Taco Night Amped Up and Healthy (yes it still tastes good)

We had the most amazing taco night ever!!!  Matt made me homemade guacamole and some bean and corn concotion that was out of this world.  We made homemade taco meat seasoning and used grass fed ground beef.  MMmm, I could eat this every night.  I did not get a good picture of the guacamole, but you can see it's very fresh - plastic wrap lines and all.  It is such a gorgeous color and whispers come hither to me from the fridge.

Matt and I love being in the kitchen together and this dinner was no different.  I think a lot of our meals taste so delicious because we create them together and share the love of cooking and eating.  I was super excited for Matt to try grass fed ground beef and the taste difference in flavor.  I'm really big into organic and whole foods, but he loves preservatives, haha. 

Coming soon....chicken spanikopita meatballs and fresh authentic tzatziki!

Taco Seasoning

2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1.5 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt
dash of cayenne pepper or more to suit your taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large skillet I browned the beef with a chopped onion and then drained the very little fat that was in the beef.  Place the beef and onion back in the skillet and add the taco seasoning and a 1/4 c water. 

Guacamole from Tyler Florence
4 ripe avocados
3 limes, juiced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 serrano chiles (Matt left these out)
1 big handful fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Halve and pit the avocados.  Scoop out the flesh with a tablespoon into a mixing bowl.  Mash the avocados with a fork, leaving them somewhat chunky.  Add the remaining ingredients, and fold everything together to gently mix.  Lay a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the guacamole so it doesn't brown and refrigerate overnight before serving.

BEST GUACAMOLE I've EVER eaten!!!  I could eat this until my belly hurt it was so good.  He only used 2 limes because one of them provided LOTS of juice.

Matt's Bean and Corn Concotion
1 can black beans
1 can mexi-corn
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 lime, juiced
Olive Oil

In a skillet, heat olive oil and saute the chopped onion and garlic until the onion is translucent.  Add beans, corn, and lime juice; heat through and serve. 

This was very good and we ate it in our tacos.  It would also be good as a dip for tortilla chips!

Mmmm, the finished product getting ready to go into my belly!!!! 

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This is my absolute favorite dip...mmmm good! It's spicy with a great blend of cheeses and oh so creamy. Unfortunately I do not have any ooey gooey good pictures because our camera decided this would be an excellent time for the battery to die. Of course our back-up battery was also dead. Trust me when I say this is an amazing dip even though the pictures we have do it no justice.

In case I have not mentioned this little tidbit before, I do not like spicy food. I love the taste, but I'm a huge wimp and cannot handle the heat. However, I can handle this dip and I calm it down by eating my dip with celery as my delivery vessel. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Buffalo Chicken Dip
2 C shredded chicken (I use rotisserie chicken which makes this super simple)
2 - 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese*
1 C GOOD ranch*
1 C buffalo wing sauce (I prefer Texas Pete)
1- 1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar

* I used light cream cheese and light ranch, and it turned out just as wonderful as the full-fat version!

• Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in the cream cheese and ranch dressing; cook, stirring until well blended and warm.
• Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer mixture to a 2 qt. Crock pot. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the top, cover, and cook on low until bubbly!
• Serve with celery, tortilla chips, corn chips, or whatever your preferred dipper is.

In the crockpot waiting to get all bubbly warm and ready for dippers!

“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.”- Earl Shoaf

Jalapeno Popper Dip

This is one of my most requested recipes, and is very adaptable with the "heat"! I love to serve this with Frito scoops, but Matt loves to use the bagel chips. Is the delivery aparatus really as important as what is being delivered? I think not. I do not have an excellent picture of this, and plan on taking a better one next time I make it. I have over a dozen recipes I need to post...I need to get better at keeping this updated. ;)

2 - 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese at room temp
1 C Helman's Mayo
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar (I prefer sharp)
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1 - 7 oz. can chopped green chiles
2 - 4 oz. cans sliced jalapenos (for mild use two mild, medium use one mild and one hot, for hot use two hot cans)

Topping:
1 C panko bread crumbs (you can also use regular bread crumbs, but I've never tried that way)
1/2 C grated parmesan cheese
1/2 stick butter, melted

In a food processor combine the cream cheese and mayo until smooth. Add in the chopped green chiles and jalapenos and pulse until the little bits of green are distributed throughout. Then add in the cheddar and parmesan cheese. Pour into a 2 quart greased cassrole dish. In a seperate bowl mix the panko crumbs, grated parm, and melted butter; sprinkle over cream cheese mixture. Bake in oven at 375 degrees until the top is brown and the edges are bubbly! ENJOY!

Reflection for the Day:

"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they are right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together."