smoked lamb tacos & homemade margaritas

my hubby & i have a new-found friend whom we'd like to introduce to you as, "old smokey," and after only 2 go-arounds w/ our new buddy, i think i can vouch for both of us when i say we're completely smitten.

so early saturday, we got our boneless lamb roast all rubby-dubbed-dubbed w/ a dry rub we picked up in kauai, hawaii (one of "the best" dry rubs i've came across)...but you can use any kind of dry rub you want, really.  after the rub-down, my man took our lamb out to old smokey, whom looked after our little lamb roast for the next 5-6 hours or so.  

muchas gracias old smokey!

recipe: serves 4-6

lamb taco ingredients
~4 lb. lamb roast, smoked
dry rub
la tortilla factory tortillas (our fave brand), warmed
*taco toppings of your choosing

smoked corn & refried black beans ingredients
4 ears of corn, smoked for approx. 2 hours
ancho chili powder
evoo
s&p
humboldt fog goat cheese, crumbled

1 can refried black beans
fresh garlic, minced
red onion, minced
fresh jalapeño, minced
red bell pepper, diced
fresh cilantro, chopped
evoo
s&p
non-fat plain greek yogurt

smoke the corn cobs for approx. 2 hours, and then let cool and cut off the cob while standing it up in a bowl (for easier cleanup).  add the next 3 ingredients, mix to combine and then top w/ goat cheese (or any cheese you prefer).  

add garlic, onion, peppers, cilantro and s&p to a saucepan over med heat coated w/ a little evoo.  cook until tender, and then add in the refried black beans and cook until warmed completely through.  top beans w/ greek yogurt when plating, if desired.

as for the homemade margs......sorry, it's a family-secret recipe......and damn, they sure as tasty!

bozone beers, turkey burgers w/ homemade beer cheese sauce & baked yam & sweet tater fries

i'm quite certain this holds the record for, in fact, the "messiest" turkey burger i've ever created.  maybe this statement has something to do with the addition of the homemade beer cheese sauce i prepared......hmmm?  regardless, it sure was a tasty dinner for a relaxing friday evening w/ my man.  

we were celebrating a belated wedding anniversary and enjoying a little peace and quiet, during a short, weekend stay at the beautiful meriwether ranch in southwestern montana (complements of our dear friends, wells & renee).  these burgers & baked sweet tater & yam fries, served up w/ some ice-cold bozone ipa's, proved to be the perfect complement to a relaxing night in!

recipe: serves 3-4

ingredients

burger ingredients
~1/2 lb. ground lean turkey breast
~1/2 lb. ground sausage
1 egg, beaten
a bit of binder (i used 6-8 rice crackers, ground)
dash of worschetershire
dash of dale's sauce
fresh garlic, minced
fresh thyme, chopped
evoo
s&p
3-4 english muffins, grilled or toasted
*burger toppings of your choosing

mix all burger ingredients together and let marry for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.  form into 3-4 patties and grill on a charcoal grill.  place atop a toasted english muffin and top w/ your fave burger toppings.

*we used homemade beer cheese sauce, sautéed cremini mushrooms and yellow onions, crisp butter lettuce and avocado

"steak" fries ingredients

1 large yam, thickly cut

1 large sweet tater, thickly cut

evoo

s&p

ancho chili powder

fresh thyme, chopped

mix fries w/ all remaining fry ingredients (minus the fresh thyme leaves), and place on a foiled baking sheet.  bake @ 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, flip and back for an additional 15-20 minutes until you achieve desired crispiness.  toss w/ fresh thyme and serve alongside turkey burgers.

pour some cold beers, light a fire in the fireplace, sit your booty on the comfy couch and dig in!  

thursday game-night food

yay for football thursdays!  i told my honey when he came home from work, "you have 3 options to pick from w/ this leftover pulled pork.  the choices were this - a bbq pork quesadilla, pork nachos or pork tacos.  to no surprise of mine, he said what he always says and that's, "they all sound great."  alright i thought to myself, and being used to hearing this sort of response, i made a decision and rolled w/ what i was thinking in my head - a bbq pork quesadilla.

recipe: serves 2

ingredients

leftover slow-roasted boneless pork loin (i made this 2 nights prior but marinated it for 2 days prior to that...pretty tasty stuff!)

2 whole-grain/low-carb tortillas, average size

good-quality cheese, shredded (we used yancey's fancy steakhouse onion aged cheddar)

yellow or orange bell pepper, diced

red onion, minced

garlic, minced

jalapeño, sliced

fresh cilantro, chopped

avocado, sliced

non-fat, plain greek yogurt

bbq sauce

evoo

s & p

warm pork low and slow in a skillet, along w/ peppers, onions, garlic and a bit of bbq sauce.  put 1 tortilla down on an oiled panini skilled (low-med heat) and fill w/ warmed pork mixture, cheese, jalapeños, cilantro and s & p.  place the other tortilla on top, and put the panini press on top of the entire quesadilla for even melting.  flip after 4-5 minutes, and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.  plate the quesadilla, and top w/ avocado, cilantro, bbq drizzle, a dollop of non-fat, plain greek yogurt and s & p.

go colts! :)

garden-fresh caprese salad: 2 ways

i'm writing this post because for one, it's been more than 5 months since my last post (yikes!) and for two, i want to share 2 of my preferred preparatory techniques for making a longtime, summer favorite of mine, commonly enjoyed and known as the caprese salad.  it's basic, it's simple, it's yummy, and it's satisfying...enough said.

the traditional caprese salad often conjures up thoughts similar to the pic depicted to the left here, and although a quite simple rendition to re-create, it can be an extremely difficult feat to seek out a good-tasting caprese salad, in even the most finest eating establishments across the entire country.  in my opinion, one of the most common short-comings to a perfectly executed caprese salad seems to be the incorporation of using often under-ripe tomatoes, and i find the best strategy is to prepare this basic salad yourself, while using "ripe" fruit as the foundation for your homemade version.  


mmmmm...my of my...there's something about broiling these beautiful heirlooms that yields a subtle sweetness, which seems to pair quite harmoniously with the creaminess of the mozzarella and the twang of the thinly sliced red onions that with each bite, i think i've died and gone to heaven.  the only difference between the traditional caprese and my broiled version is the high heat and incorporation of red onions.  the basic, simplistic staples are still present in each version: wholesome, vine-ripe tomatoes (preferable heirloom), fresh mozzarella, basil, evoo, aged-balsamic, and cracked black pepper and sel gris.  therefore, the only suggestion i'm going to offer pertains to the broiled caprese, in which case i add thinly sliced red onions down over the top and place under the broiler until the cheese becomes bubbly and slightly browned.  also, i obviously add the basil after broiling, in order to retain the coolness and freshness that this vibrant green herb seems to offer to a variety of dishes.

fresh + simple = yummy + satisfying

perfect for an appetizer or light meal for one, this is definitely one of my favorite summertime indulgences, but only if the absolute finest tomatoes are the star of this food show.                        

my little breakfast wonder

oh the simple pleasures in life...sometimes it can be as easy as a great piece of toast.  this is one breakfast i find myself fixing from time to time, and i always enjoy every last bite when i do.  i go back and forth between natural almond butter and peanut butter, but whichever gooey and chunky base i use, it's always topped w/ a sliced banana and a sprinkle of cinnamon (and sometimes hemp and chia seeds too). :)

breakfast wonder recipe: serves 1

ingredients:
1 slice of dave's killer bread (this bread is the best, but use whatever you like), toasted
natural chunky almond butter ~or~ peanut butter
1 sliced banana
sprinkle of cinnamon
sprinkle of hemp seeds (optional)
sprinkle of chia seeds (optional)

build in order of ingredients listed and enjoy.  of course, it's also delicious w/ milk.

panko-crusted tilapia sopes w/ mango, avocado & black bean salsa

so this is kinda like a "continuation" of my previous post.  we had sopes for dinner again, but this time i made panko-crusted tilapia and a fruit salsa that consisted of fresh mango.        

yummers!

salsa recipe:

teeny bit of serrano, de-seeded

shallot, minced

s & p

evoo

fresh lime juice

reduced-sodium black beans, rinsed & drained

fresh cilantro, chopped

fresh mango, cubed

avocado, cubed

combine first 7 ingredients and let flavors marry until just before serving.  add mango and avocado and serve.

homemade sopes w/ shrimp, avocado & chipotle yogurt sauce

one of my man's favorite styles of food to eat is mexican, and therefore, because "somebody" had a birthday last week, i decided to surprise him w/ one of mexico's traditional dishes.  truth be told, he was one happy 33 year old. :)  

these little rounds of goodness, sopes, originated in the city of culiacan.  they're made from masa flour and resemble a thick tortilla, and are typically topped w/ refried beans, cotija cheese, veggies and salsa.  i made my own variation, of course.  i incorporated some red potatoes and spices into the corn flour, omitted the refried beans, used a pesto gouda cheese and made a chipotle yogurt sauce.

recipe: serves 2

sopes ingredients

masa flour (follow directions on package)

red potatoes, boiled until fork-tender

cumin

smoked paprika

s & p

mix masa flour and water according the package.  add in potatoes and other ingredients, and mix again to combine.

sopes toppings ingredients

blackened shrimp (i roasted them in a 375 degree oven for about 5-7min)

purple cabbage, chopped

fresh scallions, chopped

fresh cilantro, chopped

pesto gouda cheese, grated

avocado

fresh lime wedge

s & p

chipotle yogurt sauce ingredients

chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (be careful, they're spicy)

non-fat, plain greek yogurt

s & p

blend ingredients together and refrigerate until needed.

black beans & rice ingredients

dirty rice, cooked in chicken broth

black beans, rinsed

good-quality salsa

serrano chiles, de-seeded

s & p

fresh lime juice  

cook rice in broth.  add additional ingredients after rice is cooked, stir to combine and serve.