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 is a long-standing tradition in our house. As we start to get the pockets of good weather in Seattle I get more and more excited about one of my favorite things, roof top grilling. Now, we are not just your casual everyday grill people. We’re Californian, which means we’re dedicated grillers; we grill in all-weather! Neither rain, nor sleet nor wind or snow shall keep us from the grill! True story, my dad’s been known to put on his boots and grill in the SNOW! Luckily Taco Tuesday was somewhat sunny so the grilling experience was more leisurely than it is when you’re all out fighting wind or snow.
As you may have seen from this weeks Mango Salsa post, I had some Carne Asada tacos at our local Farmers Market and that started the obsession fever. They were amazing tacos and I had to try my hand at replicating that amazing experience. I’m happy to report, this little recipe made it in the top 5 BEST MEALS EVER list from the mister! Even I was speechless after my first bite…and realized that my biggest problem in life at the moment was that I didn’t have a bigger stomach!
2 pounds flank or skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
1 large baking dish, to prepare
1 large ziplock bag, to marinate
1 recipe Mojo, recipe follows
Olive oil, for coating the grill
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mojo:
5 garlic cloves, minced*
1/2 jalapeno, minced
2 large handfuls fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
1 orange, juiced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
For Serving:
Tortillas (We ” Home-Style” flour tortillas)
Cilantro
Lime wedges
Cheese
Pico de Gallo, recipe here
Grilled Cabbage Slaw, recipe here
Mango Salsa, recipe here
*Conversions for garlic if you don’t have the fresh stuff: 1 clove = 1 teaspoon chopped garlic = 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic = 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder = 1/2 teaspoon garlic flakes = 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic = 1/2 teaspoon garlic juice
Directions
If you are using the Pico de Gallo, Cabbage Slaw, or Mango Salsa prepare all of the herbs and veggies at the same time before you prepare the meat. Getting all the chopping done at once makes the job easier and all of these dishes and side dishes are better when they’re left to marinate for a while!
To make the mojo, wash and chop all ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Lay steak out in a large baking dish and lightly coat with black pepper then pour the mojo over the steak making sure to spread out the clumps of cilantro and garlic. Fold the top of your plastic bag over itself twice, to keep any juices from interfering with the zip lock seal. Fold the meat over itself in quarters, with the mojo on the inside, and place in the plastic bag. Pour remaining mojo juices over the meat. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 1- 8 hours. I prefer a longer marinate time so the juices really soak into the meat, but don’t marinate longer than 8 hours as the citrus in the mojo will break down the delicate cut of meat and render it mushy.
Once you’re ready to cook the meat, pre-heat the grill and start a pan on the stove to cook the cabbage slaw. (You can also broil the meat, but we prefer to grill if that option is available). Brush the grill with olive oil to keep the meat from sticking. Grill (or broil) the steak for 7 to 10 minutes per side, turning once, until medium-rare. (At once you do the first turn, you can get out the toppings and have them ready.) Remove the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Thinly slice meat, heat up tortillas over open flame on the stove and assemble a masterpiece!
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”
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!”
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!
“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!
black bean and lime tacos
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!
chopped cilantro and jalapeno
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).
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.
