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.

growth is a very funny thing. you never feel the growth happening. but suddenly, after some sort of struggle, you look back and realize how far you have really come. or in my case, you put a ton of responsibility on your plate, push yourself with in an inch of exhaustion, melt down and then come through in the end with flying colors. 

i always tell my yoga students, understand the difference between discomfort and pain. and more importantly, i try to teach them to understand that discomfort is a part of the growing process. which i had to remind myself of multiple times last week. i really truly did everything in my power to try and prevent an exhaustion meltdown. i made extensive lists. i did major prep in advance for our multiple catering events. i even left extra time, just in case anything crazy happened. 

but of course, despite my planning, my car still broke down mid week requiring lots of time, emotion and money. it took just enough of my remaining resources to send me right over the edge. but at the end of the week when all was said and done, i not only survived, i thrived. all the planning and preparation and struggle was just the discomfort i had to experience to have a two flawless events. 

all the craziness capped off last friday night with a birthday party for a client of ours. the party went great and we had amazing feedback on the food. but this noodle dish was the clear winner. i've been whipping up this easy noodle dish for years and it is an absolute go to for a crowd. or just to keep on hand in the fridge for a hungry husband on the go. 

spicy peanut noodles
serves: 4-6
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: 1 lb udon noodles (if you can't get your hands on udon noodles, a pack of linguini will work just as well). .75 c peanut oil (if you don't have peanut you could sub a neutral oil like grape seed or vegetable). .5 cup sesame oil. 1.5 tbs red pepper flakes. 3 sweet peppers thinly sliced (or 1 large bell pepper). 6 green onions, whites and greens chopped. 6 tbs honey. 6 tbs soy sauce. 2 tbs peanut butter. .25 cup cilantro, roughly chopped. 1 lime, juiced. 2 tbs sesame seeds. 

start by combining the red pepper flakes and both oils in a small pot. heat the oil over medium low heat until it lightly bubbles around the red pepper flakes. about 3-5 minutes. when the oil is bubbling, turn off the heat and allow the red pepper flakes to sit in the oil for 15 minutes. 

while the oil is infusing, cook your noodles to the package instructions. if you are cooking udon for the first time, be sure to read the package as they have pretty specific details for cooking. don't be scared, it is nothing too challenging, just make sure to take a look. when your noodles are done cooking, stop the cooking process by rinsing the noodles with cold water until they are no longer warm to the touch. 

while the noodles are cooking, combine your peppers, cilantro, green onions and peanuts in a large bowl and set it aside. 

when your oil has sat for 15 minutes, strain out the red pepper flakes. 

combine the oil, honey, soy sauce, peanut butter and whisk well to combine. 

once well combined, set the sauce aside. 

when your noodles are ready, add them to your bowl of veggie and herbs. 

drizzle your spicy peanut sauce over the noodles. stir well to combine. 

top with sesame seeds. 

serve cold or at room temperature. these noodles are great stored in the fridge for up to a week. 

xo, a

spicy peanut noodles
serves: 4-6
prep time: 10 minutes
active time: 15 minutes
total time: 25 minutes
ingredients: 1 lb udon noodles (if you can't get your hands on udon noodles, a pack of linguini will work just as well). .75 c peanut oil (if you don't have peanut you could sub a neutral oil like grape seed or vegetable). .5 cup sesame oil. 1.5 tbs red pepper flakes. 3 sweet peppers thinly sliced (or 1 large bell pepper). 6 green onions, whites and greens chopped. 6 tbs honey. 6 tbs soy sauce. 2 tbs peanut butter. .25 cup cilantro, roughly chopped. 1 lime, juiced. 2 tbs sesame seeds. start by combining the red pepper flakes and both oils in a small pot. heat the oil over medium low heat until it lightly bubbles around the red pepper flakes. about 3-5 minutes. when the oil is bubbling, turn off the heat and allow the red pepper flakes to sit in the oil for 15 minutes. while the oil is infusing, cook your noodles to the package instructions. if you are cooking udon for the first time, be sure to read the package as they have pretty specific details for cooking. don't be scared, it is nothing too challenging, just make sure to take a look. when your noodles are done cooking, stop the cooking process by rinsing the noodles with cold water until they are no longer warm to the touch. while the noodles are cooking, combine your peppers, cilantro, green onions and peanuts in a large bowl and set it aside. when your oil has sat for 15 minutes, strain out the red pepper flakes. combine the oil, honey, soy sauce, peanut butter and whisk well to combine. once well combined, set the sauce aside. when your noodles are ready, add them to your bowl of veggie and herbs. drizzle your spicy peanut sauce over the noodles. stir well to combine. top with sesame seeds. serve cold or at room temperature. these noodles are great stored in the fridge for up to a week.