Sassy Southwestern Beef Tacos

Lately, schedules in our house have taken a turn into c-r-a-z-y. My husband is a football coach and I am a teacher...our school year is about to start and two-a-days are in full throttle, for football season. Finding time to make healthy, fast meals out of leftovers, is crucial this time of year. The other night I had put some beef chuck into the fridge, from the freezer to thaw. I had leftover corn-on-the-cob, white corn tortillas, veggies and canned black beans.

I decided to marinate the chuck in a simple, zesty marinade, sear it on the grill pan, roast the corn and saute the veggies. The assembly would transform the ingredients to Southwestern beef tacos with a side of corn and black beans.

Zesty Marinade

2 Tbsp Worcestireshire
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp red cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp chili pepper
1 tsp italian seasoning

Once your chuck is thawed, rub this marinade all over and let sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Afterwards, add a bit of olive oil on the grill pan and place the chuck to grasp beautiful sear marks. Cook for 15-20 minutes (depending on how you prefer your beef to be cooked.)

Roasted Parmesan Corn

Take the corn on the cob, drizzle with olive oil, parmesan, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms

Slice up 1/2 batch of mushrooms and 1/2 an onion. Heat a saute pan with olive oil, add veggies, salt and pepper then cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes.

Black Beans

Place the black beans in the sauce pan with a bit of salt and pepper and heat on low.

Assemble by frying up your tortillas in a touch of olive oil, slice your beef into strips, layer on your sauteed veggies, grate your cheddar or colby jack cheese. Ladle your beans into a side dish, top with a bit of grated cheese and green onion. Place corn on the plate and your mouth should be watering.

Enjoy! xo Lo

Grillin' Summer Feast

Are you afraid of your grill? During the summer I always crave grilled meats and veggies...there is absolutely no reason to be afraid of your grill. Anything you cook in a saute pan or in the oven, you can cook on the grill. This day my Aunt and cousin had flown in from New Hampshire and I was determined to grill them a Texas-style meal. My new husband loves pork ribs and I recently discovered a chocolate-spice rub (thanks to Paula Deen) and tweaked it a bit to fit my culinary style. We always check our calendar to see what veggies are in season and try to purchase locally. We decided on: chocolate-spice rubbed pork ribs, baby portabella mushrooms, parmesan corn on the cob and red onions.

Chocolate-Spice Rubbed Pork Ribs

Grab a rack of ribs from your local store, make sure they are not frozen, take them out of their packaging and let them rest at room temperature while you get the rub ready.

Rub
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning
2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbs olive oil

Combine rub ingredients together and brush over rack of ribs. Use your hands to make sure every inch of the rack of ribs is covered with the spice rub. Cover with aluminum foil, let the rub rest and marry into the pork ribs. Once your grill (I prefer charcoal, for flavor purposes) is ready place the ribs on the grill, set your timer for 20 minutes.

Veggies
Grab 4-6 corns on the cob, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Half unwrap your corn stalk leaving a few of the leaves on the outside, drizzle each with olive oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and salt & pepper to taste. Then wrap the corn back up and place on grill.

Buy two packages of baby bella mushrooms, cut in half, marinate in soy sauce, cilantro, agave nectar and Worcestershire sauce. Once they have marinated for 30 minutes place on skewers then place on grill.

Mushroom Marinade
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup cilantro
1 tsp agave nectar
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce

Grab two red onions and slice thickly, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper then place on grill.

I decided to serve all these spectacular dishes outside, in Texas it finally starts to cool down around 7:30-8 p.m.  We impressed our New Hampshire family with some southern comfort, grillin' style food from Texas. Enjoy!

xo Lo