taco Archives - A Byte of Life

Mango Margaritas + Cilantro Lime Tacos

I’m sure you’ve all heard the phrase, “When life gives you lemons…” which is followed by some wise phrase like “make lemonade” or “add vodka”. Personally I prefer the second option, or making the first option then adding the second. All of this is supposed to remind us that we can either look at life as a sour lot that’s been handed to us, or we can add a little goodness and make a delightful treat out of it. Well, lemons are quite an option-filled food. You can add them to all kinds of things, but you can’t eat them straight. At least I don’t, gross! On Thursday, I discovered something in the fridge that I never thought I’d find. Forgotten mangos! I LOVE mangos, they might just be my favorite fruit! Well, immediately that phrase “when life gives you lemons” came to mind so I turned to the mister and suggested that we take our life given mangos and add tequila, and a few delicious cilantro lime chicken tacos! And that’s exactly what we did. Friday night was dubbed celebration taco margarita night. Coming back to the whole life giving you lemons thing seemed quite fitting since mangos are delicious and we were simply adding another layer of delicious AND we were celebrating not only the weekend, but my job transition. Friday was my last day at my old job which I loved, and Monday is my first day of a new job, which I’m THRILLED about. It felt like live was not giving me sour lemons, but delicious mangos and it only seemed fitting that we add a little tequila and some good friends to celebrate! Let’s end this long-winded intro and get to the good stuff, MANGO MARGARITAS! For the tacos, I used my Cilantro Lime Chicken recipe and served with my Grilled Cabbage Slaw.

Pre-tequila arrival... margarita bar set up and ready to rock! — Pre-tequila arrival… margarita bar set up and ready to rock!

Mango Margaritas Fresh mango, cubed or pruréed (You may also want to retain a few slices for a garnish) Ice Tequila Cointreau or Triple-Sec Sugar Limes, juiced and zested (You may also want to retain a few slices for a garnish) 1/2 of one lime, un-juiced to wet the rim for the salt Sea Salt Cayenne Pepper (if you like a spicy margarita like me) Shaker and Mudler, and zester First, wash the mangos, peel, cut and cube them. You can either keep them in chunks or throw it in the blender and make puree. If you do the puree route, you can add a little cayenne on this step if you all prefer spicy margaritas. We just cut ours into chunks so everyone could personalize their drink. Then, get your shaker and add 2 shots of tequila, a “dink” of Cointreau or triple sec, fresh lime juice, 2 spoonfuls of sugar, and 2-3 ice cubes. You can also add orange juice if you prefer a more smooth margarita. Shake well. Take the half lime and rub it over the rim of your glass then dip in the salt. Pour your margarita into the glass and garnish with a lime or mango wedge if you like! There you go! Fresh Margaritas!

Taco Thursday: Carne Asada Steak + Padron Peppers + Cabbage Slaw

Sometimes you just need a taco. Or a glass of wine. Or…both.

Thursday was a “both” day. Whether it be in celebration or on consolation, there’s something about a good taco that calms and comforts like a chat with a good friend or a glass of wine. You can also make them out of pretty much anything in the cabinet! Anyone can find a way to eat a taco whether you be vegan, vegetarian, or carnivore. The preparation is also a variable whether basking in simplicity or it’s own braised beauty!

Tonight was a much needed “comfort” night, including some home cooking which always has a way of reminding myself that there is something worthwhile that I can do, and do quite well. In addition to home cooking, include a challenge to overcome and a hearty pour of wine. For my challenge I chose the chopping jalapeños without staining my fingers in the fire juice and promptly wiping my eye which seems to be a habit of mine. For the home cooking, Carne Asada Steak Tacos, oven roasted Padron Peppers and some good old Grilled Cabbage Slaw. For the wine, honestly whatever was open on the counter would do but at this point. I looked for Rioja to make the complete “spanish” experience but settled for a glass from the bottle of open Chianti that always has a home on my counter.

The result, a masterpiece that both soothed my mind and filled my belly. You can’t go wrong with a taco!

Do you have “taco + wine” days?

Taco Tuesday

For a while we had a tradition of doing Taco Tuesday, with the effort to keep it up every Tuesday. Well, life gets busy and sometimes you don’t always feel like prepping tacos. If you don’t feel like eating tacos there is just something wrong with you BUT I can completely understand not feeling up for the prep part. While they’re relatively simple to make, mind you, the chopping can take a bit of time depending on how glamourous you want your festivities to be.

While other ingredients come and go, there is ONE thing that is always requested for Taco Tuesday in our house, and that’s my grilled cabbage slaw. I don’t remember exactly how I though to grill the slaw that I’d made to go with tacos one fateful night but the point is I did and Taco Tuesday has never been the same. Grab some cabbage, a lime or two, handful of cilantro, some garlic and a Anaheim pepper or jalapeño and you’re good to go!

Tonights Taco Tuesday: Grilled Ling Cod fish tacos with pineapple, grilled cabbage slaw, charred spring onions and corn.

Taco Tuesday & Wine Parings

Taco Tuesday is a weekly tradition in our house. It’s healthy, easy to make, and delicious! Taco’s might be the ultimate meal, you can drink them with beer/wine/cocktail, are able to accommodate ANY dietary restrictions!! They can be gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, paleo, vegetarian, the list goes on!

I’m a FIRM believer that there is truly a good wine paring for ANY food! While taco’s might not instinctively have you reaching for the wine glass and adding to the cork graveyard, I wanted to explore some tacos and wine’s that others enjoy! So, I headed out to the blogoshpere and tweeted to enlist some help. Thanks to Menage a Trois Wines for posting on their Facebook page! (in case you missed it… I was last week’s Facebook “superfan” and first ever twitter Superfan! and was quite excited about it! Check out the post here. )

Now… ON TO THE TACOS!!!!

Our most recent Taco Tuesday was Black bean & lime taco (recipe here) with Menage a Trios table red wine. Of course, no taco would be complete in our house with out some grilled cabbage slaw. Simple, crunchy, incredibly flavorful and adds some extra veggie and spice to any taco! So delicious!

John Bell (Fashion Photographer, Seattle) Twitter Response: @johnleebell “pulled pork with sour cream…. Just got an idea to add cream cheese!”
A few followers asked to remain anonymous but wanted to share their go-to’s
“Grenache and halibut fish tacos and some shredded cabbage”
“I love a nicely chilled Gewürztraminer and some Spicy Chicken Tacos! Flour tortillas please!”
“Pinot Gris is very balanced and drinkable, pairs well with both fish and chicken tacos! You could even drink with a Carne Asada”
“A good full-bodied Merlot is GREAT with steak/beef tacos! Shredded beef, cheese, fresh avocado and tomato… melted cheese… mmm!”
“If you’re doing beef, try a Zinfandel, Rioja or Malbec”
“ANY taco goes with a good Tempranillo! ENJOY!”

Menage a Trois Facebook Responses:

Sherry Smith “slowed cooked pork with a sauce made of jalepenos garlic lime juice and cumin anchote once it is cooked i drain sauce and pull pork off and serve with warm flour tortillas and red onions and home-made salsa served with red wine”

Brenda Hudson Mcrae “fish tacos, with advacado salsa and sour cream”

Bobbijean Blackinton “I can not take credit for my favorite tacos .. but in the summer I love these taco’s … so easy to triple or double depending on the summer gathering!!!http://www.patiodaddiobbq.com/2010/05/spicy-grilled-fish-tacos.html

Holly Le Du “I sautee finely chopped onions and raisins together for a couple of minutes, then add freshly ground beef with sea salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, and a tiny bit of dried oregano. I put them in handmade tortillas (I prefer flour) with lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and avocados and a homemade salsa. Sooo yummy!”

Tamasin Noyes “Mine is here, on my blog, and I would love to have it featured. Thanks in advance! http://www.veganappetite.com/2010/02/15-minute-chipotle-black-bean-tacos.html”

Spirited Shipper “Tacos are our favorite! We love tiger shrimp tacos with avocado, slaw, lime, and cilantro garlic sauce!”

Kim Smith Saghy “I think the Eagles Nest on Pier 39 in San Francisco has the absolute best fish tacos! And they will share their recipe.”
What’s YOUR favorite Taco and Wine mix!? I’ll be happy to keep updating the post as more recipes come in! Moral of the story… make tacos every tuesday and enjoy with some type of wine! 🙂 Life is better that way!

Taco Tuesday: Black Bean & Lime

TTTTRRAADDDIITTTIIOOONNNN!!! TRADITION!

“Traditions, traditions. Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as… as… as a fiddler on the roof!”(Tevye, Fiddler on the Roof)

Oh, excuse me! I was just practicing my Fiddler on the Roof singing. In case you’re inspired to watch the intro video you can check it out here: Fiddler on the roof – Tradition.

But this outburst of song was inspired by the weekly taco Tuesday tradition that we have.This post was actually last weeks Taco Tuesday adventure but I got busy and figured I better get it up before tonight’s Taco Tuesday adventure (sneak peek: fish tacos are on the menu!). Our Tuesday tradition keeps menu planning simple and I love that I can pick up the ingredients on the weekend and just grab some fresh cilantro from the market on Monday/Tuesday (or heck even Sunday if I’m lazy!) and then everything’s pretty much ready to go when we get home. Because let’s be real, by the time you get home from work and get through chores/errands/working out/traffic/family/pets… the last thing you want to do is cook up some tedious elaborate meal! Well, maybe that’s just me so those of you that are with me… read on!

I am the more carnivorous eater in our house, but also dairy-free so we try to find meals that I can get excited about without featuring meat/dairy for the main protein focus. There are a few wonderful things about tacos. First, the word itself. Taco…ttaaccoooo…TACO! It’s just fun to say! But another very wonderful feature of the taco is that it’s the everyone food. A taco can literally be made that will please anyone! From the meat and potatoes crowd to the vegan or gluten-free eaters, a taco will always have your back. They can be (deep breath) meat free, vegetarian, gluten-free, meat focused, lactose free, diary free, corn free, (air), wheat-free, egg free, nut free, tree-nut free, soy free, fish free, paleo…they can LITERALLY feed ANYONE!

Another amazing thing about tacos is that you can make them with whatever is in the fridge! They can be as simple or elaborate as you desire! Paging through our new cookbook I received as a birthday present from our recent trip to Sonoma, I was remembering the wonderful pureed black beans from Elote Cafe. They…were…delicious!!! Between that and a ridiculous excess of limes in our house (I’m not sure why… maybe it has something to do with a reverse sock monster effect? Someone PUT limes in the fridge?! We also have a glasses gnome that sneaks in an puts their sticky little paws all over our glasses! But back to the point! We had a randomly large amount of limes and decided to use them up in this tasty taco Tuesday recipe! For texture, I pureed some of the beans and left some of them whole. And… since I’m obsessed with grilled corm we also did a few ears of corn!

So sit back, relax, maybe make yourself a delicious sommer sherpa and enjoy the tradition of taco Tuesday with us!! Stay tuned for tonight’s fish tacos recipe coming soon and let me know what your favorite taco recipes are! I’ll be featuring your suggestions in my Taco Tuesday Pintrest board!

Black Bean & Lime Tacos w/Grilled Corn

1 can black beans
1 spoon full minced garlic and juice
Cracked Salt & Pepper to taste
Cayenne Pepper to taste
2 limes, juiced (plus any additional wedges you want for garnish)
2 Ears Corn
Flour Tortillas (or corn for a gluten-free option)

Optional garnish/additions: Cheese, sour cream, grilled southwest cabbage slaw, avocado, Cilantro, jalapeño, chopped/grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, hot sauce/salsa, Elote, red peppers, radishes, fruit salsa

Soak the corn for 20 minutes then pre-heat the oven and wrap corn in foil and cook for 30 minutes. At that point I usually open up the foil and start to turn the corn every 5 minute to attain a good char. You can also use canned corn and heat on the stove if you’d like.
The beans usually take 10 minutes to prepare so when you’re ready heat the beans over the stove or in the microwave with the garlic, salt/pepper, cayenne pepper and juice of two limes. Once it’s thoroughly heated transfer to a vita mix blender and blend until creamy. You can also use an emulsion blender, potato masher, or food processor.
Slice the avocado and prepare the garnishes you desire
Heat the tortillas over open flame on the stove (or heat in the micro between two damp paper towels or in the oven wrapped in foil).
Spread out the black beans and garnish away!