Turkey and Black Bean Taco Salad

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Who grew up with taco salad consisting of ground beef, a taco seasoning packet, lettuce, cheese, Doritos and a dressing made with mayonnaise and ketchup? It pains me to admit how much I enjoyed that taco salad. Thankfully, my taste buds have matured and moved on.

I call this Turkey and Black Bean Taco Salad because I do have other taco salad variations depending on the protein used.  Having said that, feel free to use what ever ground meat you prefer in this recipe.  And speaking of preference, add or omit any veggies of your choosing.  This is a great salad to serve with the components set out separately so everyone can construct their own.  Any way you make it or serve it, your family or guests will be love it!  Taco-bout delicious🌮🥗!! Ok, I had to write that in😉.

Sunday Dinner

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Avocado-Dressed Shrimp a la Mexicana

Pork Carnitas

Mexican Red Rice

Refried Pinto Beans

Piña Colada Cake

How many of you actually celebrate the independence of Mexico from French forces on May 5th? Yeah, I don't either.  But I find it a very good reason to celebrate the Mexican-American culture through food and festivities (emphasis on the food).  Since Cinco de Mayo is only days away (how is it almost May already?!?), this Sunday dinner menu was easily inspired.

Like many recent recipes that I have shared, I have lost count how many times I have had this on a Sunday dinner menu.  So, it is time that the Avocado-Dressed Shrimp a la Mexican makes a solo debut.

If you like pico de gallo, guacamole, and sweet shrimp, you are gonna love this! The original recipe used this mixture as a topping for tostadas, but I adapted it so it is a more scoopable appetizer/dish/salsa to begin our meals or have as a light snack.  I added a bit of garlic for more flavor and also added an extra diced avocado for a nice balance of textures and because I love avocados.  The recipe can be made a few hours in advance (bonus when you are a food blogger taking pictures on a Sunday before a big meal).  Just make sure you press a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the mixture to avoid oxidation of the avocados. Bring to room temperature before serving, then grab some tortilla chips and dig in. 

Sunday Dinner

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Blini with Smoked Salmon and Crème Fraîche

Swedish Meatballs

Mashed Potatoes with Crème Fraîche and Chives

Braised Red Cabbage

Homemade Lefse

Poppy Seed Tart

As much as I embrace my Southern roots, I am fortunate to have married into a family with a bi-cultural heritage, those cultures being Polish and Norwegian.  It brings a little more food love into my kitchen.  Like many of the foods that I have introduced to them, Norwegian fare was completely new to me.  I mean, I grew up eating big and buttery rolls, biscuits, and cornbread at the table.  I didn't even eat flat tortillas with tacos (I know-- the horror).  So this Scandinavian flat bread was a foreign concept to me.  But I have to admit that lefse is delicious while also doing a fine job of sopping up any goodness on your plate, especially swedish meatball gravy.  It also makes for a sweet snack when slathered with butter and sprinkled with sugar or lingonberry preserves.

The dough itself is rather simple to make, but the base does require overnight refrigeration, so plan ahead.  Speaking of the dough base, it consists of cooked and mashed potatoes.  (I guess you could liken these to a potatoey tortilla thingy.  Shhh-- don't tell my husband I said that.)  The unpeeled potatoes are boiled until tender, cooled, peeled, and then forced through a ricer.  Butter, half-and-half, sugar and salt are added to enrich the dough.  The flour is kneaded in the next day to form a smooth dough.  Below I have included a few step-by-steps once the dough has been made. There is just one catch... special equipment is required. 

The equipment you will need: covered lefse pastry board, lefse griddle, grooved rolling pin, rolling pin "sock", and a lefse stick.  (If you have made lefse before without such equipment, please advise, for I am no lefse aficionado.)

Once you have made the dough, divide it into two logs.

Cut each log into 10-12 pieces.

Generously massage some flour into the board and on the rolling pin "sock".

Roll a piece of dough into a ball, then flatten it onto the board with your hand.

Roll out the dough into desired size round. (Cutting the dough into 10 pieces will yield a 12-inch lefse round.  Cutting the dough into 12 pieces will yield a 10-inch lefse round.)

Slide the lefse stick under the dough and, using a back and forth motion, release it from the board and turn it over to continue rolling it out.  Add more flour to the board and pin as needed.

Using the lefse stick again, transfer the lefse from the board to the griddle.

Place the lefse on the griddle.

Cook on the first side until it is freckled with light brown spots.

Using the stick, turn the lefse onto the second side.

Cook until large brown spots form.

Remove the lefse from the griddle and place large spotty side down on a thin towel.

Fold the round in half and 

then fold in half again.

Yew take yust ten big potatoes,

Den yew boil dem til dar done.

Yew add to dis some sweet cream

And by cups it measures vun.

Den yew steel tree ounces ov butter

An vit two fingers pinch some salt.

Yew beat dis wery lightly

If it ain't gude it is yer fault.

Den yew roll dis tin vit flour

An light brown on stove yew bake.

Now call in all Scandihuvians

Tew try da fine lefse yew make.

( from scandistyle.com)

Sunday Dinner two years ago
Sunday Dinner three years ago

Southwest Grilled Chicken Tortilla Salad

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Before I started this blog, I had sheets of white paper with favorite meals and menus under several categories.  This one fell under "Crowd Pleaser".  If you are the cook of the household, you know that it is hard to please everyone's palate (especially when there are kids' palates involved).  So it's a big bonus when everyone can agree and get excited about a meal. 

I wrote the recipe to serve as individual plates, but I actually like to serve it buffet style.  My son likes more meat, one of my daughters likes more veggies and avocado, everyone loves the tortilla strips, and I just eat what's leftover (if there is any)☺.  Everyone's happy, right?

The chicken is marinated in some Southwest Chipotle Ranch Dressing before it is grilled to perfection.  The veggies are also grilled and then diced and tossed with black beans for a veggie salsa to dress the salad.  Some creamy avocado and crunchy fried tortilla strips garnish the plate.  A sprinkle of chopped fresh cilantro, a drizzle of dressing, and a squeeze of a lime wedge round out the flavors. Give this salad a try, and I bet you'll be adding this one to your "crowd pleaser" list.

Turkey Cranberry Enchiladas

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I don't mind eating an endless parade of turkey sandwiches the weekend after Thanksgiving.  A good roll, mayonnaise, and some cranberry sauce compliment the left over bird just fine for me.  However, some people like a more creative way to re-purpose mounds of good turkey meat.  This recipe has flavor and creativity in spades.

Instead of using my spiced whole berry cranberry sauce, I like to use a simple and spiceless cranberry sauce in lieu of the canned version called for in the original recipe.  I also like to make my own salsa, but you can certainly use the salsa of your preference.  The black beans add more substance while the spices and chipotle in adobe add a good zing to create a balance of sweet and savory that is perfect for this time of year.  Serve it with a simple salad or, in this case, a side of sweet potato hash.

Other ways to use leftovers...

Turkey and Sweet Potato Croquettes with Cranberry Apple Salsa

Turkey and Sausage Gumbo

Turkey Chilaques (substitute turkey for the chicken)

Red Cabbage Slaw with Cranberry Vinaigrette

Sweet Potato Strips with Lime Salt

Homemade Flour Tortillas

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Fumaric acid and sodium metabisulfite-- sounds yummy right?!  Those, my friends, are just a few of the ingredients in store bought flour tortillas.  Might be why I have always been a little turned off by the taste-- foam board comes to mind.  Many of you probably wouldn't even think about making homemade tortillas, but it is really quite simple.  You most likely have all the ingredients on hand, and they are fun to make with a helper in the kitchen.

The first time I made tortillas I used all lard (mmm...laaarrd) and no baking powder.  They were good, but a bit too porky in taste and they looked greasy.  The second time around I used half vegetable shortening and half lard, as well as some baking powder.  The results were much better.  I couldn't believe what deep flavor and perfect appearance they had.  The taste and look of these tortillas really made it hard to ever buy store bought again.  In fact, I have even adapted the size of the recipe to make burrito size tortillas for burrito nights. 

A visual always help when making a homemade product, so I have included some step-by-steps below.

I like to measure my flour, but if you don't have a scale, make sure to use the scoop and level method.  Too much flour will result in a dense tortilla.  Add the baking powder and salt to the flour.

I also like to measure the vegetable shortening and lard; 1 1/4 ounce of each for a total of 2 1/2 ounces.  Please don't be afraid of using lard for health reasons.  The monounsaturated fat in lard is healthier than saturated fat while the little saturated fat there is has no effect on cholesterol.  But, if you really don't want to use lard, you can use all vegetable shortening.  Process the flour mixture, shortening, and lard until incorporated.

With the motor running, add the water and process until the dough just comes together in a mass.

 The dough should be soft, but not quite as soft as a bread dough.

Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth.

Divide the dough into 12 or 6 portions depending on the size of your tortilla.  Tacos or burritos?  Roll each portion into a ball.

Place the dough balls on a plate, cover with plastic, and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.  This allows the gluten to relax, making it easier to roll out the rounds.

Working with one dough ball at a time, flour both sides  

and roll forward and back, then rotate one sixth of a turn and roll forward and back again

continue rotating and rolling until you reach an 8-inch or 11-inch round.

Lay the tortilla on a hot griddle or cast-iron skillet (you should hear a faint sizzle and an almost immediate bubbling across the surface).  When there are brown splotches underneath (about 30-45 seconds) 

flip it over, and bake for another 30-45 seconds.  If you will be reheating the tortillas over a gas flame before serving, lean toward the 30 seconds to prevent them from overcooking.

Place in a cloth napkin/clean kitchen towel or tortilla warmer (don't put the lid on until you have finished baking and stacking all the tortillas.  The heat from each subsequent tortilla will keep them warm.  The lid will trap too much moisture and make them soggy) and continue with remaining tortillas, stacking them on top of one another.

Tacos, fajitas, burritos, or just to have a simple bread on the table-- homemade tortillas are the way to go.

Chicken Chilaquiles with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

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I wish I could give you all a bite of this before you saw it. This is one of those meals where taste trumps appearance.  In fact, besides the bits of cilantro on top, it is probably hard to tell what's in there.  So, let's dive on in and dish.

Thrown together to use up ingredients, like leftover meats and day-old tortillas, chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican peasant dish.  Unlike some meals where the meat reigns supreme, it is the tortillas that are the star of the show.  They are cut into strips and fried until crisp. The original recipe called for shredded, cooked turkey and it is tasty (and a great way to use up leftover holiday birds), but I always have leftover chicken on hand.  Both the tortillas and chicken are tossed with a roasted tomatillo salsa into which I add some poblano peppers and lime juice to kick up the flavor . A generous portion of cheese is thrown into the mix and then it is baked until golden brown.  Each bite is a symphony of texture ranging from soft and chewy on the bottom, crisp and crunchy on the top, and gooey cheesy all in between.  

Served with a dollop of Mexican crema or sour cream, crumbled queso fresco, a garnish of chopped cilantro and a spoonful of the remaining salsa-- this is dish I hope you all get to know and love.  Although best made the day it is served, it can be made a day ahead.  Cool completely, cover and refrigerate; reheat when ready to serve. We enjoy it with Quick Stewed Black Beans and Pickled Red Onions on the side.

Chicken and Spinach Tortilla Pie with a Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

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Whenever I make burritos, I am always left with one tortilla.  Of course I could use it for an after school snack or a quesadilla, but when I came across this recipe inspiration, that leftover tortilla got a whole new meaning.  

I found this recipe in a Cook's Country magazine where the bottom layer or "crust" utilizes the lone tortilla.  The original filling looked a bit bland to me, so I added onion, spinach, chiles, a few spices and some herbs.  I serve it with a roasted tomatillo sauce and some Mexican crèma.  Mmm--this is so good.  It is creamy and cheesy with a little cracker-like snap when you cut through the tortilla crust.     

So, if you have an extra burrito-sized tortilla hanging around, please make this. Otherwise, put a package of 10-inch burrito sized flour tortillas on your next grocery list and use the leftover nine tortillas for after school snacks, quesadillas, or weeknight burritos.  This dish will not disappoint.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

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The calendar may say it's Spring but the weather outside is still late Winter here-- cold with snow-- seriously?  This soup was the perfect fit into this week's menu to warm our souls.  It is spicy and deep with flavor, but at the same time the broth is light without weighing you down.  

There are a few steps in making this soup; roasting the chicken breasts, making the broth, and frying the tortilla strips.  However, the end result is worth the time and very rewarding.

To the original recipe I add black beans, corn, and hominy to the broth to give the soup a little more body and flavor.  I also roast the chicken instead of poaching it.  Lastly, I add a few more herbs and spices to my liking.  I like to garnish it with diced avocado, chopped cilantro, diced red onion, diced jalapeno, Cotija cheese, and Mexican crema, but you can use whatever garnish you prefer or have on hand.  This is one crowd pleasing bowl of goodness to feed to your family and friends when it is cold outside, when it is raining, or really whenever you're feeling a bit fiesta-y.  That's not a word.  Here's the recipe.