i <3 tacos.

who doesn’t <3 tacos?

if you know someone who doesn’t <3 tacos, please fill me in on who and WHY?! i’d love to meet such a unique individual.

tacos are undeniably wonderful and they are one of my favorite make at home meals. i love all shapes and sizes. soft taco, crispy shells, corn or flour tortillas. they are all golden. but why not lighten it up and mix it up with some lettuce tacos. lately i’ve been loving crisp, crunchy, refreshing iceberg lettuce cups and they are a a great taco vehicle.

chicken + mushroom tacos

serves: 4

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb chicken tenders. 8 oz cremini or white mushrooms, diced. 4 green onions, white & green parts thinly sliced. 1 lime, sliced into 8 wedges. 3 tbs olive oil. 1 cumin. 1 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp paprika. .5 tsp dried oregano. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp ground pepper. 1 head of iceberg lettuce, core removed and leaves washed and dried. .25 cup tequila. 1 cup fresh pico de gallo or your favorite fresh salsa. optional: 1 avocado, diced. 1 cup mexican cheese blend. handful of cilantro sprigs.

start by blending the cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne, half the salt and all the pepper. place all your chicken in a bowl, drizzle it with the olive oil and season with your spice blend.

squeeze half the lime, into the mix, stir well and set aside. reserve the rest of the limes for serving. heat a large, heavy pan over medium heat.

when the pan is nice and hot add in your chicken in an even layer. don’t crowed the pan or the chicken won’t get a nice brown. if you need to cook the chicken in two batches to not over crowed the pan, do so.

cook the chicken till browned on each side and just cooked through. about 4 minutes a side. remove the chicken and set it aside to rest.

add the mushrooms, the white and light green parts of the green onion and the rest of the salt to the pan.

cook until the mushrooms have released all their moisture. about 7 minutes. pour in the tequila to deglaze the pan. use the liquid to scrape up any little brown flavor bits from the pan. cook until almost all the liquid has cooked off. about 3 minutes. while the tequila cooks down, chop up your chicken.

add the chopped chicken and all it’s juices back into the pan.

stir in half the salsa and stir well to combine. cook for 2 minutes till everything is nice and hot and then turn off the heat.

to serve, fill your lettuce cups with a couple spoon fulls of your chicken mixture.

top with the dark green parts of the green onion, some cilantro sprigs, avocado, some salsa and cheese.

serve with a lime wedge and enjoy.

xo, a

chicken + mushroom tacos

serves: 4

prep time: 20 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 1 lb chicken tenders. 8 oz cremini or white mushrooms, diced. 4 green onions, white & green parts thinly sliced. 1 lime, sliced into 8 wedges. 3 tbs olive oil. 1 cumin. 1 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp paprika. .5 tsp dried oregano. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp ground pepper. 1 head of iceberg lettuce, core removed and leaves washed and dried. .25 cup tequila. 1 cup fresh pico de gallo or your favorite fresh salsa. optional: 1 avocado, diced. 1 cup mexican cheese blend. handful of cilantro sprigs.

start by blending the cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne, half the salt and all the pepper. place all your chicken in a bowl, drizzle it with the olive oil and season with your spice blend. squeeze half the lime, into the mix, stir well and set aside. reserve the rest of the limes for serving. heat a large, heavy pan over medium heat. when the pan is nice and hot add in your chicken in an even layer. don’t crowed the pan or the chicken won’t get a nice brown. if you need to cook the chicken in two batches to not over crowed the pan, do so. cook the chicken till browned on each side and just cooked through. about 4 minutes a side. remove the chicken and set it aside to rest. add the mushrooms, the white and light green parts of the green onion and the rest of the salt to the pan. cook until the mushrooms have released all their moisture. about 7 minutes. pour in the tequila to deglaze the pan. use the liquid to scrape up any little brown flavor bits from the pan. cook until almost all the liquid has cooked off. about 3 minutes. while the tequila cooks down, chop up your chicken. add the chopped chicken and all it’s juices back into the pan. stir in half the salsa and stir well to combine. cook for 2 minutes till everything is nice and hot and then turn off the heat. to serve, fill your lettuce cups with a couple spoon fulls of your chicken mixture. top with the dark green parts of the green onion, some cilantro sprigs, avocado, some salsa and cheese. serve with a lime wedge and enjoy.

as i've gotten older, i've really settled into an everything in moderation attitude towards life. work, exercise, food. i seem to find myself at my best when i am most balanced. and that includes when i'm eating a balanced diet.

for me, that doesn't necessarily mean being meatless, but eating meat in moderation. but i still crave heartier dishes come dinner time. especially when it is chillier out.

so i'm celebrating tacos the vegetarian way. these roasted potatoes and mushrooms are so well seasoned and robust that you won't even notice these tacos are meatless. 

roasted mushroom & potato tacos

serves: 2

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 4 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced .5 inch thick. 8 oz tricolor potatoes, diced. 1 onion, sliced .5 inch thick. 3 tbs olive oil. 1.5 tsp salt. 1 tsp garlic powder. 1 tsp cumin. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper. 5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp paprika. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 dozen cherry tomatoes. 1 garlic clove, smashed. 1 lime, halved. 10 cilantro leaves. 4 flour tortillas. mexican blend cheese for serving. parchment paper. baking sheet. blender or food processor.

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper and combine the oil, mushrooms, potatoes and .75 of the onion. mix the veggies till they are all lightly coated with oil. season with 1 tsp of the salt, all the pepper, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika and cayenne. make sure everything is tossed and seasoned well. roast the veggies for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway though. make sure the potatoes are tender.

while your veggies are roasting, make your salsa. half your cherry tomatoes and add them to your blender or food processor. add in the remaining onion, the garlic, half the cilantro, the remaining salt, and the juice of half the lime. blend until everything is pretty smooth.

pour into a serving bowl.

in a medium pan, warm your tortillas over medium heat and keep them in a covered pot in the oven until you are ready to serve. finely chop up the remaining cilantro. when your veggies are ready, remove them from the baking sheet.

sprinkle them with the juice of the remaining half of lime. sprinkle with 2 tbs of cheese blend and some of the chopped cilantro.  place some filling in your tortilla and top with 2 tbs of tomato salsa. enjoy hot.

xo, a

roasted mushroom & potato tacos

serves: 2

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 4 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced .5 inch thick. 8 oz tricolor potatoes, diced. 1 onion, sliced .5 inch thick. 3 tbs olive oil. 1.5 tsp salt. 1 tsp garlic powder. 1 tsp cumin. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper. 5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp paprika. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 dozen cherry tomatoes. 1 garlic clove, smashed. 1 lime, halved. 10 cilantro leaves. 4 flour tortillas. mexican blend cheese for serving. parchment paper. baking sheet. blender or food processor. 

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper and combine the oil, mushrooms, potatoes and .75 of the onion. mix the veggies till they are all lightly coated with oil. season with 1 tsp of the salt, all the pepper, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika and cayenne. make sure everything is tossed and seasoned well. roast the veggies for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway though. make sure the potatoes are tender. while your veggies are roasting, make your salsa. half your cherry tomatoes and add them to your blender or food processor. add in the remaining onion, the garlic, half the cilantro, the remaining salt, and the juice of half the lime. blend until everything is pretty smooth. pour into a serving bowl. in a medium pan, warm your tortillas over medium heat and keep them in a covered pot in the oven until you are ready to serve. finely chop up the remaining cilantro. when your veggies are ready, remove them from the baking sheet. sprinkle them with the juice of the remaining half of lime. sprinkle with 2 tbs of cheese blend and some of the chopped cilantro. place some filling in your tortilla and top with 2 tbs of tomato salsa. enjoy hot.