Cocoa Beef Tacos
Not to be confused with a Choco-Taco, I used my beloved Valrhona Cocoa Powder (the only thing I use for my baking) to add a little depth to beef tacos.
Chocolate is often used in Mexican mole so I thought adding a bit to my regular spices would add a deep, rich flavor – it did and was perfectly savory! And I loved telling the kids they were going to have chocolate for dinner, the look of confusion was priceless.
ingredients:
2-3 pound chuck roast
2 Tablespoons Valrhona Cocoa Powder
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
tortillas, cheese, lettuce, etc.
In a bowl combine the cocoa, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Whew. It sounds like a lot but trust me, I’ve altered this a few times and with this combo the flavors stand on their own yet come together perfectly.
Place the chuck roast in the crock pot. I like to cut the meat down into at least three pieces rather than one large roast. Sprinkle the spice mixture on top of the meat, then pour the beef broth in.
Set the crock pot to low for 6-8 hours. When the meat is done it will pull apart easily, serve it on tortillas with all the accompaniments you like!
The kids ate this up and they can’t wait for more ‘chocolate’ tacos!
Flautas
Here at justJENN headquarters we love us some Mexican food. And really, is there anything better than fried Mexican food?? Well, it’s not the healthiest – and while I could care less about myself, I DO care about what the kids eat and so I try to doctor up some of their faves to make them slightly healthier. Plus frying things at home can be such a drag.
So I made some flautas but baked them in the oven. They crisped up perfectly and honestly it was hard to tell the diff between these and the fried version. This is a regular meal of ours and don’t let the prep fool you, they are quick to make!
ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
my homemade taco seasoning (recipe here)
flour tortillas
melted butter
In a pan over medium high heat, brown the ground beef and sprinkle the taco seasoning on top. Simmer for a few minutes, then set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prep a sheet pan with foil and then a wire rack on top.
Take the flour tortilla and add about 4-5 Tablespoons of the meat filling. Tightly roll the tortilla, securing it with toothpicks. (You’ll remove these later.)
Once they are all rolled, brush with melted butter. Bake for 15-20 minutes until browned and crisp.
Take the toothpicks out before serving, they go great with salsa and guacamole!
Homemade Taco Seasoning
I don’t know what it is, the preservatives, the sodium – I just hate pre-packaged things. Even seasoning. I like to make my own so that I can control what goes into it, as well as the level of spice.
This taco seasoning is EASY. And once you have the base ingredients you can use it over and over on beef, chicken, shrimp – just about anything!
ingredients:
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Mix well and keep in an airtight container.
Mexican Chicken Soup
When I was a kid I always remember there being a bag of Chicharrones aka fried pork rinds in the house. While my family loved to snack on them, I find them to be a great accompaniment to my Mexican Chicken Soup.
ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 chicken breast halves, bone in
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups corn
Toppings:
2 roma tomatoes, diced
2 avocados, diced
Chicharrones
In a large pot** sauté the garlic, onion and bell pepper in the olive oil. When soft, add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, and the 2 chicken breast halves.
Cut the chicken down to the bone (not through), so that it’s still attached, but in smaller pieces. That way it will cook faster. I like the chicken bone-in because it’s more flavorful when it simmers down. At the end you’ll just pull out the bones and skin.
Add the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-1/2 hours. Stir in the corn and serve.
I like to serve this soup in bowls, over rice – and topped with diced tomatoes, avocados and of course, chicharrones!
The kids love this dish, I think it’s the warmth of the soup and the crunch of the chicharrones. Perfect for winter, though our winter here in SoCal is 75 degrees. Sorry folks!
**My Le Creuset French Oven
Dulce de Leche Brownie Cupcakes
Like the Horchata Cupcakes, this is another dessert I made up for my mom’s library lecture for a Mexican-American author. Give me a theme and I will run with it. Sinful? Yes. Delicious? HECK YES.
ingredients:
8 ounces chocolate chips
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup Valrhona cocoa powder
Dulce de Leche
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep a cupcake pan with liners.
In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and the butter, stirring constantly. Once melted and combined, carefully take off the heat and let cool for a few minutes. Whisk in the sugar until smooth. Then quickly add the vanilla and eggs, whisking constantly, you don’t want them to cook.
Carefully add in the flour and cocoa, just whisking until combined. The nice thing about brownies is that you don’t need an electric mixer, just a little bit of strength.
Dulce de Leche is a thick milk caramel – if you haven’t tried it, get some immediately. You can make your own from scratch or you can be lazy like me and find it in stores or online
Spoon a small amount (just about 1 Tablespoon) of batter into each liner. Now place a spoonful of prepared Dulce de Leche top and then top with more batter – covering completely.
Bake for approx 25-30 mins depending on your oven. You can do a toothpick test, but it’s kinda tough since the Dulce is right in the middle – just make sure the brownie part is cooked through.
Let cool on a wire rack then EAT!!
Mexican Caviar
I remember my mom making this a lot when we were kids and thinking, ‘Ew. Caviar.’ Silly me. Little did I know there were NO fish eggs to be found in this – just an amazing mixture of flavors.
My mom’s recipe was much simpler and over the years I’ve added ingredients and also a little spice, because I can’t live without Tapatio.
ingredients:
3 teaspoons olive oil
3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons tapatio
2 roma tomatoes, diced SMALL
1/2 cup corn
1 (7 oz) can chopped black olives
1 (7 oz) can chopped green chiles
1 avocado, diced SMALL
1 clove garlic, minced
squeeze of half a lime
pinch of salt
freshly ground pepper
In a medium bowl, toss the diced tomatoes, corn, chopped black olives, chopped green chiles, diced avocado and garlic.
Mix together the olive oil and red wine vinegar, pour over all the ingredients and toss.
Tapatio is a MUST have of any person’s pantry in Southern California. Less spicy than tabasco, it adds the perfect kick to most any dish. Add the Tapatio and a squeeze of half a lime and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.
You can serve this immmediately, but it’s also kind of nice to keep it in the fridge and let the flavors meld together for a few hours. Great with chips for parties…but I just eat it myself. On the couch. Watching Oprah.
Horchata Cupcakes
My mom’s library was hosting a lecture for a Mexican-American author. What better refreshments to provide then some Mexican influenced treats?
Horchata is a rice based drink and luckily the taqueria down the street serves it up fresh. It makes for a sweet, cinnamon-y distinctive dessert!
ingredients:
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter
1-3/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup Horchata
Horchata frosting (recipe, here)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prep a cupcake pan with liners.
In a medium bowl whisk together the cake flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs one by one, then the vanilla until combined.
Alternate the flour mixture and the horchata until well blended.
Divide the batter into the cupcake cups, and bake for 14-16 minutes depending on your oven. Let cool on a wire rack. While the cupcakes are cooling – start the frosting!
Frost the cupcakes with Horchata frosting and sprinkle with cinnamon!
Horchata Frosting
Horchata is a Mexican rice drink that I turned into a sweet frosting for cupcakes.
ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
4-1/2 to 5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup horchata
Beat the softened butter with the confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon and vanilla.
Add the horchata as needed – you may not need all of it.
Once you get the right consistency, frost cake, cupcakes or even cookies!
mini Taco Salad bowls
I use my beloved cupcake pans for just about everything. From a Rainbow Snack Tray (the Kid’s fave) to actual cupcakes – it’s so helpful and versatile, I knew they’d be perfect for shaping little tortilla bowls for my taco salads!
ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced small
3 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
juice of 1/2 a lime
flour tortillas
olive oil salt
lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, etc
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Let’s start by discussing my love of tortillas. I am lucky enough to live close to a Taqueria that makes them fresh. I am telling you there is nothing better. If you do buy the ones at the grocery store, just give them a quickie in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them up. (Fresh ones don’t need that process.) Using a brush, put olive oil on both sides of the tortilla. I prefer flour, it comes out much better but if you want to use corn tortillas – go on with your bad self, I’m not gonna stop you. The perfect size is about 5″-6″ round, if yours are bigger, I’d cut them down, it’s easier to fold.
Using a nice pastry brush (I prefer silicone
Press the oiled tortillas into a cupcake pan. Carefully fold over the edges so that the tortilla doesn’t break but still retains it’s shape. The oil should help with the folding. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then take them out and set them aside to cool on a wire rack.
In a small bowl combine the seasonings: chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Start the meat! (Like start your engines except…beefier.) In a pan over medium high – heat the 2 teaspoons of olive oil and saute the garlic and onion. When it just begins to soften add the ground beef to brown, adding the mixed seasonings.
For heaven’s sake, drain the meat of greazze, no one wants to eat that. Right before you serve, squeeze the half a lime over the top of the meat. It adds a nice little acidic kick.
Now fill your little tortilla bowls with the meat mixture, topping it with whatever you like. I like hot sauce, a little cheese, some lettuce and tomatoes and guac, heck yes – the guac.
The kids like this dish because, well it’s a DISH you can eat. I like it cause it’s small which means I can load up extra on chips and guac. Priorities.
Stewed beef tacos
We eat A LOT of Mexican food around here. If I’m not buying it, I’m making it.
Using the crock pot is a simple way to get flavorful, tender beef for tacos. This was the recipe that turned The Kid (‘Meat? Blech.’) around, because he ate. it. up! There’s no turning back now, I’ve created a meat lover…
ingredients:
2 pounds stew meat
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic
juice of one lime
In a small bowl combine the chili powder, cumin, onion powder and salt.
Place the meat in the crock pot. Add the garlic, then sprinkle the seasonings on top.
Add the juice of one lime and season with pepper.
Turn the crock pot on to low for 5 hours.
You’ll be amazed at the liquid that appears after 5 hours. Here’s where I like to make sure the meat is tender and juicy, perfect for tacos.
Take the meat out, and do a rough chop through the pieces. Put them BACK in the crock pot and cook on low for another 1-2 hours.
The best thing about this is you don’t have to worry about cooking all day, it’ll be done at dinner time and all you can pre-prepare all the fixins’ early, tortillas, roasted corn, fresh guac….Man, I’m getting hungry.
