For our celebratory first cooked meal in the house we had tacos! My favorite meal. I’m not sure if you know this, but if I could only have one food for the rest of my life, I would choose tacos. I don’t even know how many taco recipe I’ve created, but you can see them all here.

We made a turkey version of the Smoky Buffalo Tacos. We served them up with tortillas, cheese, lettuce, and tomato fried rice. Served with a great glass of Russian River viognnier and we were all set.

Last night I made a new recipe for chicken tacos that were just beyond delicious. These tacos were pretty healthy too – full of vegetables and fruit. Use light sour cream for the chipotle cream and you’ve got a light taco recipe full of flavor.

Spice Rubbed Chicken Tacos with Chipotle Cream and Pineapple Slaw

Serves: 6

Time: under 60 minutes (less if you purchase pre-sliced pineapple)

Get the recipe

Ingredients

Chicken Tacos

1 pound hormone-free, antiobiotic-free skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs (I used thighs this time)

2 small zucchini, quartered lengthwise

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into 3/4″ slices

1 t canola oil

2 T light brown sugar

1 T smoked paprika (sweet paprika works too if you have that)

2 1/4 t adobo chili powder

1 1/2 t salt

1 1/2 t garlic powder

1 1/2 t onion powder

12 6 inch corn or flour tortillas

Chipotle Cream

1 cup light sour cream

2 chipotles in adobo sauce chopped

Pineapple Slaw

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and diced

1 pound jicama, peeled and shredded

1 jalapeno, diced (remove seeds if you don’t want it spicy)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

3 scallions, thinly sliced

3 T fresh lime juice (I used key limes and it was extra delicious)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler on low heat. You can also grill the chicken and vegetables too.

2. Line a baking sheet with foil. Toss the vegetables with the canola oil and sprinkle the spice rub over them. Rub the chicken with the spice rub and put on the same pan. Broil for 10-12 minutes, turn over and broil for another 10 minutes. The brown sugar in the rub makes the chicken nice and crispy.

Spice Rubbed Chicken and Vegetables

3. When you turn the chicken, put the tortillas in the oven for the remaining 10 minutes. Just wrap them in foil and they will be perfectly warm when the chicken is done.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the pineapple slaw. While the chicken and vegetables are cooking, prepare the pineapple, jicama, and herbs. Toss together in a bowl and set aside.

Pineapple Jicama Slaw

5. Make the chipotle cream: mix together the sour cream and the chopped chipotles. Set aside in a serving bowl.

6. When the chicken and vegetables are done, remove them and the tortillas from the oven. Slice the chicken and chop the vegetables in big chunks. Mix together in a bowl and place with the other ingredients.

7. Set out all the fixins and let people assemble tacos: chipotle cream, then chicken and veggies, then pineapple slaw. Enjoy!

This tastes extra good with a Valoma.

This recipe based on Spice Rubbed Chicken and Vegetable Tacos on epicurious

Sea Salt gets their fish from local seafood store Coastal Seafood (the best place in Minneapolis to purchase seafood and fish). Sea Salt’s menu features an array of tacos, ‘po boys, appetizers, fresh oysters, etc. And everything is fantastic.

I had the calamari tacos with cole slaw. These tacos were on corn tortillas with fresh, homemade salsa. The calamari was fried perfectly, too. I wish the sauce had been really garlicky, but otherwise I would order these again in a heartbeat. The coleslaw was also quite good.

The last time I was there, I tried the tilapia tacos – also YUMMY. But this time I had it with a side of grilled corn on the cob…my favorite. I threw some lime juice, salt and tabasco sauce on it and it was quite good.

The oysters are extremely fresh and delicious, and you can also order beer and wine there.

I was looking for something to make the other week (yeah, I know, I’m way behind on blogging) and came across this recipe on Food Network. I will definitely be making it again! It’s really easy, and the tomatillo “pesto” (if you will) is divine. The honey makes this piece of the recipe top notch.

This is not only a very healthy recipe, it’s extremely quick. It took about 25 minutes to make this meal. Add the rice, and you’ve got a complete meal. Heck, start out with some chips and salsa if you’re feeling snacky. Oh, and don’t forget some Mexican beer to wash this down.

The taco recipe calls for grilling most of the ingredients, but I made do with a stove top and I’ll include my notations.

Shredded Chicken and Tomatillo Tacos with Queso Fresco

Serves 4

6 tomatillos, husked, washed, and grilled until blackened*

1 serrano, grilled until blackened*

olive oil

1/2 small red onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 lime, juiced

2 T honey

1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken**

8 tortillas

1 cup crumbled queso fresco

Preheat the grill to medium. Add the blackened tomatillos and serrano to a small saute pan and briefly saute in a little olive oil on the grates of the grill.

*If cooking inside on stovetop: using tongs, hold tomatillos and serrano over open High flame until blackened (they’ll pop so be careful). Cut the tomatillos in quarters and roughly cut the serrano. Add to saute pan with a little olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute until soft.

Place tomatillos, serrano, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and honey in a blender and blend until smooth. Place tomatillo mixture in a large saute pan and place on the grates of the grill. (Alternately, add to saute pan on medium-high heat on stovetop). Bring themixture to a simmer, add the chicken, and heat through.

Place the tortillas on the grill (or warm in a 200 degree oven, wrapped in foil) and grill for 20 seconds on each side. Spoon the chicken mixture into the tortillas and top with a few tablespoons of the queso fresco.

**You can also purchase 1.5# organic chicken breasts and poach them in water, then shred. This keeps it healthier and you can control what additives are in the meat. In a medium pan, heat water over high heat, add chicken, when boiling, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook through. Remove chicken breasts from water. Using two forks, pull the chicken apart.

source Food Network

Toasted-garlic Rice with Fresh Herbs and Lime

Serves 6

You can really use any combination of fresh herbs, keeping cilantro and parsley as the base. My grocery store didn’t have mint or marjoram that day, so I substituted fresh tarragon. You could throw some basil in this too and I’m sure it would be delish.

You can also make this dish in a rice cooker (which is WAY easier). I’ve noted the changes below.

1 1/2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice

3 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 T fresh lime juice

2 T extra virgin olive oil

12 large garlic cloves

3/4 t salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 T chopped fresh mint

1 T chopped fresh marjoram

1 1/2 t grated lime peel

IF NOT USING RICE COOKER

Place rice in strainer. Rinse under cold water until water runs clear. Drain well. Bring broth and lime juice to simmer in medium saucepan.

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; saute until golden and sticky, about 1 minute. Add rice, stir 2 minutes. Add hot broth mixture and 3/4 t salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover. Cook until rice is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Turn off heat; let stand covered for 10 minutes. Add herbs and lime peel to rice. Fluff with fork. Season with additional salt if desired.

IF USING RICE COOKER

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; saute until golden and sticky, about 1 minute. Place rice in rice cooker. Add garlic and oil, stir to coat rice. Add chicken broth and lime juice. Cook for 20 minutes. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. Add herbs and lime peel, fluff with fork.

source Bon Appetit March 2003 on epicurious

I just used whatever I had around, plus some fresh avocado from the supermarket. As you might be able to tell, I typically don’t make food with tomatoes or bell peppers but you’re welcome to add them to this if you like.

Chicken Mole Tacos

serves 4

time: approx 20 minutes start to finish

What you’ll need:

1# boneless, skinless organic chicken breast

1 cup mole sauce (preferably homemade – if you have the time)

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T olive oil

1 avocado, cut in half then sliced

romaine, shredded

queso fresco (the amount is up to you – depends on how much you like cheese)

sour cream

cilantro leaves for garnish

8 small flour or corn tortillas

How to make it:

Heat the mole and the chicken in a saucepan over med-low heat. Cover and simmer till chicken is cooked through (about 8 – 10 minutes). When done, remove from heat, pull chicken out and shred using two forks. Use one fork to hold onto the chicken and use the other fork to scrape the meat into shredded pieces. Put the chicken back into the mole sauce and mix it up.

While the chicken is cooking, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over low heat. Prepare the lettuce, avocado, cheese, and other ingredients.

When the chicken is ready, set a burner to med-low heat and place a tortilla on the flame. Using tongs, watch the tortilla carefully. Don’t let it burn, but it should start to puff up very slightly (turn the heat down if it burns or puffs up too quickly). Turn it over and let the other side heat up. You’ll be able to smell the tortilla warming – so use that indicator to know when it’s done. Repeat that for all tortillas. (As an alternative, you may wrap the tortillas in foil and place in a 250 degree oven for 8-10 minutes.)

Assemble the tacos. I like to do it in this order, but really it’s up to you: sour cream, avocado, cheese, onion mixture, chicken, romaine, and a couple cilantro leaves.

If your mole is a little spicy, enjoy these tacos with a beer. Heck, even if your mole isn’t spicy, enjoy these tacos with a beer.

Serves 4

1 1/2 T olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

1/2 T adobo sauce (from the canned chipotles)

1 t dried oregano

1 t salt

1# organic ground buffalo

1 head organic romaine, shredded

1 large organic tomato, diced

1 organic avocado, diced

1 cup shredded cheese (I like goat cheddar- Carr Valley is quite good)

1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained

sour cream (I prefer Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream as a non-dairy alternative)

12 6″ corn tortillas

Heat the oven to 275 degrees. Wrap the tortillas in foil and heat for 15-20 minutes in the oven.

In a medium sautee pan, heat the olive oil over med-low heat. Add the onions and garlic, sautee for 5 min. (NOTE: the lower the heat, the sweeter and fuller the flavor of the onions and garlic will be, plus they won’t burn, so be patient with this step- it pays off.)

Add the chipotles, adobo sauce, oregano, and salt. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until flavors are combined.

Add the buffalo meat and continue to cook until done.

Take the tortillas out of the oven and start to assemble the tacos. I prefer to assemble in this order:

sour cream (this way I can spread it out over the tortilla)

cheese

buffalo meat (this way the meat directly melts the cheese)

tomatoes

avocado

beans

lettuce

If you like a spicier version, add another chipotle. This version isn’t too spicy (probably a 2 on a scale of 1-5), but the dairy helps cool it off.

And of course if you can’t handle the spice, a Mexican beer is always a good fire-mouth-putter-outer.

Citrus Chicken Tacos with Avocado & Fennel Slaw

tortillas (I like Rudy’s Organic Spelt)

3/4# chicken breasts

2 large oranges, juice 1 and segment the other

1 lime, juiced

1 lemon, juiced

2 avocados

1 t chili powder

1 t cumin

2 t chopped fresh tarragon

1 bulb fennel, sliced

salt and pepper

olive oil flavored with garlic

2 serrano peppers, minced

sour cream (I like using Tofutti soy sour cream)

ricotta

salsa (I like the hot variety)

romaine lettuce, chopped

Heat the broiler in your oven.

To make the marinade, combine the citrus juices, chili powder, cumin, tarragon, serrano peppers, salt, pepper, and 1/2 c of oil. Put the chicken breasts between plastic wrap and using a mallet or heavy skillet, flatten the chicken breasts. Slice the chicken breasts lengthwise into pieces 1/2# wide.

Marinate the chicken until the avocado and fennel is prepared.

Meanwhile, slice the fennel bulb into thin slices. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pit then slice lengthwise and across to create chunks of avocado. Segment the other orange by slicing the 2 ends off until you can see the orange. (This creates a flat surface to work with.) Then set the orange on its bottom and start slicing off the rest of the peel. Then slice each segment out without getting the skin section. Combine the avocado, orange, and fennel together. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on 1 half of a baking sheet. Mix the marinade with the avocado mixture and pour that on the other half of the baking sheet.

Broil until the chicken is done- about 8 minutes.

You can either warm the tortillas in aluminum foil in the oven along with the chicken or you can heat each one over an open gas flame on your stove top.

To make the sauce, combine equal parts sour cream, ricotta and salsa. This will help to cool down the spice from the peppers.

To serve, make your tacos using what you just made: tortilla, chicken, avocado, salsa topping, and romaine lettuce.