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Taco-Mania!

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Tasty Kitchen Blog: Taco-Mania! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (Fish Tacos)

 
It’s taco time! We make tacos quite often for dinner, and I’m going to admit that sometimes when short on time, I’ll fill the tortilla with something a little unexpected but convenient. In a pinch, I’ll grab a cooked Mojo-seasoned rotisserie chicken from the deli department, a package of corn tortillas, shredded cheese and sour cream.

I don’t even bother carving the chicken at all, I’ll just stick the entire chicken, still in its plastic container right in the middle of the dinner table. We just each rip, tear, grab chicken pieces to put on our tortilla.

So barbaric, yet so good.

I also love making grilled fish tacos (photo above) and any fish on sale will do. Just season the fish with some taco seasoning, throw it on a grill pan and eight minutes later, I’ve got fish tacos. It goes really well with thinly shaved crunchy red cabbage, a sliver of avocado and diced fresh tomatoes. If I need a sauce, sometimes I’ll cheat and do a mixture of mayonnaise and Thousand Island dressing. It’s not authentic I know, but hey, after admitting the rotisserie chicken bit, I’m not afraid to tell ya all my shortcut secrets!

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Taco-Mania! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (Steak)

Leftover steak gets re-sizzled in the frying pan for 30 seconds and then thrown in a tortilla with crumbled Mexican cheese, shredded lettuce and tomatoes spiced with minced jalapenos.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Taco-Mania! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (Carnitas)

And then there’s my favorite: carnitas. Pork slow cooked so tender that it practically falls apart. A zesty, spicy corn relish pairs great with the melt-in-your-mouth pork!

So those above are my standby taco recipes. I don’t stray too far off from these combinations. Now that I’ve gotten the normal stuff out of the way, I’ll also admit that I once tried making tofu tacos. !!MASSIVE FAIL!!

Now it’s your turn. What’s your favorite taco stuffin’ AND what’s the biggest taco fail ever? Please tell me I’m not the only one with massive taco fail! Pleeeeze?

 
 
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Jaden Hair is a food writer, television personality, and food photographer based in Tampa Bay, Florida. Find more of her recipes in her blog, Steamy Kitchen, where you can also read more about Jaden’s new book, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, and the rave reviews it’s received!

 

98 Comments

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Margaret Barry on 5.13.2010

We get an organic chorizo at the farmer’s market….with potatoes and peppers it makes an awesome taco filling!

Sleepy Cat Hollow on 5.13.2010

My favorite tacos that I make are carnitas, avocado, NM green chiles and cheese.

Cindy in GA on 5.13.2010

Please tell us what recipe you use for the slow cooked pork!

Katherine Griffin on 5.13.2010

Korean Tacos! Thinly sliced steak, marinated ina sweet asian sauce…slaw made with lime, soy, fish sauce. You really don’t need anything else.

Holly on 5.13.2010

chipotle bbq chicken (chicken thighs cooked in the oven with bbq sauce mixed with chipotle peppers) + shredded cabbage tossed with lime juice, sugar, salt and pepper. SO GOOD!

I also do a great vegetarian version with black beans tossed with sauteed onion, pepper, and zucchini, topped with small diced avocado and sour cream.

Tonight I’m having the veg. version above, but I have a secret ingredient for sauce-canned enchilada sauce!

Megan on 5.13.2010

I just made Ree’s Sloppy Joes with veggie crumbles and the leftovers will be the ‘meat’ in our tacos tonight with all the fixings:) Bring on the chips and guacamole too!

Aparna on 5.13.2010

I love making tacos or enchialadas! My sweetie and I are vegetarians, so I use Boca meat. Just heat it up in a skillet, add some water, seasonings, tomatoes, jalepenos, etc. and you’ve got a boca-meat mixture that’s delicious! Tastes just like the real thing (to us anyway), plus it’s got tons of protein and fiber and the tacos are stuffed with veggies! Yum!

Lisa on 5.13.2010

My mother in law makes delicious tacos con papa. Potato tacos…they are delicious!! You put mashed seasoned potatoes in a corn tortilla, seal it closed and fry them on each side till they are lightly crispy. Throw on a little lettuce and tapatio hot sauce and your set. Its a pretty traditional thing around lent but I like them anytime.

Kristin on 5.13.2010

PW’s Spicy Shredded Pork in a taco shell or tortilla with all the fixin’s~ Love it!! We made that, plus a ground beef taco mixture, when we had extended family over one night. It was a HUGE hit! I love taco nights.
Plus- we made the Tres Leches cake too. Gotta keep up the theme!

Kara on 5.13.2010

I was making tacos one night and grabbed what I thought was taco seasoning out of the cupboard. Unfortunately, I have two spices that are in similar packaging. Instead of grabbing the taco seasoning, I poured in . . . cinnamon. Sorry, folks, but it DID NOT work.

Teressa Harrington on 5.13.2010

Fish tacos, stuffed with shredded cabbage and a cilantro mayo that was awesome.

Fran on 5.13.2010

We have some sort of tacos at least once a week. it would be inpossible to pick a favorite other than to say it has to be a soft taco for me. A while back I made my own flatbreads using canned biscuits from Taste Of HOme recipe. they were awesome!! I also like chicken tacos with ranch dressing and like another poster mentioned, I love to eat almost anything wrapped in a tortilla. Best way to use up leftovers!

Kapur on 5.13.2010

Oh it’s taco night tonight too! I’m using ground chicken to save on the fat (high cholesterol issues for my husband) but the taste is almost the same as beef. If I don’t tell the kids, they think it IS beef…mwahaha. Now here’s a question….I use ground chicken which isn’t the 99% fat free so it still has some fat. I brown it with a bit of vegetable oil and minced onions and spend the entire cooking time breaking it up into tiny pieces to look like cooked beef. Is there an easier way to break apart ground chicken? I love Tex Mex soooo much. Breakfast burritos, enchiladas, tacos….groan.

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3bakingsheets on 5.13.2010

3 years in our place and my husband and I have never had a taco night. That needs to be remedied. This weekend.

Paisleybelle on 5.13.2010

One combo we like is ground turkey cooked with taco seasoning, diced avocado, diced sweet onion, and crumbled goat cheese on a corn tortilla – yummy!

Anyone ever do Salmon tacos?

Kelly Jean on 5.13.2010

Egg tacos! Scrambled eggs, shredded cheese, salsa, and avocado. YUM! It was dinner last night in fact. My kids love them.

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bunnyhop on 5.13.2010

My dad has manual dexterity issues, so actual tacos are a bit beyond him. However, he manages quite nicely if I turn the whole thing into a salad, with toasted/shredded tortillas as a sort of crouton.

Roachmon on 5.13.2010

Fied cod fish tacos…… make a sauce with 1/2 mayo, 1/2 sour cream and taco seasoning, then cilantro, scallions, sliced cabbage, picled red onion and chopped Jalapenos… maybe some pickled Jalapeno too… All on a fresh warm corn tortilla… Add a cold Negro Medalla beer!

Carol on 5.13.2010

for Linda F., I found this online somewhere:
Taco Seasoning: makes 1/1 cup
6 teaspoons chili powder
5 teaspoons paprika
4 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons onion powder
2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
In storage container with tight-fitting lid, combine all ingredients; mix well. Seal tightly. Store in cool, dry place for up to 6 months

wayside wanderer on 5.13.2010

We LOVE tacos and anything on a tortilla is fair game. One of my favorite is to do leftover BBQ pork. I love a spicy chipotle BBQ sauce, avocados, tomatoes, onions……..whatever……all wrapped up. Yum.

Amy from She Wears Many Hats (missamy) on 5.13.2010

Black beans + anything in a taco = YUM! That steak taco up there is callin’ my name.

MoroccoMama on 5.13.2010

I don’t know whether to cry, or start rolling out some tacos. Mexican food has yet to hit Morocco, but I’m ready for it.

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mrsmollyk on 5.13.2010

1 – Thanks for the food porn – er, steak tacos. Hot diggity dang.

2- Never had a taco fail, but I’m not really adventurous with them. I have (as of late) been adding Trader Joe’s guacamole hummus to mine for extra protein.

3 – You need to watch perhaps the most epic taco anything ever: Taco Town from SNL. I left you a link:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/1447/saturday-night-live-taco-town

Do tacos get any more kick butt than this?

Linda F on 5.13.2010

I’d love to get a really great “taco seasoning” recipe – any recommendations?

Or if there’s a great one I can buy, please share!!

Fish and shrimp tacos, without the tortilla part, are our favs.

p. claire on 5.13.2010

cactus! it is the best. if you can find it, pan cook it with onions and it is amazing. some of the spanish markets will have them, or just ask at them. they might be surprised if you do, but you will then gets lots of other “cooking tips” i find.

so yummy.

Shelly on 5.13.2010

Fish tacos are my favorite … grilled Mahi-Mahi and grilled wild Pacific Salmon …. served in a crunchy taco and topped with a mango-kiwi salsa ….. oh so very very good. Serve with a basic cesaer salad.

Donia on 5.13.2010

For a super quick meal, I often make scrambled egg tacos. Your initial response may be that it sounds gross, but it’s sort of like a quick, non-traditional version of Huevos Rancheros. My kids love scrambled egg tacos!

K Moran on 5.13.2010

These tacos look soooo good. Family dinner tonight: TACOS! Trying to decide between fish, steak or slow cooked pork… Tough decision.

Teresa on 5.13.2010

Our standard tacos start with one pound of ground sirloin and one package of Soyrizo. The seasoning is all in the Soyrizo, which I find much less greasy than the typical Chorizo.

The fish tacos sound great though, and just as quick. I’ll have to give them a try soon.

Chris in Vista, CA on 5.13.2010

I like all of the taco ingredients already mentioned PLUS alfalfa sprouts. So much flavor!

betsey on 5.13.2010

Now if only I could find a recipe for the white sauce the Mexican restaurants serve in the mid-Atlantic region. I love this stuff. They serve it with the chips and salsa. Yummy!

Audrey on 5.13.2010

Black bean tacos! It’s easy, awesome, and the fixins keep in the pantry so I can always whip up a batch in a hurry.
2 cans of black beans, 1 can of seasoned diced tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, 2 tbs of lemon juice and a splash of beer if you’re feeling adventurous. Let it simmer till it’s thick and dark (about 10 mins), and it’s ready to go.

Camila T. on 5.13.2010

In Japan I had tacos with sweetcorn, sweet relish, sweet chili and ground beef.

It was very sweet.

Also horrible.

Mom24@4evermom on 5.13.2010

I love tacos! Brian Boitano’s Carne Asada tacos with an avocado and tomatillo salsa are our favorite. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/brian-boitano/carne-asada-tacos-with-green-salsa-recipe/index.html

Fail? Matzo tacos. Very, very bad. :(

verla on 5.13.2010

Current favorite-leftover smoked beef brisket, tomatoes, shredded cheeses in a just barely crispy corn tortilla! Muy bueno!

Betsy on 5.13.2010

We eat lots of tacos, too! Anything is better as a taco. Fish sticks (really good and really easy), beans, leftover barbecue (good with slaw), fried chicken, you name it. My kids even eat pb&honey tacos (on flour tortillas) when we run out of bread.

katie on 5.13.2010

Um…sometimes when I’m feeling lazy I make fish tacos with fish sticks. Food-snob fail, but they’re really quite delicious!

The French@crispytarts on 5.13.2010

Love tacos! These look delicious. Sprouted Kitchen has a pretty awesome fish taco recipe with a delicious cilantro sauce. We Tarts have one that we will post soon as well. Let you know when it’s up.

Also, if you live in LA, Franks on Fairfax, across from Whole Foods, has the best steak tacos around! And ask Gloria or Salvador for extra salsa verde. The best!

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sbruce1 on 5.13.2010

Chicken breasts cooked in the crockpot with your favorite green enchilada sauce, shredded up and served in a tortilla, is a favorite of our family….

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julip1882 on 5.13.2010

Oh and don’t forget these, easy and delicious chicken tacos:
https://tastykitchen.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/main-courses/shredded-chicken-tacos/

of course, anything with guacamole or diced avacado is delish as well!

Claudia on 5.13.2010

My fussy kids will eat anything if I wrap it in a tortilla!

Kolleen on 5.13.2010

Lentil & cucumber tacos are great–just cook the lentils with taco seasoning (cumin & chili powder at my house). Serve with cukes (instead of lettuce), plain yogurt, black olives, salsa, whatever–yummy and tummy friendly.

JuliP on 5.13.2010

The Noshery’s Carnitas will rock your world! so fantastic! served with Lime and Cilantro Rice (my own recipe) and you’ve got an amazing meal! YUM!

Alisa on 5.13.2010

i love to put chicken breasts in the crock pot all day on low, then shred and mix with frank’s red hot and ranch dressing. i throw it all in a tortilla or hard shell with some lettuce, tomato, and mozzerella, and voilà, buffalo chicken tacos!!

Desi Wren on 5.13.2010

We’ve been making shrimp tacos several times a month ever since Taco Bell started making them and I figured I could do better. I just saute the shrimp with whatever seasonings strike me and some parsley, then slap them in tortillas with all the regular taco toppings available… I like refried beans, tomatoes, lettuce, and cheese on mine and my partner adds cilantro. Sliced avocado is awesome too!

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Jesse Green on 5.13.2010

I LUV tacos! I finally convinced my roomate to try fish tacos last week. We grilled Tilapia and put it together with all the fixins, and she loved it! I have to say that fish tacos are my new favorite, but I love any Mexican food really. I could prob eat cheese dip for breakfast :)

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strandjss on 5.13.2010

Great topic – tacos are a great menu plan for needing something in a pinch or even a planned menu for a large gathering. And we live in Florida where it is hot many months of the year – tacos make a great summer meal without heating up the kitchen. In fact, I love COLD fish tacos.

Jackie

Jessica @ How Sweet on 5.13.2010

Ahhh Mexican may be my most favorite food. Currently I am having a taco for lunch everyday with chicken, homemade guca, cheese, greek yogurt, salsa and get this – baked beans! It is very good. I also love enchiladas. I’d have to say my number 1 ingredient is guacamole!

Never had a fail…YET.