Category: Onions

Mushroom Tacos

Dax Phillips Leave a comment

Lately my daughter has been really into mushrooms. So I typically pick up a couple of large containers of whole mushrooms during the week, and her and I will clean them and she will cook them down however she wants. This past week was no exception, plus they were on sale which makes it all the better. As these cooked down into a lot of mushrooms, I knew I had to do something with them as I think she was mushroomed out after a couple of servings. That’s when I threw out some bait to my wife stating that I was going to serve up some mushroom tacos this week. Her response was ‘Mushroom tacos? C’mon!’. I don’t think she really believed me, but as we are trying to eat a lot less meat during the week, this I knew would be a real winner, and it was.

Mushroom Tacos Recipe
Mushroom Tacos Recipe

I knew these would be a big hit, and seeing as though my boys were up north fishing, I knew that my wife and daughter would devour these. These mushroom tacos are way too easy to make, and make for a fast and delicious meal any day of the week.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz whole mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 whole onion, diced
  • 1 whole jalapeno pepper, seeds removed, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • salt, to taste
  • cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 1 package corn tortillas, warmed
  • 1 package of queso Chihuahua, optional
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped, optional

Start by heating a skillet on medium heat. Add in the canola oil, onion, and garlic. Give that a good stir and cook for a few minutes. Add in the mushrooms, and continue to stir.

Cook until the mushroom caramelize, about 20 minutes or so, stirring along the way. Add in the jalapeno, salt, pepper, and diced tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Mushroom Tacos Recipe
Mushroom Tacos Recipe

Once the mushrooms begin to caramelize, heat another skillet, and add in the corn tortillas. Continue to flip the tortillas until they are completely warmed through. To be honest, I like a little bit of char on mine so I let them go a little longer.

I also like to add the slices (or shredded) cheese directly on top of my mushrooms, allowing it to melt. Also if you have never had queso Chihuahua, try it. It could possibly be one of my favorite melting cheeses.

Take two tortillas, if using corn, and fold in the cheesy mushrooms. Shower with a bit of cilantro and dig in.

Mushroom Tacos
Mushroom Tacos

The end result is one darn good taco. It’s ‘meaty’ in the sense because of the mushrooms, and it’s just loaded with flavor. You know what would also be good is the Mexican mushroom salad I made a handful of years ago. Shove some of that in some tortillas to kick start your day and you would be all set!

Larb Stuffed Loaded Baked Potato

Dax Phillips Leave a comment

I’m always looking for something to do with my leftovers and to be honest I am a bit surprised I had any leftovers from a recent Thai/Lao larb fest. I will also be honest and state that larb is probably one of my top 10 things to eat. There’s something about the medley of flavors and the interaction when grabbing a bit of sticky rice and nubbing it down into the herbaceous larb. I’ve done a bunch of different things outside of the standard larb recipe, of which includes leftovers. Everything  larb fried rice, larb bao, and larb quesadillas to name a few. This one on the other hand goes right up there with an excellent use of leftovers, still has that great heat (depending on how you make the larb), and is filling to boot. This one is larb stuffed loaded baked potatoes. I can probably chalk this one up with all of the potato skins I’ve made in the past as well.

Thai Larb Stuffed Baked Potato Recipe
Thai Larb Stuffed Baked Potato Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups of leftover larb (feel free to use beef, pork, or chicken)
  • 1 baking potato
  • 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • pinch of salt

That’s it. Granted you may thinking making larb takes a bunch of time, but seriously, it takes about 5 minutes, or as long to cook your protein

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees, or use your microwave if you want to roll that way, and poke some holes into the potato with a fork.

Take some olive oil and lightly coat the exterior of the potato, and season with a bit of salt. I love a crusty, salty potato, and yes, I eat the whole thing.

Bake or microwave the potato until it is knife tender in the middle. This takes about 8-10 minutes in the microwave, or about 45-60 minutes in the oven.

Once the potato is fully cooked, remove it from the oven, take a butter knife and make a long slit through the top, then carefully using your fingers give it a pinch to make a nice open pocket.

Warm your leftover larb in a skillet, or microwave, then generously load the larb into the baked potato. You can see the extra Thai chilies I added (nice boost for vitamin C), and how loaded it is. I also wanted some extra heat. Did I mention that I find myself eating a Thai chili a day? For whatever it’s worth, it hasn’t kept the doctor away, but I do love them.

If you are looking for a great and interesting take on a loaded baked potato, give this one a shot, but by all means, if you have not had Thai/Lao larb you must make it. It’s addicting. Hope you enjoy!

Mexican Barbacoa Recipe

Dax Phillips Leave a comment

The slow cooker rarely gets put away in our house. Based on our busy schedules is pretty much the reason why, and I am typically the one hustling around trying to feed four hungry people every day. Not that I have a problem with that, but the slow cooker always comes to the rescue, and typically anything I throw in there is a real winner. This particular recipe known as Mexican Barbacoa is a real winner, and is something that is only typically served in our our Mexican restaurants on the weekend. This homey doesn’t have time for that, plus I typically stay away from local tacquerias on the weekend.

Mexican Barbacoa Recipe
Mexican Barbacoa Recipe

For one, we are big fans of shredded meat, especially when it comes to tacos, and this one is no exception. You are going to love the texture, flavor, and simplicity of this Mexican barbacoa.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 4 lbs beef chuck roast
  • 3 tbsp canola oil
  • 8 oz can of chipotle chilies in adobo
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, or chopped (your call)
  • 2 cups of beef stock
  • 2 tbsp cumin powder
  • 2 tbsp ground Mexican oregano, crumbled
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • flour or corn tortillas, warmed
  • black beans, cooked, optional
  • fresh jalapenos, thinly sliced, optional

Start by adding the 2 tablespoons of oil to a large dutch oven or large skillet. Bring this to a medium heat. The goal is to add the beef in batches to get a nice sear on all sides before placing it into your slow cooker.

Once browned, add each piece to the slow cooker, and repeat with any remaining beef. Once the beef is added, rinse out the skillet or dutch oven, return back to the stove, let the water evaporate, then add in the additional oil bringing it back to a medium heat.

Add in the onion, garlic, and chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. Add in the beef stock, and let this come to a quick boil. Add in the cumin powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and lime juice, and give a good stir Add the mixture to slow cooker, and add to your high setting. Cook this for about 6 hours.

Mexican Barbacoa Ingredients
Mexican Barbacoa Ingredients

After 6 hours, check on the beef and make sure it is fall apart tender. If not, continue to cook until it is and shred all of the beef, making sure everything gets nicely incorporated. Cover and let this cook for about 20 minutes longer to all of that shredded beef and soak up all of that delicious stock.

During this time, cook your beans, and warm up your tortillas. Slice up any additional things such as limes, jalapenos, or onions.

Mexican Barbacoa Recipe
Mexican Barbacoa Recipe

Now it’s ready to serve. I like getting a bit rustic, laying out some barbacoa, beans, chilies, and have things on standby like fresh cilantro, and salsa.

Layer your tacos to your desire and dig in like it’s no one’s business. Forget about waiting for the weekend for this Mexican barbacoa. Go for Tuesday, because who doesn’t love a Tuesday, right?

Filipino Imbaliktad

Dax Phillips Leave a comment

Recently the big kid turned 17. Seventee already, and yes he towers me. He’s a big high schooler, let’s just put it that way. So when questioning him what he would like to do for his special day, he just said ‘Let’s just get together here and have a barbecue’. I’m not sure if my wife and I finally rubbed off on him, but we did offer up other options, but his choice was a simple one. A small get together. So that’s where it started, but when asked what he would like to eat for his birthday, he initially said burgers and brats (a typical grilling fair), and that’s when I offered up Filipino food. I’m big into Filipino food, especially over the course of the last few years, and that is primarily due to the family members that surround me. My wife’s father is Filipino, as is her cousins, etc. So every chance I get, I’m going to try a new dish.

These dishes are not necessarily new, but they are packed with great flavor and super easy to make, in particular this recipe known as Imbaliktad.

Filipino Imbaliktad Recipe
Filipino Imbaliktad Recipe

This recipe is essentially a super quick stir fry, and almost reminds me of an American sukiyaki,  but with lots more flavor and a lot less time to cook.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs of lean beef, cut into thin strips, room temperature
  • pork shanks, cooked and removed from bone (optional)
  • 1 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 6 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 whole onion, coursely sliced
  • 1 tbsp black peppercorns, lightly smashed
  • 2 tbsp distilled vinegar
  • 3 Thai chilies, or serranos, lightly smashed
  • 3 sprigs of green onions, coursely sliced
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • salt, to taste
  • Rice, cooked, optional
  • Cold beer, optional

Mix the sugar with the beef, and set it to the side to come up to room temperature.

Next, heat a large skillet, or wok on medium-high heat. Let this heat up for a couple of minutes before adding the oil. This recipe goes quick it is a perfect throw together stir fry.

OK, now add in the oil, then toss in the ginger, and garlic. Stir fry this for about 30 seconds, being careful not to brown the garlic. Add in the beef, turn up the heat to high, toss that beef around, and then let it sit and caramelize. Add in the black peppercorns, chili peppers, and give that a good toss. Cook for a minute or so, then add in the onion. I like my onions with a bit of crunch here, but if you want them softened, go for it just cook them a bit longer. Try to not overcook the beef as you want it tender. If you are using the cooked pork shanks, which I pressured cooked earlier in the day for some extra richness, remove whatever meat you can from the bone, and add to the stir fry at this time.

Filipino Imbaliktad Ingredients
Filipino Imbaliktad Ingredients

Now add in the vinegar, give another toss, season with some salt to your liking, then plate and shower with the green onions.

Dig in. Serve with a side of rice, a cold beer, and you are set to go. The only question you will probably ask yourself is why you were not cooking this any sooner, and why you did not make more of it. I mean it’s beef loaded with garlic, ginger, vinegar and some heat from the chilies. Everything I love in some of the Filipino recipes. Enjoy!