[baja chicken chalupa]

We used to love one thing at Taco Bell, and then they discontinued it… the Baja Chicken/Steak Chalupa. We finally missed it enough to clone it.

Makes 5 chalupas

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
Fajita seasoning
Olive oil
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp red onion, diced
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
Northwoods Fire Seasoning
Lettuce, shredded
1/2 tomato, diced
1 Tbsp white onion, diced
Colby jack cheese, shredded
5 flatbreads

Directions:
Pound the chicken breasts to 1/4" thickness. Sprinkle with a generous covering of fajita seasoning. Sauté in olive oil on med/high heat. Flip when browned and sauté other side. Wrap chicken in foil pouch and let sit for 20 minutes until juices run clear.

baja sauce

Meanwhile, make Baja sauce: combine bell pepper, red onion and garlic. Add mayonnaise and red wine vinegar until desired consistency. Add one shake of fajita seasoning and 2 shakes of northwoods fire seasoning. Stir and adjust seasonings as desired. Let sit.

Brush olive oil on one side of each piece of flatbread. Heat griddle or panini maker and grill flatbread, rotating once, until golden brown and slightly crunchy on oiled side. Let sit.

Combine tomato and white onion. Let sit.

cubed chicken

When chicken juices run clear, cube chicken. Assemble chalupas: flatbread (crunchy side down), shredded lettuce, chicken, Baja sauce (Tbsp per chalupa), tomato and white onion, shredded cheese.

Enjoy.

[Tacos Carne Asada w/ Pico De Gallo]

Based on recipe by Tyler Florence

Makes 8 (very filling) tacos (we could only eat 3 each). 
We had leftover carne asada we used for burritos and sandwiches.

Tacos:
2 pounds flank or skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
1 recipe Mojo, recipe follows
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 (7-inch) corn tortillas
Shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce, for serving
Diced white onion, for serving
Shredded Colby Jack cheese, for serving
Pico de Gallo, recipe follows
2 limes, cut in wedges for serving

Lay the flank steak in a large baking dish and pour the mojo over it. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours, so the flavors can sink into the meat. Don't marinate the steak for more than 8 hours though, or the fibers break down too much and the meat gets mushy.

Preheat an outdoor grill or a ridged grill pan over medium-high flame (you can also use a broiler). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Pull the steak out of the mojo marinade and season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill (or broil) the steak for 7 to 10 minutes per side, turning once, until medium-rare. Remove the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.

Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side in a dry skillet or on the grill, until toasty and pliable.
 

To make the tacos, stack up 2 of the warm tortillas, lay about 4 ounces of beef down the center, and sprinkle with some lettuce, onion, and cheese. Top each taco with a spoonful of the Pico de Gallo salsa and garnish with lime wedges. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Mojo:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 limes, juiced
1 orange, juiced
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
In a bowl, mash together the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper to make a paste.  Add the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Whisk it up really well to combine.

Pico De Gallo:
2 vine-ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/3 medium red onion, chopped

1 green onion, white and green parts, sliced
1 Jalapeno chile, minced
1 small handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 lime, juiced
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together. Toss thoroughly. Let it sit for 15 minutes hour to allow the flavors to marry.
Yield: 1 cup

[fish tacos]

based on Bobby Flay's Fish Taco recipe

4 small servings, (side dish needed), or 2 large servings (no side dish needed)

1 pound white flaky fish, we used mahi mahi
1/4 cup canola oil
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 jalapeno, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
8 flour tortillas

garnish:

Shredded white cabbage
Fresh cut limes
Crema or sour cream
Thinly sliced red onion
Thinly sliced green onion
Chopped cilantro leaves

shredded cheese, we use aged smoked cheddar and spotted cow cheddar
Pureed Tomato Salsa, recipe below

pureed salsa:

2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 serrano chile
1 jalapeno, sliced
1 tablespoon chipotle hot sauce
1 tablespoon oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice

Salt and pepper

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium high heat, add onions and garlic and cook until soft. Lower heat to medium and add tomatoes, serrano and jalapeno and cook until tomatoes are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Puree the mixture with a hand-held immersion blender (or in a couple batches in a blender), until smooth and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Add the hot sauce, oregano, cilantro and lime juice and season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Set aside to bring to room temperature.  (There will be leftovers of this - so be sure to have some chips on hand for the next day).

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Place fish in a medium size dish. Whisk together the oil, lime juice, ancho, jalapeno, and cilantro and pour over the fish. Let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove the fish from the marinade place onto a hot grill, flesh side down. Grill the fish for 5 minutes on the first side and then flip for 2 minutes, or until fish is cooked and beginning to flake, and remove. Let rest, covered with foil for 5 minutes then flake the fish with a fork and remove any bones and skin.  Place the tortillas on the grill and grill for 20 seconds. Divide the fish among the tortillas and garnish with any or all of the garnishes.

[beer battered fish tacos]

Batter: 

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp ground cumin

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/3 cup beer

2 tsp canola oil (or more if needed, we use a huge skillet, so I do one batch of fish with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan, but only a thin layer)

Fish:

8 ounces tilapia, cut crosswuse into 1-inch wide strips

Sauce:

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp hot sauce

1 tbsp lime juice

2 tsp garlic, chopped

1-2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro 

Freshly ground black pepper

Milk to thin sauce

Tacos:

8 flour tortillas

1/2 head of green cabbage or lettuce, shredded

Shredded Cheese

Limes (for squeezing on tacos)

Directions:

Combine flour, cumin, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl.  Whisk in beer to create batter.

Coat tilapia pieces in the batter.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Letting excess batter drip back into the bowl, add the fish to the pan; cook until crispy and golden, 2-4 minutes per side.  As they're done, place them on a plate with a paper towel to drain the oil.  

In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients, except the milk.  After the sauce is combined, add the milk slowly until desired consistency.  (It should be kind of thin so you can easily drizzle it in your taco).

Heat tortillas in microwave for 30 seconds.  Arrange tacos as you'd like, combining fish, sauce, lettuce/cabbage, shredded cheese, lime juice.

[shrimp tacos]

These are so good...

1 lb medium shrimp: peeled, deveined and tails removed

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp chile powder

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2 tsp kosher salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 lime

Warm flour tortillas

Shredded Lettuce or Cabbage

Shredded Cheese (we use Colby Jack)

Sauce:

combine and reserve for serving - the amounts really depend on your taste - but is a must

2-3 large spoonfuls of Mayo 

A few shakes of Chipotle

Splash of milk to thin.

Shrimp:
In a large bowl combine the garlic, cumin, chile, pepper and salt.  Mix and add shrimp.  Stir until all shrimp are covered.  Cover bowl with saran wrap and let sit for 15 minutes.  

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat.  Once the oil is ready - add the shrimp and saute until pink (about 5-8 minutes).  Remove the skillet from the heat and then add the lime juice.  Stir shrimp and serve on tortillas with dollop or two of sauce, lettuce (or cabbage) and cheese.

[fajita seasoning]

I hate buying the pre-mixed stuff in the store... but we love fajitas... so I make my own mix.

2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Paprika
1 Tbsp Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Cayenne Powder
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Mix all ingredients and store in a glass jar. Add to sauteed chicken breast and vegetables with chicken stock or water. Simmer for 15 minutes or less.