oh how i love a taco tuesday. and a taco monday, or sunday, or any day that ends in y.

lately i’ve been coloring outside the taco lines. instead of just using more traditional, south of the boarder flavors and ingredients, i’m mixing things up. living in southern california we are exposed to so many different flavor profiles and ingredients, and why not put those delicious combinations into our favorite vessel?

korean bbq chicken tacos

serves: 10-12 tacos

prep time: 15 minutes

active time: 45 minutes

inactive time: 1 hour

total time: 2 hours

ingredients: 1.5 lbs chicken breast. 1 large yellow onion, diced. half a pink or green apple (gala, fuji, pink lady, granny smith, honeycrisp are all good options). 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tbs finely chopped ginger. 2 large green onions, white and light green parts chopped. 2 limes, sliced into wedges. 4 cups chicken stock. 1 cup brown sugar. .5 cup soy sauce. .25 cup mirin. .25 cups vegetable oil. .25 cup rice wine vinegar. 2 tbs sesame oil. 1 tbs honey. 2 cups sliced cabbage (i like to buy the pre sliced mix because i never use the whole cabbage). 1 tbs sesame seeds. handful of cilantro seeds. 12 medium sized flour tortillas. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by making the vinaigrette for your cabbage slaw. combine your two oils. reserve 4 tbs of the oil for cooking your chicken. combine the remaining oil with the vinegar, 1 tsp of your minced garlic, juice from two of your lime wedges and half the salt and pepper.

whisk well till the vinaigrette is combined. drizzle 3-4 tbs of vinaigrette over your cabbage and add your sesame seeds.

toss well to combine and set the cabbage aside.

then heat your remaining oil in a heavy, large pot. season the chicken with the remaining salt and pepper. cook your chicken until golden brown on both sides. about 4-6 minutes a side. do not over crowd your pan. you may need to cook the chicken in batches. DO NOT worry about cooking the chicken through. you are going to continue cooking it in the liquid. you are worried about getting a really nice golden brown on each side to add flavor to your chicken and your pan. when you have cooked all your chicken, set it aside.

add in the onion and apple and stir well, scraping up any tasty brown bits you can. cook until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

add in the ginger, remaining garlic and the green onions. cook until the garlic is fragrant. about 1 minute. pour in the mirin, scraping up any remaining bits of flavor off the bottom.

cook until all the liquid has evaporated. stir in the soy sauce and the brown sugar.

add the chicken back to the pan and pour in the chicken stock. squeeze in the juice of two more lime wedges and throw the wedges in with the liquid. if your chicken isn’t completely covered,

add in some water until the chicken is covered. bring the liquid to a boil. reduce the liquid to a slow simmer and cover the pot.

allow the chicken to continue cooking until it is pull apart tender. about an hour. once your chicken is pull apart tender, remove it from the liquid.

use two forks to pull apart each chicken breast and add the chicken back to the liquid.

when you are ready to assemble your tacos, lay out your tortillas. top with a large spoonful of pulled chicken. top with cabbage slaw and a few cilantro leaves. garnish with a lime wedge and serve.

xo, a

korean bbq chicken tacos

serves: 10-12 tacos

prep time: 15 minutes

active time: 45 minutes

inactive time: 1 hour

total time: 2 hours

ingredients: 1.5 lbs chicken breast. 1 large yellow onion, diced. half a pink or green apple (gala, fuji, pink lady, granny smith, honeycrisp are all good options). 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1 tbs finely chopped ginger. 2 large green onions, white and light green parts chopped. 2 limes, sliced into wedges. 4 cups chicken stock. 1 cup brown sugar. .5 cup soy sauce. .25 cup mirin. .25 cups vegetable oil. .25 cup rice wine vinegar. 2 tbs sesame oil. 1 tbs honey. 2 cups sliced cabbage (i like to buy the pre sliced mix because i never use the whole cabbage). 1 tbs sesame seeds. handful of cilantro seeds. 12 medium sized flour tortillas. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper.

start by making the vinaigrette for your cabbage slaw. combine your two oils. reserve 4 tbs of the oil for cooking your chicken. combine the remaining oil with the vinegar, 1 tsp of your minced garlic, juice from two of your lime wedges and half the salt and pepper. whisk well till the vinaigrette is combined. drizzle 3-4 tbs of vinaigrette over your cabbage and add your sesame seeds. toss well to combine and set the cabbage aside. then heat your remaining oil in a heavy, large pot. season the chicken with the remaining salt and pepper. cook your chicken until golden brown on both sides. about 4-6 minutes a side. do not over crowd your pan. you may need to cook the chicken in batches. DO NOT worry about cooking the chicken through. you are going to continue cooking it in the liquid. you are worried about getting a really nice golden brown on each side to add flavor to your chicken and your pan. when you have cooked all your chicken, set it aside. add in the onion and apple and stir well, scraping up any tasty brown bits you can. cook until the onions are translucent, about 5-7 minutes. add in the ginger, remaining garlic and the green onions. cook until the garlic is fragrant. about 1 minute. pour in the mirin, scraping up any remaining bits of flavor off the bottom. cook until all the liquid has evaporated. stir in the soy sauce and the brown sugar. add the chicken back to the pan and pour in the chicken stock. squeeze in the juice of two more lime wedges and throw the wedges in with the liquid. if your chicken isn’t completely covered, add in some water until the chicken is covered. bring the liquid to a boil. reduce the liquid to a slow simmer and cover the pot. allow the chicken to continue cooking until it is pull apart tender. about an hour. once your chicken is pull apart tender, remove it from the liquid. use two forks to pull apart each chicken breast and add the chicken back to the liquid. when you are ready to assemble your tacos, lay out your tortillas. top with a large spoonful of pulled chicken. top with cabbage slaw and a few cilantro leaves. garnish with a lime wedge and serve.

halloween is just over a week away, and pumpkins are EVERYWHERE. and those bad boys are not just for decoration and pies!

now i’ve gone on and on about how i am not really a pumpkin spice fan, but i am really embracing the flavors this year. while i’m not about to go order a pumpkin spice latte, those pumpkin spice flavors (ginger, cinnamon, allspice & clove) really lend themselves so perfectly to a bounty of savory recipes.

but i’m using them in my favorite pumpkin preparation, soup. the texture of pumpkin can be a bit off-putting when cooked (part of the reason i am not a pumpkin pie fan) but when roasted and puréed in a soup, the flavors come through beautifully without textural issues. this soup is a great warming dish to be enjoyed all autumn long.

pumpkin spice soup

serves: 4-6

prep time: 10 minutes

cooking time: 1 hour

total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

ingredients: 3 lb pumpkin. 1 large brown onion, halved and sliced 1 inch thick. 3 tbs olive oil. 3 cloves garlic, smashed. 10 medium sized sage leaves, roughly chopped + a few extra thinly sliced for garnish. .5 cup blood orange juice (you can use regular orange if you have it). 4 cups chicken stock. .25 cup brown sugar. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. 1 tsp cinnamon. .5 tsp ginger. .5 tsp ground cloves. .25 tsp all spice. .25 cup crumbled goat cheese for serving. crusty bread for serving. baking sheet. parchment paper. heavy pot. immersion blender, blender or food processor.

start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. half your pumpkin and scoop out all the guts and reserve them to make roasted gourd seeds. mix together the brown sugar, half the salt and pepper, the cinnamon, allspice, ginger and clove. line your baking sheet with parchment paper and place your onions and pumpkin halves on the sheet. sprinkle the inside and edges of the pumpkin as well as the onions with your spice mix.

drizzle the pumpkin and onions with the olive oil and mix it all up till the pumpkin and the onions are lightly coated with spice and oil. start with your pumpkin with the skin side down and roast the veggies for about 40 minutes. halfway through, flip your pumpkins so the skin side is facing up. when your pumpkins have roasted, heat your heavy pot over medium heat.

working carefully not to burn your fingers, scoop the pumpkin out of it’s shell or if you can, just peel the roasted shell away.

remove any overly cooked bits of onions and put the pumpkin pulp and onions in your pot.

when you start to hear the veggies sizzle, add in the garlic and sage leaves and stir well to combine. when the garlic becomes fragrant (about 1 minute),

pour in the orange juice and the rest of your salt and pepper.

stir well till the orange juice is absorbed and then pour in your chicken stock. bring the soup to a boil, and turn down the heat till you have a gentle simmer. simmer the liquid for 3-5 minutes and turn off the heat.

working in batches in a food processor or blender, or using your immersion blender, purée the soup till smooth.

serve topped with goat cheese, some sage with crust bread on the side for dipping.

xo, a

pumpkin spice soup

serves: 4-6

prep time: 10 minutes

cooking time: 1 hour

total time: 1 hour 10 minutes

ingredients: 3 lb pumpkin. 1 large brown onion, halved and sliced 1 inch thick. 3 tbs olive oil. 3 cloves garlic, smashed. 10 medium sized sage leaves, roughly chopped + a few extra thinly sliced for garnish. .5 cup blood orange juice (you can use regular orange if you have it). 4 cups chicken stock. .25 cup brown sugar. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. 1 tsp cinnamon. .5 tsp ginger. .5 tsp ground cloves. .25 tsp all spice. .25 cup crumbled goat cheese for serving. crusty bread for serving. baking sheet. parchment paper. heavy pot. immersion blender, blender or food processor.

start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees f. half your pumpkin and scoop out all the guts and reserve them to make roasted gourd seeds. mix together the brown sugar, half the salt and pepper, the cinnamon, allspice, ginger and clove. line your baking sheet with parchment paper and place your onions and pumpkin halves on the sheet. sprinkle the inside and edges of the pumpkin as well as the onions with your spice mix. drizzle the pumpkin and onions with the olive oil and mix it all up till the pumpkin and the onions are lightly coated with spice and oil. start with your pumpkin with the skin side down and roast the veggies for about 40 minutes. halfway through, flip your pumpkins so the skin side is facing up. when your pumpkins have roasted, heat your heavy pot over medium heat. working carefully not to burn your fingers, scoop the pumpkin out of it’s shell or if you can, just peel the roasted shell away. remove any overly cooked bits of onions and put the pumpkin pulp and onions in your pot. when you start to hear the veggies sizzle, add in the garlic and sage leaves and stir well to combine. when the garlic becomes fragrant (about 1 minute), pour in the orange juice and the rest of your salt and pepper. stir well till the orange juice is absorbed and then pour in your chicken stock. bring the soup to a boil, and turn down the heat till you have a gentle simmer. simmer the liquid for 3-5 minutes and turn off the heat. working in batches in a food processor or blender, or using your immersion blender, purée the soup till smooth. serve topped with goat cheese, some sage with crust bread on the side for dipping.