Steak and Caramelized Onion Taquitos

It's cheat day y'all! This means that I have been on my very best behaviour for a whole week and I can indulge in something that is less than healthy. Fair enough, right?

Oh and by the way, in case you were wondering where I have been (and why I haven't been blogging), I started a new job! I got a job at a beautiful local B&B, I don't have a job title I just work my butt off and do whatever needs to be done around the joint, whether it is paperwork, cooking, cleaning, or even organizing. There are about 60 stairs I go up and down a couple of dozen times each working day and by the end of the summer I am going to be a goddess. Who even needs to do Brazilian Butt Lift?!

ANYWAYS, here I am now and I have made a treat: Steak and Caramelized Onion Taquitos.

Recipe Adapted from: Life's Ambrosia

My Rating: 4 out of 5

Changes I made: I used flour tortillas because I couldn't find any corn tortillas (which made me very sad). I also used a leftover steak I had on hand so I didn't use any spices from the original recipe.

Things I will change next time: I think I will add some chopped cilantro and maybe a chipotle pepper.

Will I make this again? Absolutely


Ingredient List:
- 1 grilled steak
- 1 red onion
- 2 cups shredded pepperjack cheese
- 8 flour or corn tortillas
- Canola Oil



This recipe is really easy and can be summed up in 5 steps: Slice, Cook, Fill, Fry and Enjoy!

Step 1: Slice

Take your grilled steak and your onion (I used a red onion) and slice them thinly

Step 2: Cook                                                                                                                                            

Add the butter to a frying pan and allow it to melt over medium heat. Add onions and cook until them they are soft and fragrant. Next add in the steak and quickly reheat it.         

                                                     

Step 3: Fill                                                                                                                                                  

Lay out your tortillas on a (clean) counter and top with some of the cheese and the onion and beef mixture. Then fold one side of the tortilla over, fold the adjacent side over, and secure with a toothpick so you don't  have taquito guts flying about when you are frying these bad boys.                                                                 

Step 4: Fry                                                                                                                                                  

Fill a wide frying pan with just enough oil to cover the bottom completely. Heat over medium heat until hot. Place the taquitos in the oil and fry for about 30 seconds on each side, until golden brown.

Step 5: Enjoy                                                                                                                                               

You have created something wonderful, enjoy it alongside a nice big salad and some kind of dipping sauce such as salsa, sour cream or guacamole.                                                                                                    

Read More

Asian Salad Wraps

This recipe is good. SERIOUSLY good.  It is one of Emeril's recipes and he is one of my food heroes (second only to Ree Drummond, I adore that woman.) These can be served as an appetizer or a main course.

The crisp lettuce, savoury shrimp filling, delicate cellophane noodles and kicky sauce (which I completely forgot to take photos of) pair together on your palate and explode with umami*.

Emeril Lagasse, you have done it again. "BAM!"

* Umami is described as the fifth of the basic tastes and it describes food with an inherent savouriness.

Recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse

My rating for this recipe: 5/5 (I am already dreaming of making it again)

What I changed this time: My significant other has a pretty moderate shellfish allergy so for this recipe I cut the amount of shrimp in half and replaced it with a boneless skinless chicken breast and then cooked the shrimp, half of the onions and garlic in one skillet and the chicken, along with the other half of the onions and garlic in another skillet so that I had two different meat mixtures. I also replaced the jalapeño with a squirt of Sriracha sauce, used boston lettuce because the market was out of bibb, omitted the Emeril's essence and didn't use mint in the Nuoc Cham  because I forgot to buy some.

What I will do differently next time: I will make it exactly as I did this time.

Ingredient List:

Cellophane noodles (also known as glass noodles or mung bean noodles), about 2 ounces
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied
1/2 cup minced green onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Salt and pepper, for seasoning
Emeril's Original Essence, for seasoning
2 heads Bibb or butter lettuce, leaves separated and cleaned
Nuoc Cham
1 to 2 jalapenos, sliced very thinly, for garnish (optional)


First you boil a pot of water and once the water reaches a ful boil turn it off and soak the cellophane noodles in the water. Next drain the noodles and toss with the fish sauce and sesame oil and then set the mixture aside.

Cellophane Noodles

Noodle Mixture

While your water for the noodles is boiling add the vegetable oil to a skillet and cook the shrimp over medium heat until they pink on all sides. Then add the green onions, cook for 1 minute, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

Next you want to make the Nuoc Cham, which is very easy because you just mix all of the ingredients together and blend them.

Nuoc Cham:

1/4 cup fish sauce

1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup finely grated carrot

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

1 Thai bird chile, thinly sliced, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

You now have all of the components for the salad wraps (go you!) and all you need to do is assemble them.

Start by plating a leaf of the lettuce, then top it with a generous amount of the noodle mixture. Place some of the shrimp mixture on top of the noodles and then drizzle with a small amount of the Nuoc Cham.

 

Read More

Chili ( For Hot Dogs)

If I didn't make changes to the man food we eat in this house to make it more waistline friendly by altering recipes and finding healthy recipes online I would probably weigh a metric tonne.

These coney dogs are the perfect example of this. You think of a coney dog and a caloric nightmare probably comes to mind. Not this time my friends. Making your own chili rather than buying the canned stuff saves you a lot of salt, sugar and fat, especially when you use extra lean ground beef (or even ground turkey or chicken if you'd like! ) and pair your chili with all natural hot dogs. 

I'm not saying that you should eat this for dinner every night, but it's a great weeknight meal that will leave everyone happy.

Recipe adapted from: Simply Scratch 

My rating for this recipe: A solid 5 out of 5.

Will I make this again? Yes, I have made it a couple of times and will make it several more.

What I changed about the original recipe: I measured out my celery salt and cayenne and used less ground beef.

What I will change next time: Not a thing.

Ingredient List:

- 1 medium onion, cut to small dice

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 lb extra lean ground beef

- 2 tsp celery salt

- 1 tsp cayenne pepper

- 1 tsp kosher salt

- 1/2 TBSP chili powder

- 1/2 tsp cumin

- 14 oz tomato sauce

First you want to take your onion (already diced) and sweat it in a saucepan with a tablespoon of olive oil, over medium high heat. 

Once the onions have softened add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add in the ground beef, break into very small pieces and cook until completely browned. Once the beef is cooked drain any fat from the pain, add in the spices and the tomato sauce. It will look pretty saucy!

 Lower heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. What you will get will be a thickened chili with a deeper colour. 

Your chili is done now and is ready to be slapped between a bun with a freshly cooked hot dog and topped with any additional toppings you desire such as onions, shredded cheese, mustard and, if you're my three year old, ginger ale. 

You're welcome, men of the world.

Read More