Taco Salad Recipe

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Easy Taco Salad Recipe. Throw all in a bowl. Done!

Easy Taco Salad Recipe. Throw all in a bowl. Ready for tossing. So easy and delicious.

This is a one of the staple recipes in our house. It’s an easy and delicious, no fail dinner recipe that our kids and their friends have always loved. And, this recipe is a great way to use up any kind of leftover taco meat or even chicken or turkey. In fact, I always make it after we’ve had homemade tacos and I just use up whatever is left over from that meal (meat, tomatoes, cheese, onions etc…)  I don’t measure the ingredients at all. I just throw whatever we have leftover in a large bowl, ( as shown in the photo, lettuce is on the bottom of the bowl). If you add a little less onion, or a little more cheese, it’s not big deal. Just throw it in! Make it easy! You’ll have plenty of time left to make an easy margarita.

 

  • 1/2 lb. Ground or Chopped Chicken or Turkey or Beef (if not using leftovers, cook in a pan with 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoons chili powder, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste). Or, leftover chicken or turkey pieces. 
  • 6 Cups of Chopped Lettuce (or so).
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese
  • 1/2 Cup Canned Kidney or Black or Pinto Beans 
  • 1/2 Cup Crushed up Tortilla Chips or Leftover Taco Shells
  • 1/2 Cup Chopped Tomatoes
  • 1/2 Cup Chopped Onion (any kind is fine)
  • 1/4 Cup Salsa (any kind) 
  • 2 Tablespoons Sour Cream
  • 2 Tablespoons Italian Dressing

 

If you are not using leftover chicken or turkey or beef, cook your meat with spices until completely cooked. Drain off the fat.

 

Put everything in a bowl and toss well. Done! When I worked in restaurants, I learned that many restaurant sauces and dressings are often mixtures of different dressings that they have on the line. This dressing using salsa, sour cream and Italian dressing is a good example. 

 

 

 

Margarita Recipe – Easy

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Margarita - Easy Recipe.

Margarita – Easy Recipe. I just had to drink some of it before I took a picture.

Where do I start? We first discovered the straight up Margarita at a restaurant in Los Angeles called, “El Coyote”. They mix their margaritas ahead of time in batches and then serve their recipe out of a gun either “up” (no ice), over ice or blended.The bartender told us that the secret to their margarita recipe is that they add a little bit of pineapple juice. 

 

Since then, my husband has perfected this very simple cocktail. When my husband was doing some real estate work down in Mexico’s, Loreto Bay on the Sea of Cortez, he had margaritas at a bar there that used the Mexican Controy Liqueur (instead of Triple Sec) and he said he could not believe how amazingly delicious the margaritas were there. He added that their drinks were really strong which of course makes any subsequent cocktail taste better than the first.  I make a slightly different version with fresh lime juice (or even lemon juice works well too) and Agave Nectar. A restaurant I worked at added a touch of Orange Juice to their margarita mix. Another popular version is the “Cadillac” margarita that uses premium Tequila and has a “float” of Grand Marnier liqueur on top. Frozen fruit can of course be added instead of ice (strawberry, mango, pineapple, kiwi etc…) for a delicious blended fruit margarita. Lastly, you can soak 6 halved chilis (like jalapeños, or serranos or even thai red chilis, whatever is easy to find) in a bottle of tequila for 30 days (or less) and use the spicy tequila to make a “Fire and Ice” margarita after the spiciness of the chilis has permeated the alcohol.

 

  • 2-3 parts Tequila (use a shot glass to measure, or a cup if making a batch).
  • 1 part orange liqueur (like any generic Triple Sec, or the Authentic Mexican Controy, the French Cointreau etc….) 
  • 1 part Concentrated Limeaid (this is my husband’s very simple secret because Sweet ‘n Sour mixes are expensive, full of chemicals and way too sour for my taste).
  • Or, Instead of Limeaid, I add the juice of either a half or a whole Fresh Lime (or Lemon if I don’t have any limes) with 1 Tablespoon Agave Nectar mixed in.This is how they make their margaritas at a Country Western Bar in Calabasas and they are delicious this way).
  • 3 parts water or ice
  • 3 parts frozen fruit (If you want to make a blended fruit version, just add frozen fruit instead of ice).
  • Kosher salt for rim.

 

Keep Kosher Salt in plastic container. Dip rim in saucer of tequila, then container. Done!

Keep Kosher Salt in plastic container. Dip rim in saucer of tequila, then container. Done!

We keep our Kosher Salt permanently in a small, round plastic container with a lid – ready for cocktail hour. Pour Triple Sec or Tequila onto a saucer. Then, dip your glass rim into the saucer to wet the rim and then dip the rim into the container of salt. 

 

Pour the ingredients into a glass flled with ice. Or, add all ingredients into a martini shaker filled with ice, shake and pour into your glass (this is the “up” version). For a refreshing blended version, blend in a blender. Substitute fruit for ice if you’d like. Enjoy!

 

Easy Peach Cobbler Recipe

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Peach Cobbler - sweet and tart, warm and gooey dessert.

Peach Cobbler – sweet and tart, warm and gooey dessert.

Summer is officially over. But I had a huge bowl of ripe peaches left coupled with a mean sweet tooth. And, fruit is healthy after all, right? I am trying to cut back on sugar and carbs (cut back being the keyword here). So, I took a very easy traditional Peach Cobbler recipe, and just substituted some other ingredients I had on hand and used less of the ‘bad’ stuff. I used Rice Flour instead of regular flour to make it gluten free.

 

Peach Cobbler mixing everything in one bowl. Easy!

Peach Cobbler mixing everything in one bowl. Easy!

The best part about this recipe is that you really don’t need to measure anything. Just put in what looks good to you, and bake. It’s that easy. And, it’s always delicious, especially topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

 

  • 3-4 Cups Peach pieces (peeled and sliced, no pit. Use frozen if you’d like).
  • 1/2- 1 Cup Flour (I used Sweet Rice Flour to keep this gluten free. Substitute any flour you’d like).
  • Handful of Oatmeal
  • 1/2 – 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1-2 teaspoons Lemon Zest (optional but gives it a great flavor).
  • Handful of Raisins (optional)
  • 1-2 teaspoons Cinnamon
  • Handful of Walnuts (optional of course).
  • 2 – 4 Tablespoons Butter (cut into cubes).

 

Cover the peaches. Bake. Done.

Mix all the ingredients together. Bake. Done!

Mix all of the ingredients in one bowl.

 

Put into a casserole dish and bake at 350-375 degrees F until browning and bubbly. 

 

Serve topped with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. 

 

Chinese Cold Spicy Sesame Noodles – a la Shorty Tang’s recipe

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Pasta like Spaghetti can be used instead of the Noodles in most recipes.

Pasta like Spaghetti can be used instead of Chinese Noodles or Soba in many recipes.

There’s a restaurant in Manhattan Beach that serves a great spicy sesame noodle recipe topped with peanuts that I was seriously craving the other night. When I worked at Cheesecake Factory, we had a similar dish called the Peking Salad although I don’t believe it is on the menu any longer. As I pondered how to recreate either of the sweet, salty, nutty, tangy noodle dishes, I wondered if there were an authentic, original version for Spicy Cold Sesame Noodles. 

 

After some research, I learned that there is actually a guy named Tang Win Fat, nick-named Shorty Tang who legend has it, is responsible for the first cold, sesame noodle

Shorty Tang gets credit for inventing the Cold Spicy Noodle Recipe

Shorty Tang was a well known New York restauranteur who invented the Chinese Cold Spicy Noodle Recipe.

recipe. His story is featured on his grandson’s WordPress Blog RiceWineVinegar and he was also featured in a story about his historical New York restaurant and in the recipes section in the New York Times. Shorty Tang was born in 1926 in Sichuan’s Nianchang, worked in restaurants starting at the age of 12, and left China for Taiwan in 1946 where he worked as a street vendor before opening his first restaurant there. Then, he moved to Queens, NY in 1967 and opened a restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown which was famous for among other dishes, his Cold Sesame Noodles. This recipe is supposed to replicate Shorty’s but I’ve also listed Madame Wong’s recipe below it which I just happened to have found (strange coincidence) when making a version of her Chinese Lemon Chicken recipe. We served these noodles with a simple Pork Loin Roast and it was a great pairing. 

 

 

 

The easy way to add Fresh Ginger to any recipe. Freeze it, then grate it in.

The easy way to add Fresh Ginger to any recipe. Freeze it, then grate it in.

  • 8 ounces Chinese Egg Noodles or Soba or Spaghetti, cooked and cooled. 
  • 4 Tablespoons Soy Sauce or Tamari 
  • 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
  • 2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Peanut Butter
  • 1 Tablespoon Sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon Red Chili Paste (or Chili and Garlic Paste or even Sriracha Sauce)
  • 1 Tablespoon Grated Fresh Ginger 
  • 1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons Sesame Paste (I forgot this ingredient and it still tasted amazing!)
  • 1/2 Cup Chopped Peanuts
  • 4 Chopped Green Onions
  • 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, diced (my addition)
  • 2 Cups Spinach Leaves (my addition)
  • Feel free to add any other vegetables you like (like broccoli, bean sprouts, celery, cucumber etc…)
  • Feel free to add egg, tofu, leftover chicken, ham or turkey. 

 

Make noodles per package instructions. Drain and rinse in cold water. 

I add Spinach, Peppers and Grated Carrots to the mix.

I add Spinach, Peppers and Grated Carrots to the mix.

When cool, mix all ingredients with the sauce. Done.

 

 

 

As an alternative, here is Madame Wong’s Easy Cold Spicy Noodles Sauce Recipe Ingredients (a quicker, easier version but both recipes are delicious):

 

  • 1 Tablespoon Red Chili Sauce (or Chili and Garlic or Sriracha Sauce)
  • 1/4 Cup Sesame Oil
  • 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce or Tamari
  • 1/4 Cup Rice or Regular Vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 

Either of these recipes work well for a kids’ lunch, or to bring to a picnic or a party although I would use Cashew or Almond Butter and Cashews instead of Peanuts as you never know who might be allergic if you’re sharing this dish with a crowd. Summer is over, but it is still warm in California. Jackson Brown just played at the Santa Monica Pier last weekend. So, I will eat these noodles until it starts to rain and think of Shorty and his lovely family and how even a single recipe can touch so many for years down the road.