Celebrate National Taco Day with this great Recipe

In celebration of National Taco Day, I thought it would be a great way to give you a recipe that highlights the herb of the year - ginger!  This traditional recipe gets its spice from the flavor of ginger and the toppings are for a more traditional street taco style. And you do not need cheese, so this is dairy free!

Traditional Style Tacos 

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon finely grated garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut into 5-inch lengths
• Salt and Pepper
• Warm corn tortillas, for serving
• Diced fresh pineapple, for serving
• Thinly sliced red onion, for serving
• Cilantro leaves, for serving

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk the soy sauce with the garlic and ginger. Brush the mixture all over the steak and season lightly with salt and pepper. Let stand for 20 minutes.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet. Add the steak and cook over high heat, turning once, until charred on the outside and medium-rare within, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a carving board and let rest for 5 minutes. Carve the steak against the grain and serve in warm corn tortillas with diced pineapple, sliced red onion and cilantro leaves.

Weekend Recipe - Fun & Easy Taco Dip

There is this website called HolidayInsights.com that posts information about holidays, National days and other stuff like that.  Under the heading of Bizarre and Unique Days I often find something interesting to post about when I am at a loss for ideas.  When I was surfing there one day, I found National Tortilla Day.

Today, February 24, is National Tortilla Day.  The website did not know the origin of the day, but their guess was a tortilla company may have started it.  I thought it was an unusual day for it -- in Winter, not picnic season or a tortilla-related holiday, but who am I to judge.  I thought it was a great day to celebrate tortilla chips with a quick and easy dip, and if you are cold be sure to add some hot peppers!

Fun and Easy Taco Dip

8 ounce block of cream cheese, softened
16 ounces sour cream

2 Tbls BYP Fiesta Dip Herb Mix
1/2 of an 8 ounce bottle of taco sauce

8 ounce package shredded taco cheese (or cheddar cheese)
1 can sliced black olives
shredded lettuce
1 -2 chopped tomatoes, or 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
Jalapenos, optional

Directions: 

In a bowl, blend softened cream cheese and sour cream with BYP Fiesta Dip Mix and mix well. Spread mixture onto a large platter. Layer on the remaining ingredients. Top with 1/2 1 bottle of taco sauce. Put in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.

How Tuesday- Tortilla Bowls

I admit I am addicted to the Food Network.  But the cooking programs I love are really only on during the day and I am not home.  So when I am home alone on a Saturday morning, the first thing I do is turn on the Food Network.  While I do my laundry, catch up on blogs and make herb products, in the background are shows like Cooking like a Restaurant Chef, Pioneer Woman and Ina Garten or Giada.  I am not always watching every moment, but if they say the word “herb” they have my undivided attention.

The commercials recently have focused on this tool for making tortilla bowls.  I thought that was a great idea, but so limited and in my tiny kitchen if it does not multitask it is not allowed in.  Then one day on Pinterest I saw a photo of someone making these with the back side of a muffin tin.  Now that is what I needed.  Fun food -- No new kitchen tools! 

These are easy to make and fun to eay and not nearly as grerasy as a fried one at a restuant will be!
Here is what I figured out.

You need:

Tortillas

A muffin tin tray (an 18 or 12 cup pan would be better than a 6)

Cooking oil spray

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Make sure the tortillas are at room temperature.  Cold tortillas do not form well.  

Spray the backs of the muffin tins with canola oil or spread canola oil with your fingers over the back of the tins.

Press a tortilla into the spaces between the upraised cups so that it forms a flower. 

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 8 minutes, checking after 6.

Once the tortilla is golden brown at the edges remove it from the oven. Allow to cool in the pan before you take it off and finish cooling on a towel.  The pan can be reused with out re-oiling to make a number of bowls.

Now you can fill it with salad topped with taco meat, salsa dip for an appetizer or a salad with seasoned chicken.

Here is what I made for my tortilla bowls:

Fiesta Seasoned Chicken Salad

1 lb. boneless chicken breast, sliced

1 T. oil

1 T. Backyard Patch Fiesta Dip Mix

4 cups mixed salad greens

½ shredded cheese

1 cup salsa prepared with Backyard Patch Salsa Mix

1 cup prepared Backyard Patch Ranch Salad dressing

Prepared tortilla bowls

Cook chicken slices in oil with Backyard Patch Fiesta Dip Mix on high for about 8 minutes or until cooked through.  Toss cooked chicken with salad greens, salsa, and cheese.  Stir in Ranch Dressing.  Spoon into tortilla bowls and serve immediately. Serves 6.