the story that I'm going with.  Ha ha.

In a way, I think the tightness is good.  I'm starting to HATE skinny pants that fall down.  After one washing, the pants I got in my last fix started doing that.  I wore them a few days ago and I was pulling them up all day!  I think I'm actually going to buy a slim belt to wear with skinny pants, because this seems to happen a lot.  I don't think these pants will fall down.  They kind of stick to you.  Did I mention that they're also very tight?  :)

UPDATE:  I did try an invisible/flat belt and I've been very happy with it.  I actually tried two different brands and Beltaway was my favorite!  It not very stylish looking, but it's meant to be covered up with a shirt.  It helps the situation immensely!  Here's a link if you want to give it a try:



Anyway, I think these coated skinnies look pretty good.  My husband likes them a lot, too.  I'm 5'9", and I really hope they don't shrink.  They're a bit shorter than I'd like, but I'm still getting used to ankle-length pants.  I still prefer my pants to be longer.  Still, I can see these looking cute with ballet flats or even riding boots!

Verdict (jeans):  KEEP

As Melanie suggested, I tried the striped top (in the top two photos) with the pants and attempted a front-tuck, though I found that I liked it better untucked.  The top surprised me.  I didn't think it was super-exciting at first, but I ended up liking it a lot!  It's very comfortable, and I love the orange stitching detail, even though orange isn't necessarily my favorite color.  The fit is relaxed, but it's not as baggy as I thought it would be.  This might be my favorite item in the box!  It's a definite keeper!

Verdict (top):  KEEP

5. RD Style Colton Marled Knit Cardigan - $64.00

I didn't get a great shot of this cardigan.  The picture doesn't really do it justice!  The best thing about this picture is the little black pug in the background.  :)

It's hard to think about wearing it right now, because it's nowhere near cool enough.  Maybe in another month?  I like it, but it's right on the border of being too blankety for me.  (Yes, I made that word up.)  My husband looked at me and said, "Well, you just turned forty, so it's about time you started wearing old-people clothes."  Ha ha.  Nice.  He was kidding, but this sweater does have a kind of "grandpa" quality to it.  I think the key will be wearing something interesting underneath it.  The good thing about it is that it's neutral, so it will go with a lot of different things.  I don't particularly like it with the outfit above, but I think it will work with quite a few things.

This will be good for one of those January days when I didn't want to get out of bed anyway, so I can just pretend I'm still warm and wrapped up in the sheets!

So - why keep it if I'm not in love with it?  Well, it usually doesn't make sense to send back just one thing.  If I sent back the jacket, I could send this back too, and just keep the other three things.  However, the cost for keeping all five things is only $30 more dollars than it would be if I kept just three things.  I could also send back the super-expensive jeans and only keep two things, but . . . they're kind of cool.  I think I'll just keep it all.  I'm hoping that the denim jacket will stretch out a bit as I wear it.  After all, every other piece of denim that I own seems to stretch out without me wanting it to - so why should this be different?  Also, I do think the cardigan will grow on me!

Verdict:  KEEP (I think . . . )

LOOKS LIKE I'M KEEPING EVERYTHING AGAIN!!! 

Overall, this fix was another winner.  Melanie has really picked some nice things for me!  I usually feel kind of "meh" about grey, but I ended up loving the shirt.  I would like some lighter, more fitted, colorful cardigans (that still fit over my big shoulders), but there is plenty of time for that!

So, it's now Saturday afternoon and I'm finally finishing this blog post.  We went out to a low-key, casual art gallery opening last night and I wore the shirt!  (My husband tried to talk me into wearing the skinny jeans with a black tank top and his leather motorcycle vest from his brief stint as Harley man, but that was NOT happening!  Ha ha.)  This picture is awful, but it was dark by the time I took it.  The only room in our house with a full length mirror is my husband's art studio, so . . . that's what all that stuff is!  I wore my favorite Lucky jeans with some grey boots.  I felt comfortably AWESOME!

By the way, you can check some other awesome Stitch Fix Reviews at this link:  www.crazytogether.com/october-stitch-fix-28-review-giveaway-linkup

It's hosted by Maria of Crazy Together and Kinder Craze.  I always love reading her reviews!  :)

Please comment?  Did I make the right calls?  Have you received any of these items?  What did you think?  Am I the only one that both hates and loves skinny pants?  Thanks again for reading!

19. Oktoberfest Tacos!

Since I will be working on this taco project for a solid year, I figured I might as well feature some seasonal creations.  Since I am knee-deep in Footloose rehearsals right now (AND we have a concert this week), my taco adventures have had to be compressed into my weekends.  I was still basking in the success of my classic tacos from the other night when I realized that I needed to think of a second idea for this weekend!

It finally dawned on me.  Oktoberfest!  Duh!

I'm excited about this one!  We spent about 10 days in Germany and Austria in May of 2014.  We had a great time!  I had absolutely no complaints about the food.  It was pretty outstanding.  Rather heavy . . . but I got the sense that they do a better job (in general - this is a HUGE generalization) at including vegetables and salads in their meals than we do.  I think it all works out in end, given reasonable portion sizes.

If you ever get a chance to sample a German complimentary hotel breakfast buffet . . . well.  I swear, you will cry every time you go to a Hampton or Best Western from here on out.  (Nothing against those places, but based on my experience, Germany is on a completely different page.)  Fresh fruit, cold cuts, salad dishes, AWESOME bread, ten kinds of preserves, etc.  Seriously.

Sorry . . . I got distracted for a second.  Oktoberfest!  Anyway, I was excited to combine some of the flavors that I associate with German food and adapt them for an American celebration of Oktoberfest.  I decided to go with bratwurst, onions, cabbage, cheese, mustard, and caraway seeds.  And BEER!  I almost forgot about beer.  Since it may have seemed that I was knocking the good old USA a minute ago, I will take a second to mention our beer.  I think the quality and variety of our craft beer scene is unparallelled.  American beer is where it's at!  (As you will see, I managed to work beer into just about every aspect of this recipe.  It's Oktoberfest!)

I was super tempted to make some warm German potato salad with bacon to go on the side, but then I thought, "Really?"  That's just unnecessary.  :)

It goes without saying that, though I was inspired by traditional German flavors, these are NOT authentic.  Obviously.  I think I kind of blew that with the whole "taco" thing.  Ha ha.  If you're from Germany, don't be too hard on me!  This comes from a place of love!  If I had it my way, I'd be sitting near the Rhine river right now drinking some doppelbock.  This place in Bacharach has the best I've ever had.

OK.  Here's the recipe:

Oktoberfest Tacos!

Serves 4 (about 12 small tacos)

Ingredients:

For the bratwurst and onion mixture:

One 19 oz. package bratwurst
One 12 oz. bottle or can of Oktoberfest-style beer (You'll see that I included two bottles in the picture.  I thought about using two, but found it unnecessary.  Drink that second bottle.  Or use it for the other parts of the recipe.  You're welcome.)
3 cloves of garlic, smashed
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 large sweet onions, halved and thinly sliced

For the red cabbage mixture:

1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 green apple, peeled, cored, and grated
2 tbsp. butter
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. Oktoberfest style beer
1 whole clove

For the cheese sauce:

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Oktoberfest style beer
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup stone ground mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
5 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
5 oz. swiss cheese, grated
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds

12 street taco-size flour tortillas

Instructions:

1.  Start the brats:  Place the bratwurst, beer, garlic, crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and the pepper in a small skillet.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Reduce the heat to low and and cover.  Cook for about 10 minutes, turning the brats about halfway through.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

2.  Make the cabbage:  Place all of the cabbage ingredients in a medium saucepan.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Reduce the heat to low and cover.  Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the cabbage reaches desired doneness.  Set aside and keep covered.

3.  Continue the brat mixture:  Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring, until well caramelized, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Season with the remaining 1/2 tsp. of salt.  Mine looked like this.

While the onions are cooking, cut each sausage lengthwise into quarters and then slice.  When the onion looks like the picture above, add the sausages.  Increase the heat to medium and cook and stir until the onions and the sausages are browned, about 8 to 10 minutes.

4.  While the bratwurst mixture is cooking, make the cheese sauce:  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the flour, and cook, stirring with a whisk, until the butter is just slightly colored, about 4 or 5 minutes.  Add the milk, beer, and cream and stir until smooth.  Continue to cook until the mixture comes to a simmer.  Add the mustard, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine.  Cook at a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes, or until thick and bubbly.

Turn the heat off and add the cheeses and caraway seeds.  Allow the cheeses to melt and stir to combine.  This is what mine looked like at this point!

Taste, adjust seasonings, and set aside.

5.  Heat the tortillas.  This is a quick step.  You could do this (gently) in a microwave, but I prefer to heat them one by one in a dry cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Using this method, these heated much faster than my usual corn tortillas.  I stacked them up on a sheet of foil and had them done in no time.  Since this was my last step, I didn't need to keep them warm in the oven.  I just wrapped them in the foil while I got ready for the assembly!

6.  Assemble the tacos:  For each taco, place a tortilla on a plate.  Top with a small amount of the bratwurst and onion mixture.  Next, add a layer of the red cabbage.  Drizzle some of the cheese sauce over all.  If desired, garnish with fresh chopped parsley!  Enjoy!

There's not much to say about these.  They were outstanding.  Rich and outstanding.  We have plenty for leftovers tomorrow and I'm pretty excited about that.

Steve and I agreed - we really wouldn't change anything.  I loved the cabbage!  I think I'll make it as a side in the future.  It could go with a lot of things.

One disclaimer - this was a bit complicated and created a lot of dirty dishes.  That kind of thing doesn't bother me as long as I have enough time to clean it up.  If you consider making this, just keep it in mind.  It's probably not a 30 minute weeknight meal.  Ha ha.  It is worth it, though, if you have the time.  We loved it!

Update:  We had the leftovers tonight (Monday 10/5) for dinner.  Everything reheated pretty well, and it was just as delicious the second time.  After 2 meals (basically four servings, since there are only two of us), there is still quite a bit of cabbage and cheese sauce leftover.  If you make this, you could probably get away with halving those parts of the recipe.  I don't mind the leftover cabbage.  I'm pretty sure I will eat it.  I'm not sure what I'll do with the extra cheese sauce, though.  It would be good fondue - maybe dip some bread chunks and veggies in it?  Anyway - just a heads up if you decide to try this!

Feel free to comment on this recipe!  Did you try them?  What did you think?  Can you think of any other ways to incorporate Oktoberfest into a taco?  :)

Thanks for reading!

18. Classic "Americanized" Ground Beef Tacos (circa 1979)

I've been thinking about tacos a lot lately.  Obviously.  I love trying new flavor combinations, featuring unusual ingredients, and stretching the bar when it comes to the question:  "What is a taco?

This week, for some reason, I went in the other direction.  I was remembering the tacos that I had as a kid!  When I was little, tacos were not nearly as varied and diverse as they are today.  Tacos were made with crunchy shells (which came in a box), ground beef, an envelope of taco seasoning, shredded iceberg lettuce, mild cheddar cheese, and salsa out of a jar.  That was pretty much it.  I'm not knocking them.  They were tasty.  Things were different in the late 70s and early 80s!  

I remember when Taco Bell started offering "soft" tacos.  That must have been sometime during the 80s.  I may or may not be wrong about that.  I think that was the first time it dawned on me that people have a choice.  Crunchy or soft?  Wow.  It's a simple choice, but how many other taco roads could one choose to follow after realizing that tacos can be different every time you eat them?  Crunchy?  Soft?  Beef?  Chicken?  Tofu?  Lamb?  Salmon?  It's a whole new world!

So, am I going to make these exactly the way my mom made them when I was five?  Well, no.  Otherwise, it wouldn't be my recipe.  :)  I figure I'll make the taco seasoning and taco sauce from scratch.  (I just couldn't bring myself to buy sauce in a jar.)  I'll keep the iceberg lettuce and mild cheddar.  As an adult, I always appreciated a tad of sour cream and some sliced black olives with this style of taco, though I don't think we bothered with those when I was little.  Those will be on the list of garnishes - include them if you so desire! 

I couldn't buy the boxed shells, either.  Ha ha.  (Do those even have an expiration date?  I think they're like Twinkies - they last forever!)  I went with freshly made crunchy shells from our local Food City, which is a Arizona-based grocery store that specializes in Latin-American products.  They have the best tortillas and chips!  (I learned today that there is also an unrelated chain of supermarkets called Food City in some other states such as Georgia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky - interesting.  I can't vouch for their tortillas and chips, though!)

It's Friday night.  I decided to go all out.  I'm making yellow rice and refried beans from scratch to go on the side!  :)

This nostalgic recipe is for my mom, who always made the tacos!  :)

Classic "Americanized" Ground Beef Tacos (circa 1979)

Serves 4-6 (about 12 tacos)

Ingredients:

For the taco sauce:

1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
One 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder
1/2 tsp. New Mexico chile powder
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 1/2 tbsp. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

For the ground beef mixture :

A splash of olive oil

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. New Mexico chile powder
1/2 tsp. Mexican oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
A few splashes of beer (or water)

12 high-quality crunchy taco shells (freshly made, if you can get them)

Garnish as desired with:

Grated mild cheddar cheese

Shredded iceberg lettuce

Chopped tomatoes

Sour cream

Sliced mild black olives

1.  Make the taco sauce:  Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute.  Add the chile powders, paprika, cumin, coriander and stir until fragrant.  Add the tomato sauce and stir to combine.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Set aside.  If desired, you can blend the sauce with a hand blender (or regular blender) to make it perfectly smooth.

2.  Make the ground beef mixture:  Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the beef and cook, breaking the pieces apart with a spatula, until almost done, about 8 to 10 minutes.  Add all of the remaining ingredients and cook for a few more minutes to allow the flavors to blend.  Add a little extra liquid if the mixture seems dry.

3.  Heat the shells:  Toast briefly (a minute or two) in a 350 degree oven until hot and fragrant.  Watch them - they can go from toasty to burned pretty quickly!

4.  Assemble the tacos:  For each taco, place a taco shell on a plate.  Fill with some of the beef.  Top with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and taco sauce.  Finish the presentation with a small dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of olives.  Enjoy!

I'm not thrilled with my pictures this time around.  These hard tacos will just not stand up!  No matter what I did, the presentation looked a little sloppy.  Oh, well.  Maybe it looks homey, not sloppy.  Yes.  Let's go with that!  :)

I was thrilled, however, with my interpretation of these tacos from my childhood.  They were delicious!  The seasoning in the ground beef was just perfect, and I loved the taco sauce.  I could see it working in all kinds of situations.  I'd like to try it with eggs and hashbrowns for brunch!  The whole recipe is a keeper, but the taco sauce is a standout!  :)

Steve really liked these, too!  We will definitely be doing this one again!  I can't think of anything I would change.  Next time I have a craving for this type of taco, I will follow this recipe exactly!

These tacos definitely brought back memories.  These days, we tend to prefer softer taco shells.  I had forgotten how crunchy tacos tend to shatter all over the place when you take a bite . . . ha ha.  After the first bite, it's a challenge to see how many more bites you can take before the whole thing falls apart and you grab your fork in defeat.  Oh, well.  I'm glad I made the beans and rice.  A bite of beans, rice, and broken taco is a wonderful thing!

Feel free to comment on this recipe!  Did you try them?  What did you think?  Do you remember this same taco from your childhood?  :)

Thanks for reading!