Tag: tacos

Potato, Goat Cheese, & Chorizo Tacos with a Smoky Aioli

Here is a blast from the past! I made these with a friend on her 29th birthday, and she is 38 now! I remember when we had her over that night that she commented on the “interesting” things that were on the table for the tacos. As she was eating her tacos, she said “Wow Beth, I got to be honest, I was a little concerned when I saw everything out for the tacos. But it’s like the weirdest things come together and make this totally delicious combination of flavors!” I took it as a compliment.
I got the idea for the “weird” tacos from Paladar Restaurant. I had seen the meal on the menu there and really wanted to order them, but my date had other ideas. I decided I would try them out at home instead! Serve these tasty tacos with some refried beans and corn pudding. Enjoy!

Recipe for Potato, Goat Cheese & Chorizo Tacos with a Smoky Aioli

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 lb golden potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 lb chorizo sausage, casings removed
  • shredded red cabbage
  • cilantro
  • crumbled goat cheese
  • smoky aioli (recipe to follow)
  • 16 soft corn tortillas (soft taco size)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put the cubed potatoes on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast the potatoes for 12 minutes, then use a spatula to loosen the potatoes and toss around. Put potatoes back in the oven for another 10 – 12 minutes, or until they are lightly golden brown. Leave the potatoes on the pan and set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 270 degrees. 

Cook the chorizo. Put into a large pan and use a spatula or spoon to crumble the sausage as it cooks. Cook until sausage is completely done and make sure it is crumbled small.

Once chorizo is fully cooked, put it onto the pan with the potatoes. Toss together. Put pan back into the oven while you prepare the fixings.

Put cabbage, cilantro, and goat cheese into small serving bowls. Make the smoky aioli (recipe below). Put tortillas on a plate and cover with a paper towel. Heat in the microwave on low for about 25 – 30 seconds. 

Once all the fixings are prepped, take the potatoes and sausage out of the oven and put into a serving dish. Put tortillas, cabbage, cilantro, goat cheese, potatoes & chorizo, and smoky aioli out and allow everyone to assemble their own tacos. 

Recipe for Smoky Aioli

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/3 cup real mayonnaise
  • Juice of one lime
  • 1 garlic clove, pressed (or 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder)
  • 1 1/4 tsp. of smoked paprika
  • salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

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Crispy Honey & Sriracha Tofu Tacos

Tacos are the best! You can make them in so many different ways so that you are able to please everyone. These vegetarian crispy honey sriracha tofu tacos with a cucumber mango salsa are so amazingly delicious and satisfying!

My sister and her family live in a suburb of San Francisco, but they used to live in the city. When we would visit them in the city, we would enjoy lunch at their favorite place, La Taqueria, in the Mission District of the city. That is where I learned about how much variety there are in tacos, as I had grown up on the ground beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato taco!

These delicious tacos are topped with cucumber-mango salsa, mashed avocado, and extra Sriracha sauce.  When I first tried the recipe, I really was a little skeptical about tofu in my tacos, and I was truly amazed at how well they turned out. Even if you are not a vegetarian, I am pretty sure you will find these tacos to be quite tasty. Enjoy!

Recipe for Crispy Honey & Sriracha Tofu Tacos

INGREDIENTS

For the Cucumber-Mango Salsa
1 large, ripe mango, cut into 1/4-inch chunks
1/2 English cucumber, peeled and with the seeds removed, finely chopped
1/2 shallot, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced (with seeds removed)
Juice from 1/2 lime (save the other half for the avocado)
1/2 tsp. honey
Salt and pepper

For the tofu
12 ounces extra firm tofu, drained well, patted with a paper towel, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce (plus a little more for adding to taco)
2 Tbsp. honey (plus a little more for drizzling)
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. of cornmeal
1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper – about 1/8 tsp.
3/4 tsp. Ancho chile powder
1/8 tsp. of sweet smoked paprika
3 Tbsp. olive oil

Soft taco corn tortillas, Avocado, Full Fat Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the cucumber mango salsa. Toss the cucumber, mango, jalapeno, shallot, lime juice, honey, salt and pepper into a bowl and mix well. Cover and place in fridge until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 315 degrees. Place tortillas on a baking sheet. Rub a very small amount of olive oil all over each side and sprinkle one side with a pinch of fine sea salt. Set aside.

Put the tofu in a large bowl. Mix together the honey and Sriracha sauce in a small bowl. Pour over the tofu, and gently toss to coat well.

In another bowl, mix together the cornmeal, Panko breadcrumbs, flour, salt, pepper, chili powder, and sweet smoked paprika. Then pour 1/3 of the cornmeal mixture over the tofu, and toss gently. Add another 1/3 of the mixture, toss again. Finish with the remaining mixture and toss again to coat the tofu well. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat until hot. Then carefully add in the tofu. Cook, undisturbed, for a few minutes, then gently stir and flip over, a few at a time, until all pieces have been flipped. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes more, then gently stir again. Continue to cook and gently toss until tofu is crisped up on all sides. Add in a drizzle or two of honey, and stir. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the tofu with salt and pepper.

While the tofu is cooking, place the tortillas in the heated oven. Cook for a few minutes, then flip. You want the tortillas to be a little crispy, but not hard. You want a very light crisp so that they still fold well without breaking. That is why it is important to buy good tortillas!

While the tofu and tortillas are finishing up, mash up the avocado. Squeeze lime juice over the avocado, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Assemble the tacos. Top each warm tortilla with desired amount of tofu, cucumber-mango salsa, avocado, and Greek yogurt. Add a squeeze of Sriracha sauce, if desired.

Recipe makes approximately 6  – 8 tacos. 

Tofu taco recipe adapted from: The Woks of Life
Cucumber-Mango salsa adapted from:  Oh My Veggies 

Sweet Potato Tacos

I love all kinds of tacos! My sister and brother-in-law are both vegetarian, so these sweet potato tacos are a great meal for when they come to visit.

I first had sweet potato tacos at Paladar Restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland. They were so good that I asked for the recipe from Paladar, and the executive chef sent me a version of the recipe. I have made them several times and they never disappoint. Enjoy!

Recipe for Sweet Potato Tacos

INGREDIENTS

  • For the filling:
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp. of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and then diced in 1/4-inch cubes
  • 4  hearts of palm stalks from a can, cut lengthwise and then sliced in to desired size 
  • 1 can of pinto beans or great white northern beans, drained well
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 tsp. of cinnamon
  • For the tomatillo salsa:
  • 6 fresh tomatillos, husked
  • 1/4 of one bunch of fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 red onion OR 1 – 2 thin slices of a jalapeno pepper
    1 lime, juiced
  • For the toppings:
  • Red cabbage
  • Chopped Chives
    8 – 10 soft tortillas (6-inch/taco size)

DIRECTIONS

Make tomatillo salsa first. Place tomatillos, cilantro, and onion in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it is to salsa consistency. Pour in to a bowl, squeeze in the lime juice, cover and put in fridge for an hour. In a bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, hearts of palm, 2 1/2 tsp. olive oil, and salt and pepper. Place the potato mixture on a foil-lined baking sheet, and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes (until potatoes are done). Put the rest of the olive oil in to a large skillet. Heat oil, then add potato mixture and pinto beans to the skillet. Add in some salt, pepper, and the 2 tsp. of cinnamon. Saute until the beans and potatoes are warmed through, then remove pan from heat. Heat tortillas in a microwave for 20 – 25 seconds. Build your own tacos. Put sweet potato mixture down the middle of the tortilla, then top with cabbage, chives, and tomatillo salsa. Serve with mango and avocado salad (recipe to be posted soon). Enjoy!

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