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.

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.