Beef Taco Bowls

Beef Taco Bowls

I started thinking about other recipes I could deconstruct then sneak some coleslaw into, and tacos immediately came to mind. Beef Taco Bowls are killing it in the healthy and delicious department!

Healthy, easy, fast, flavorful – what more could you ask for?

Maybe you’re wondering what the coleslaw tastes like sauteed with ground beef. Awesome, in fact! Since it’s just lightly sauteed, then coleslaw keeps a nice deep crunch which mimics a corn tortilla – you’ll never miss it. The flavor is also very mild so the savory taco seasoning blend is what really shines. 

Saute these bad boys up tonight then top with guacamole (just ripe avocados mashed with fresh garlic, lime juice, and salt,) and green onions like I did, adding shredded cheese, salsa, and sour cream, if you like!

Beef Taco Bowls

Ingredients

serves 4

• 1lb lean ground beef
• 1 shallot or 1/2 small onion, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 12oz coleslaw mix
• 1 recipe homemade taco seasoning (see notes for recipe)
• 1/4 cup chicken/beef broth or water
• Toppings/add-ins: guacamole, salsa, green onions, shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream

Directions

1. Brown ground beef with shallot or onion, and a dash of salt and pepper, in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drain extra fat if necessary then return to the skillet. Add coleslaw mix, season lightly with salt and pepper, then saute until cabbage is tender, 3-4 minutes.
   
   
   Add taco seasoning and broth or water then mix to combine.
   
   
   Serve with toppings and add-ins.
   

Notes

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Ingredients

Seasons 1lb meat

• 2-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon regular or smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

Directions

1. Mix together seasonings, then add to 1lb cooked and drained ground beef with 1/4 cup water. Mix well.

Chicken Chorizo Patty Melt with Chips and Jicama Salsa

Chicken Chorizo Patty Melt with Chips and Jicama Salsa

Ingredients

Patties:
1 pound ground chicken
6 ounces fresh chorizo
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Onions:
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large or 2 regular Vidalia or sweet onions, halved and sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 grilled pizza doughs, halved or folded over
8 to 10 slices Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese
Ketchup, for dipping


Directions

Patties: In a large bowl, gently but thoroughly combine all ingredients. Form into 4 equal-sized thin patties roughly the size of the bread you will be using or in the case of the grilled pizza dough folded, 1/2 the bread size. Cover the patties with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Onions: In a medium sauté pan on medium heat melt the butter with the oil. Add the onion and season with a pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of pepper, to taste. Sauté until the onions are caramelized, about 35 minutes, and set aside.

Pizza dough:  Roll out and flour pizza dough, grill until brown on both sides but still pliable.

Preheat a griddle with 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Griddle the patties on the on both sides until crispy on the edges and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Remove to a plate and wipe the griddle. Assemble the sandwiches by layering each bread 1/2 with a slice of cheese, a patty, another slice of cheese, onions, and the other bread 1/2, in that order. Brush or add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the griddle and put the sandwiches on the griddle. Press on the sandwich with a spatula to help toast evenly and hold the sandwich together. Cook until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted, about 2 minutes on each side.

Serve immediately with ketchup, for dipping.

Jicama Salsa

Ingredients

1 (1 1/2 pound) jicama, peeled and diced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves
Pinch kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a large salad bowl. Serve alone as a side salad or with tortilla chips.

Milk Chocolate & Macadamia Nut Lacey's

Milk Chocolate & Macadamia Nut Lacey's

Ingredients

Ingredients:
	6.5 ounce jar of macadamia nuts (1¾ cup) - or any kind of nut - almonds and hazelnuts would be good
3	Tablespoons all purpose flour
¾	cup sugar
2	Tablespoons heavy cream
2	Tablespoons light corn syrup
5	Tablespoons butter
1	teaspoon pure vanilla extract
	12 oz. bag of semi-sweet OR milk chocolate chips

Directions

Makes about 24-26 sandwich cookies

In a food processor, pulse the nuts until finely chopped but not pasty. If you don't chop them fine enough, it may be difficult for the dough to form into a ball so make sure to chop them pretty fine. Transfer nuts to a large heatproof bowl and add the flour. Mix together and set aside.

 In a small saucepan over medium heat, add sugar, cream, corn syrup, and butter. Stir occasionally and cook until mixture comes to a rolling boil and the sugar is dissolved. Continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour hot mixture into the nut mixture and stir just to combine. Let cool for about 25-30 minutes until it's cool enough to handle. The mixture will stiffen up into a firm "dough" as it cools.

While the dough is cooling, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Once the dough is cool enough to handle, scoop the dough using a 1 teaspoon measurement and roll into balls. I get about 50 balls out of one batch, enough to make about 25 sandwich cookies. The dough will spread out into 3 inch cookies when baked. Roll all the balls out at once and place on a large plate until ready to bake.

The dough continues to stiffen up the longer it sits out; if it cools down too much, it gets crumbly and more difficult to shape into balls. If this happens, just pop the bowl into the microwave for about 30 seconds to warm it up and make it more pliable.

Place balls onto prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3-4 inches of space between each cookie. Bake one pan at a time until the cookies are thin and an even golden brown color throughout, 9 to 11 minutes. Rotate pans once halfway through the baking time.

But we're not done with them yet. We're going to make little lacey cookie sandwiches with the chocolate next.

Melt chocolate chips using the double boiler method: Fill a saucepan with about an inch of water, bring it to a low simmer, then place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl that's large enough to fit in the pan but not touch the bottom. Set the bowl over the simmering water without letting the bowl touch the water. Stir occasionally until melted and smooth.

Since the cookies are kind of delicate, I set the cookie on a solid surface like my cutting board to keep it stable and use a pastry brush to spread the chocolate to the edges. This will reduce the risk of breaking the cookies as you're manhandling them with chocolate. Then top the chocolate cookies with the remaining cookies. I sandwich them bottom-to-bottom so the tops of each cookie face the outside. Place cookies back onto wire rack and let set completely. Chocolate may leak through some of the undersides of the lacy cookies while they're cooling, so place a paper towel under the rack to catch any drips.