a cinco de mayo fiesta for two in quarantine

cinco de mayo fell on tuesday this year which was extra exciting since tuesdays are for tacos ("taco tuesdays!").  we made a little cinco de mayo fiesta for dinner for two quarantine style on our back screen porch.  it was so yummy! 

we had tacos with all the fixings: vegetarian beef, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, cheddar cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guac!  we also had mexican street corn as a side and virgin margaritas!  it was all so good and it was a fun little date!

love, laurie

impromptu taco night party

we were super productive this past weekend and we got a lot done on our to-do list.  being so productive called for a reward.  on sunday night we had a little impromptu taco night party with my parents.  we got together for dinner and enjoyed chips and salsa, refried beans, fish and beef tacos with all of the fixings, and mango/pineapple/orange/cranberry smoothies.  (my camera battery was dead, but i did snap a few pictures on my phone.)  after we ate, we all curled up on the couch and watched a movie.  it was a great way to end the weekend!

love, laurie

. . . 

ps: speaking of tacos, here are a few taco related recipes: make your own taco seasoning, 5 minute 5 ingredient vegetarian tacos, and crock pot chicken tacos.

5 minute 5 ingredient vegetarian tacos

happy cinco de mayo!  in honor of cinco de mayo today, i thought i'd share a recipe for quick and easy vegetarian tacos.

the other day, we were pressed for time and we needed to quickly throw together something to eat for dinner.  we grabbed a few ingredients that we had on hand and made vegetarian tacos in less than 5 minutes.  even though there were only a few simple ingredients in them, we could not get over how good they were!

soft flour tortillas, sour cream, salsa, cheese, and black beans.  super simple and super delicious!

5 ingredients + 5 minutes = yummy tacos.  i like that kind of math :-)

honestly, this can hardly be called a recipe.  all you have to do is just throw a few things together and you have yummy tacos in less than 5 minutes.

so convenient if you are on the run or need to whip up a quick dinner or snack.

by the way did you notice that the date today is 5/5 and we are making tacos in 5 minutes with 5 ingredients?  that's a lot of 5s.  maybe someone should play 5 today on the lottery!

speaking of tacos . . . make your own taco seasoning and crock pot chicken tacos.

5 minute 5 ingredient vegetarian tacos
total time: 5 minutes
yields: 8 tacos

ingredients:
8 6-inch soft flour tortillas
8 teaspoons sour cream
1 (16 oz.) jar organic salsa
1 cup shredded mexican cheese (we used a combination of cheddar, monterey jack, and asadero)
1 (16 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

directions:
place the tortillas in a pan or on a griddle over medium-low heat.  allow the tortillas to warm (about 1 minute for each side).  lay the tortillas on a plate.  spread approximately 1 teaspoon of sour cream and approximately 1 tablespoon of salsa evenly on each tortilla.  arrange the shredded cheese in a line down the center of each tortilla.  put the black beans in a bowl and microwave them for 1 minute.  evenly distribute the beans between each tortilla, arranging them on top of the cheese.  

enjoy!

love, laurie

crock pot chicken tacos

remember that homemade taco seasoning we made?   well, we're putting it to good use.  we absolutely love tacos over at our house.  typically we stuff our tacos with ground beef or ground turkey, but occasionally we like to stuff them with chicken too.  when i came across a recipe for chicken tacos made in the crock pot, i knew that i just had to try it.

the best thing about this recipe is that it is so simple.  there are only three ingredients!  you dump the three ingredients into the crock pot and then just walk away while the crock pot does all of the work.

we made a batch of these chicken tacos and they fed us all week long!  (in total we had enough chicken to stuff 20 small taco shells!)  this recipe would be great for a party or for a large family.  the chicken was not spicy at all.  if you prefer your tacos with a kick, you can easily control the spice level in this recipe.

the flavor of the chicken is awesome.  the next time you are looking for an easy crock pot recipe, give these tacos a try.  we liked this recipe so much that we have made it twice already.  (this chicken would be great on nachos too, just saying!)

crock pot chicken tacos
prep time: 5-10 minutes
cooking time: 3-4 hours
yields: enough to fill approximately 20 small tacos
adapted from chocolate therapy

ingredients:
6 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1 (16 oz.) jar mild salsa
3 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning

directions:
cut the chicken breasts in 1 inch cubes.  place the chicken cubes in a crock pot and add the salsa and taco seasoning.  stir well to make sure that the chicken is evenly covered in the salsa and taco seasoning.  cook for 3-4 hours in a covered crock pot on high heat.

when the chicken is completely cooked throughout, shred the chicken with a fork.  serve inside warm taco shells (hard or soft) with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, diced onion, chopped jalapeños, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and additional salsa.

enjoy!

love, laurie 

make your own taco seasoning

you know those little packets of taco seasoning that you buy at the grocery store?  even the ones marked as "low sodium" or "reduced sodium" still have ridiculously high amounts of sodium in them.  they also have a ton of mysterious ingredients in them too.  we love making tacos at home, but we really are not fans of the pre-made packets of taco seasoning from the grocery store.  we like to know exactly what we are putting into our bodies.

sure, it's quick and easy to pick up a few packets of taco seasoning when you are at the store to have them on hand for when taco cravings strike, but did you know that it is just as quick and as easy to make your own taco seasoning at home?

you can make as little or as much as you like, and taco seasoning can be made from just a few simple ingredients that you most likely already have in your kitchen cabinets.  the best part is that you can control the salt level and the spice level.  feel free to leave out whichever spices you don't like, or to adjust the amount of a certain spice depending on your taste or the dish that you are making.

it's great to have taco seasoning on hand for tacos, enchiladas, nachos, and dips.  so go ahead and make yourself a batch of taco seasoning.  you'll be glad you did the next time you have an impromptu taco night!

homemade taco seasoning
prep time: 5 minutes
yields: enough to season 1 lb. of meat

ingredients:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

directions:
mix all of the ingredients together, and store in an air-tight container.

enjoy!

love, laurie

taco night

this weekend we made lasagna with ground turkey (we are trying to be healthy and save a few calories by using ground turkey instead of ground beef in some recipes).  we had some left over ground turkey, so we decided to make tacos last night! tacos are so simple to make, yet they somehow brighten up an evening!

after tacos, we melted into the couch and watched cupcake wars on the food network.  i find that show ridiculously entertaining.  (maybe i have a secret desire to go on the show.)  and . . . i love florian bellanger's comments to the contestants!