a little over a year ago, our old grill bit the dust. i was pretty devastated since i am a BIG fan of the grill. nothing adds flavor like cooking food over an open flame. for whatever reason, we hadn’t yet replaced it. other gadgets and kitchen toys always took budget priority.

but we majorly lucked out last week when a neighbor was moving and giving away a gently loved grill. we snatched up that offer so quick and i got right back to grilling.

ribeye is one of my favorite cuts of meat. they are usually beautifully marbled and pack a lot of flavor. when i rubbed a couple of them down with honey and chipotle and grilled up them up they were sweet and smokey heaven. and absolutely delicious in a taco.

honey chipotle ribeye tacos + red onion & pineapple salsa

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lbs ribeye steaks, patted dry. 2 chipotle in adobo peppers. 2 tbs honey. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 garlic cloves smashed. handful of cilantro leaves. half a pineapple, skin removed and sliced into 1 inch long sticks. half a red onion, sliced into .5 inch thick rings. 1 lime, sliced into wedges. .25 cup crumbled cotija cheese. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. 8 of your favorite tortillas.

tools: grill. food processor (if you don’t have one you can always just finely chop your ingredients and combine in a bowl. meat thermometer, optional.

start by heating your grill to a high heat. in the bowl of your food processor, combine the honey, olive oil, chipotle pepper, a few cilantro sprigs, the garlic and half the salt and pepper together. blend until smooth. season both sides of your steak with half the remaining salt and pepper.

slather most of the honey and chipotle marinade all over your steaks. reserve a little bit of the marinade to garnish your tacos.

when your grill is nice and hot, add your steak to a hot part of the grill. allow the steak to get a nice sear on both sides, about 6 minutes a side. my steaks were about an inch thick and i like mine medium rare. if you want to ensure the proper doneness you like and you aren’t sure, i recommend using a meat thermometer. while your meat is cooking, season the pineapple and onion with the remaining salt and pepper and add them to the grill. cook them till they have nice grill marks on both sides. about 3-4 minutes per side.

once they are done, remove them and chop them up to make your salsa. toss them in a bowl with the juice of half the limes and the remaining cilantro. once your meat has finished cooking, cover it lightly with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.

slice the beef into strips about .25 inch thick against the grain. while your grill is still hot, quickly warm your tortillas on the grill. 20-30 seconds a side should be good on a hot spot. top each tortilla with steak strips.

top with pineapple salsa, cotija cheese and a small spoonful of the sweet and smokey marinade.

squeeze with some of the remaining fresh lime, serve and enjoy.

xo, a

honey chipotle ribeye tacos + red onion & pineapple salsa

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lbs ribeye steaks, patted dry. 2 chipotle in adobo peppers. 2 tbs honey. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 garlic cloves smashed. handful of cilantro leaves. half a pineapple, skin removed and sliced into 1 inch long sticks. half a red onion, sliced into .5 inch thick rings. 1 lime, sliced into wedges. .25 cup crumbled cotija cheese. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. 8 of your favorite tortillas.

tools: grill. food processor (if you don’t have one you can always just finely chop your ingredients and combine in a bowl. meat thermometer, optional.

start by heating your grill to a high heat. in the bowl of your food processor, combine the honey, olive oil, chipotle pepper, a few cilantro sprigs, the garlic and half the salt and pepper together. blend until smooth. season both sides of your steak with half the remaining salt and pepper. slather most of the honey and chipotle marinade all over your steaks. reserve a little bit of the marinade to garnish your tacos. when your grill is nice and hot, add your steak to a hot part of the grill. allow the steak to get a nice sear on both sides, about 6 minutes a side. my steaks were about an inch thick and i like mine medium rare. if you want to ensure the proper doneness you like and you aren’t sure, i recommend using a meat thermometer. while your meat is cooking, season the pineapple and onion with the remaining salt and pepper and add them to the grill. cook them till they have nice grill marks on both sides. about 3-4 minutes per side. once they are done, remove them and chop them up to make your salsa. toss them in a bowl with the juice of half the limes and the remaining cilantro. once your meat has finished cooking, cover it lightly with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes. slice the beef into strips about .25 inch thick against the grain. while your grill is still hot, quickly warm your tortillas on the grill. 20-30 seconds a side should be good on a hot spot. top each tortilla with steak strips. top with pineapple salsa, cotija cheese and a small spoonful of the sweet and smokey marinade. squeeze with some of the remaining fresh lime, serve and enjoy.

cinco de mayo may have come and gone, but lucky for us, taco tuesday comes once a month to this here blog. don’t let the wide variety of ingredients on these tacos deter you. they are all easy to come by ingredients, many of which you may have on hand and they all come together to make one BOMB ass taco.

these quick pickled onions and avocado cream are great on shrimp tacos, but they are also great on tons of other things. i like to use the pickled onions in quesadillas or on my breakfast eggs and the avocado cream is great on this delicious corn or as a salad dressing.

now, if you aren’t a crispy taco fan, by all means, skip that step and enjoy the soft tortilla. but if you like them crispy, i have a sure fire way to make the most delicious at home crunchy tacos.

crispy shrimp tacos with quick pickled onions & avocado cream

serves: 8 tacos

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp. .5 cup orange juice. .5 cup greek yogurt. .5 cup red wine vinegar. .25 cup olive oil. .25 crumbled or grated cotija cheese. 2 limes, each sliced into 6 wedges. half a ripe avocado, diced and smashed. 1 cup chopped romaine leaves. 1 green onion, white and light green parts, thinly sliced. half a red onion, thinly sliced. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp dried turmeric. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 8 flour tortillas. 3 tbs vegetable oil or other oil wit a high smoking point. handful of cilantro leaves for garnish. large cast iron or non stick pan. tongs. paper towel or dish towel lined drying rack or baking sheet.

start by making your quick pickled onions. in a bowl, combine half the olive oil, the red wine vinegar, the honey, half the salt and pepper and stir it well to combine. add in your sliced onions and set them aside to pickle. then, combine the remaining salt and pepper with the turmeric, chili powder and cayenne and stir well to make a spice blend. dry your shrimp well and place them in a bowl. add in the green onion. season with half the spice blend, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and pour in the orange juice and the juice of 3 of the lime wedges.

stir well till the shrimp is evenly coated with spice and liquid. heat your pan over medium high heat till it’s nice and hot and then add in your shrimp. cook the shrimp until just cooked through, about 3 minutes a side. remove the shrimp to cool slightly and continue to reduce the liquid from your marinade in the pan for another 3-5 minutes till it thickens and reduces by half.

while the marinade reduce and the shrimp cools a bit, make your avocado cream. mix together the greek yogurt, the rest of the spice blend and the avocado. mash up the avocado as best you can into the greek yogurt.

pour in the juice of 3 more limes and 1 tbs of the liquid from the pickled onions. and stir well till the mixture is nice and creamy and set it aside.

roughly chop up the shrimp and pour the reduced marinade over the shrimp.

now, if you prefer a soft taco, you can skip the next step. but if you like a nice crispy taco shell, wipe out your pan and add the vegetable oil to the pan. allow it to get nice and hot, shiny but not smoking. add in one tortilla at a time. cook for about 20 seconds on one side before flipping and frying up the other side for another 20 seconds. flip the tortilla one more time and then use your tongs to fold the tortilla in half to make a taco shell. cook for 10 seconds then flip. 10 more seconds and then remove the shell to a paper towel lined rack or backing sheet to dry. set them down upside down so any extra oil drains off. complete with as many tortillas as you intend to eat at that time.

once your tortillas are crispy, layer up your tacos. serve each with a layer of romaine, shrimp, avocado cream.

top with a couple pickled onions, cilantro leaves and cotija cheese. use the remaining lime wedges for those who want a fresh squeeze of lime juice over the top. serve and enjoy.

xo, a

crispy shrimp tacos with quick pickled onions & avocado cream

serves: 8 tacos

prep time: 15 minutes

cook time: 30 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp. .5 cup orange juice. .5 cup greek yogurt. .5 cup red wine vinegar. .25 cup olive oil. .25 crumbled or grated cotija cheese. 2 limes, each sliced into 6 wedges. half a ripe avocado, diced and smashed. 1 cup chopped romaine leaves. 1 green onion, white and light green parts, thinly sliced. half a red onion, thinly sliced. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. .5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp dried turmeric. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 8 flour tortillas. 3 tbs vegetable oil or other oil wit a high smoking point. handful of cilantro leaves for garnish. large cast iron or non stick pan. tongs.

start by making your quick pickled onions. in a bowl, combine half the olive oil, the red wine vinegar, the honey, half the salt and pepper and stir it well to combine. add in your sliced onions and set them aside to pickle. then, combine the remaining salt and pepper with the turmeric, chili powder and cayenne and stir well to make a spice blend. dry your shrimp well and place them in a bowl. add in the green onion. season with half the spice blend, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and pour in the orange juice and the juice of 3 of the lime wedges. stir well till the shrimp is evenly coated with spice and liquid. heat your pan over medium high heat till it’s nice and hot and then add in your shrimp. cook the shrimp until just cooked through, about 3 minutes a side. remove the shrimp to cool slightly and continue to reduce the liquid from your marinade in the pan for another 3-5 minutes till it thickens and reduces by half. while the marinade reduce and the shrimp cools a bit, make your avocado cream. mix together the greek yogurt, the rest of the spice blend and the avocado. mash up the avocado as best you can into the greek yogurt. pour in the juice of 3 more limes and 1 tbs of the liquid from the pickled onions. and stir well till the mixture is nice and creamy and set it aside. roughly chop up the shrimp and pour the reduced marinade over the shrimp. now, if you prefer a soft taco, you can skip the next step. but if you like a nice crispy taco shell, wipe out your pan and add the vegetable oil to the pan. allow it to get nice and hot, shiny but not smoking. add in one tortilla at a time. cook for about 20 seconds on one side before flipping and frying up the other side for another 20 seconds. flip the tortilla one more time and then use your tongs to fold the tortilla in half to make a taco shell. cook for 10 seconds then flip. 10 more seconds and then remove the shell to a paper towel lined rack or backing sheet to dry. set them down upside down so any extra oil drains off. complete with as many tortillas as you intend to eat at that time. once your tortillas are crispy, layer up your tacos. serve each with a layer of romaine, shrimp, avocado cream. top with a couple pickled onions, cilantro leaves and cotija cheese. use the remaining lime wedges for those who want a fresh squeeze of lime juice over the top. serve and enjoy.