Tag: Taco

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Bowls with Guacamole

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, IMUSA and McCormick Spices have teamed up to sponsor a great giveaway for I Can Cook That Readers! Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 to October 15 and celebrates the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking Nations of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean.


I will be giving away a Cuban/Caribbean-themed package which includes the following:

  • IMUSA’s Wood Mortar and Pestal, Caldero, and Tostonera
  • McCormick’s Black Pepper, Garlic Salt, Curry Powder, Paprika, Cinnamon, Oregano, Black Peppercorn Grinder, Chicken Bag n’ Season, and Black Beans and Rice Mix

Details on how to enter will be at the end of this post!

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I also received a nifty little package myself which included an IMUSA Cloth Tortilla Warmer, IMUSA Multicolor Salsa Dishes, IMUSA Granite Molcajete, and McCormick’s Black Pepper, Cumin, Mexican Oregano, Chili Powder, Cilantro Leaves, Taco Recipe Mix, Enchilada Recipe Mix, and Tinga de Pollo Recipe Mix.

 

So what better time to whip out the slow cooker and make Chicken Taco Bowls topped with Fresh Guacamole?

I adapted this recipe from a Budget Bytes recipe; the recipe is perfect for large crowds so I tested it out on a group of friends who came to visit this weekend. It also makes for one delicious reheated lunch option during the week!

Ingredients:

Taco Bowls

  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 (16 oz) jar mild salsa
  • 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained
  • 2 (8 oz) bags frozen corn
  • 1 packet Taco Seasoning Mix
  • 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
  • ½ tablespoon Ground Cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 8 cups chicken broth (or water), divided
  • 3 cups long grain rice
  • 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
  • Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Guacamole

  • 3 Haas avocados
  • The juice of 1 lime
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ cup (~1/2 small onion) diced red onion
  • ½ jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
  • 2 plum tomatoes, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Continue reading Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Bowls with Guacamole

Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

My poor slow cooker never gets a break. Even in the summer, I use it quite a bit! Slow cooker meals are great because they don’t heat up your entire kitchen, and usually make at least 8 servings, great for a party or for leftovers. Plus, you can put the ingredients in a slow cooker, go to work, and have dinner nearly finished when you return!

My love of tacos is fairly obvious on my blog. I’ve made everything from Huevos Rancheros Tacos to Steak Tacos with Lime Mayo to even Kung Pao Chicken Tacos. But I’ve basically avoided doing a pork taco, mainly because I just don’t eat much pork.

But I need some variety every now and then, so I decided to finally try my hand at making some. This recipe for carnitas from myrecipes.com is really simple. All of the ingredients can be found in your local grocery store.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1 (3-pound) boneless pork shoulder
  • 10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 chipotle chiles canned in adobo sauce, drained and chopped
  • 20 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
  • 2/3 cup chopped onion
  • 2/3 cup fresh salsa (I have a Fresh Salsa recipe on my blog. Just omit the corn.)
  • 2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 10 lime wedges

Continue reading Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

I have no idea who decided that different foods should get taco-fied, but I am all for this movement. I love tacos, and Cooking Light comes up with the best taco recipes. These Kung Pao Chicken Tacos are everything I want in a meal: quick and easy to make, colorful, a hint of spice, and full of many ingredients I already had on hand.
Kung Pao chicken is a spicy stir-fry Chinese dish that includes peanuts, vegetables, chili peppers, and chicken. It is usually served over rice, but Cooking Light took some inspiration from Korean taco trucks and added the Kung Pao chicken to corn tortillas.
Ingredients:
  • 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce, divided (or coconut aminos to make gluten free)
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts
  • 3/4 cup diagonally sliced celery (about 2 stalks)
  • 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • 1/3 cup sliced green onions
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 lime wedges

Continue reading Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

Korean-Style Beef Tacos

Tacos are one of my go-to’s for a quick weeknight meal. However, there’s only so many nights you can make traditional tacos before you start craving some new flavors. Cooking Light’s Korean-Style Beef Tacos sounded like the best of both worlds: a quick meal with new spices. I ended up changing the method of cooking, but the ingredients remained the same. Cooking Light suggested topping the tacos with a Quick Pickled Cabbage as well, so I’ve included that below. This recipe does require you to marinate the beef for an hour, so plan accordingly. To make it a quick meal, you could also just marinate the meat overnight.
  Ingredients for the tacos:
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 5 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
  • the juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 12 ounces flank steak, sliced against the grain into thin strips
  • Salt, to taste
  • Cooking spray
  • 8 (6-inch) tortillas
  • 3 tablespoons sliced green onions
  Ingredients for the cabbage:
  • 1 head of napa cabbage, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chile paste

Continue reading Korean-Style Beef Tacos

Mexican Night

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I need to clean out my fridge to make room for all of the leftovers I plan on hoarding from my relatives. (I love that they end up feeding me for the whole weekend) The best (and tastiest) way to do this is to make tacos for dinner.

Ingredients

  • Chicken
  • Taco Seasoning (recipe below)
  • Yellow Rice
  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • Onions
  • Green Pepper
  • Guacamole (recipe below)
  • Cheese (I used pepper jack and cheddar)
  • Taco shells or soft tacos
I usually have most of the above lying around, which is why this is my favorite recipe to get rid of a bunch of ingredients. As a side note: I live alone, so I just buy a bunch of chicken on sale, put the pieces in individual freezer bags, and pull them out the day before to defrost in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the rice according to directions. While the rice is cooking, put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan on medium heat. While that warms up, season the chicken with the taco seasoning.

  Taco Seasoning Recipe

Taco Seasoning
    •  4 parts chili powder
    • 4 parts ground cumin
    • 2 parts paprika
    • 2 parts salt
    • 2 parts black pepper
    • 1 part garlic powder
    • 1 part onion powder
    • 1 part crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1 part dried oregano

     Mix. Store remaining spice mix in an airtight container.

Brown the chicken on both sides and place in the oven for 20 minutes. While the chicken and rice are cooking, chop all vegetables (tomatoes, green peppers, onion and lettuce)
To make the guacamole, cut avocados removing the seed. Put in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add onion, some chopped cilantro, chopped onion, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a dash of black pepper, and some of the chopped tomato. Mix.
Homemade Guacamole
Make sure to leave yourself enough onion and tomato to have as a topping for your tacos. Once the chicken is finished cooking, cut into bite size pieces and serve.
Not to shabby of a spread!
Each person can build their own taco to their liking. I usually take the leftovers and combine them for lunch the next day too. Yum!
Finished Product
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