Taco salad, the semi-homemade way!

Taco Salad
Makes 4-6 servings



After our last class of the semester, my friend Kathryn and I decided to hang out. We ended up watching Far and Away, which is a great movie to watch when you haven't slept in two months. Honestly, it's a good movie, if you like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, with Irish accents. Anyway, Kathryn made us taco salads for dinner, so I was inspired to write a quick recipe.

If you love Mexican food and simple recipes, this one's for you!

Ingredients:

• 1 bag yellow corn tortilla chips
• 1 bag corn tortilla chips with chili and lime seasoning (optional)
• 1 pound ground turkey (or your favorite meat or tofu crumbles)
• 1 box (4 serving-sized) Spanish pilaf
• Note: you can use whatever rice you have and a packet of taco seasoning instead.
  
• 1 - 5.3 oz container of FAGE Total 0% Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)
  
• 1 scallion, chopped into small pieces
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
• salt and pepper
• cheese, whatever kind you like - I used a blend of cheddar and Monterey, shredded
  

Directions:

1. In a shallow pan or skillet, brown the turkey, meat, or tofu, on medium high heat, until it is cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can add red chili flakes if you like. Set aside.
   
2. If you opt to use Spanish pilaf, cook it according to its directions or mix the rice with the taco seasoning packet and set aside. (You can opt to not use rice entirely and add the taco seasoning mix directly to the meat instead, depending on what you want to eat.)
3. Assemble your taco salad by adding chips to your (microwaveable) bowl, then add a scoop of rice, then a scoop of meat, add some tomatoes, and sprinkle on some cheese. Place bowl in microwave for 30 - 60 seconds until your cheese is melted. Then add a dollop of FAGE or sour cream and top with a few slices of scallion.
4. Enjoy deliciousness.
   

Here's a close up:



Enjoy,

the cooking herb

Easy Ginger Shrimp Pasta

Easy Ginger Shrimp Pasta
Makes 5 servings




This recipe was supposed to be a garlic shrimp, but I didn't have garlic. I sent my little brother out to get me garlic, but he brought home more ginger, which I already had. So for those who don't know...

This is garlic:


and this is ginger:


Please don't make the same mistake. :)


On to the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 20 medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 box of gluten-free pasta (or any type of pasta you like)
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 4 tablespoons of ginger, julienned (cut into small thin strips)
• 4 cups of baby arugula
• 1 small lemon
• salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, boil water, add a small handful of salt, then cook pasta until al dente, approximately 7-8 minutes. Drain the pasta and place into a large bowl. (I suggest using a large bowl that you can toss/mix easily in.)


2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Carefully add julienned ginger and let the pieces cook until a light brown color. Remove ginger from oil and set aside for later.


3. Lightly salt the shrimp and carefully add a few to the now ginger-infused oil and cook the shrimp, on medium heat, until orangey-pink, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Remove shrimp from the oil and set aside for later. (***Do not overcook, or the shrimp will taste rubbery! Simply cook the shrimp on both sides for 2-3 minutes and let the carry-over finish cooking the shrimp.)
   
4. Slice 1/3 of the lemon off, for juicing use later, and slice the remaining lemon into 1/4 inch slices.
   
5. In the large bowl that you've placed your pasta in, add the cooked shrimp, baby arugula, and some of the fried ginger. Add approximately two tablespoons of lemon juice and the lemon slices, salt and pepper to taste, and toss the mix. Finally add the remaining fried ginger to the top for a decorative touch.
   

Here are some close-ups of the final product:




Enjoy!


- the cooking herb

First, delicious, recipe post!

Don't let the title fool you. All of my recipes will be delicious, otherwise I wouldn't post them!

3 Spice Chicken

Makes 4 servings

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup Bragg Liquid Aminos (or your favorite soy sauce)
• 2 tablespoons Tamari (I like to use San-J's Organic Wheat Free Tamari - Gold Label, you don't have to use Tamari, but I like the smoother sweet flavor, so if you don't have Tamari, just use more soy sauce. If you opt to use just soy sauce, I suggest adding a teaspoon of sugar to balance out the flavor.)
• 5 cloves of garlics, chopped finely
• 1 scallion, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
• 4 whole star anise, ground*
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves, ground*
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups water

*A note about whole spices - if you have a spice grinder, I highly recommend grinding your own spices, because to me the flavors are much richer. If it's more convenient, use 2 teaspoons of ground star anise and 1 teaspoon of ground clove from the store.

Also, you should not add salt to this recipe. I repeat, do not be tempted to add salt! There is plenty of salt already in the soy sauce/tamari!

Other ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken breast, divided into two pieces and sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Directions:

1. Place the sliced chicken into the marinade and mix well. Marinate for at least one (1) hour.
2. Transfer chicken and marinating liquid to a sauteuse, or any deep skillet and cook the chicken on medium-high heat for approximately 7 minutes using a "shallow poaching" method on the cooktop.

The marinating liquid should only cover the chicken halfway and keep the lid on the sauteuse for about 5 minutes of the cooking time. Uncover and cook the chicken for the remaining time, until the chicken is cooked through.

As a finishing touch, you can add a chiffonade of basil; it goes gorgeously with the spice flavors. I served this chicken on top of a bed of hearts of romaine, with a side of rice and steamed broccoli.

Check out the product below:

Please try out the recipe and let me know how it turns out for you!

Enjoy! :)

- the cooking herb