Makes about 8 tacos

2 lbs ground beef

1/2 lb of mushroom of your choice (goes best with shiitake)

Small bag of Arugula salad for garnish

2 tbs Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pour oil in to medium saute pan on medium high heat. Brown ground beef in pan and set aside. Add mushrooms and pinch of salt to same pan and saute them on medium high heat until mushrooms are brown (about 2 mins). Remove mushrooms and dab with paper towel to remove excess oil. Mix beef and mushrooms together in bowl.

Salsa Verde

About 1 doz medium tomatillos

1 Serrano pepper

3/4 cup picked cilantro

2 tbs lime juice

1 pinch of Kosher Salt

1/2 Yellow Onion (chopped)

Remove husks from tomatillos. Blanch tomatillos in boiling water for 25 seconds. Immediately place tomatillos in ice water until cool to touch. Remove skin from tomatillos and set aside. Chop Serrano pepper and set aside. Pick cilantro leaves from stem and set aside. Chop 1/2 yellow onion and set aside. Put everything and lime juice in to blender and pulse until desired consistency. 

Lightly fry tortillas in 1.5 tbs vegetable oil in small saute pan or grill tortillas. Dab tortillas with paper towel to remove excess oil. Add beef and mushroom mixture to tortilla and garnish with arugula on top. Pour desired amount of Salsa Verde on top and serve.

Makes about 10 servings

1 12 oz bag of Fideos noodles

1/2 Red Bell Pepper

1/2 Green Bell Pepper

1/2 Yellow Onion

16 oz Tomato Soup

16 oz Mushroom Soup

2 tbs Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pour 1tbs oil in to medium saute pan on medium heat. Add onion and bell peppers; stir to evenly coat onion and peppers in oil.  Keep stirring until soft. Remove peppers and onions and set aside. Pour 1tbs oil in to same pan on medium heat. Toast noodles in pan; stir frequently to evenly coat noodles with oil until golden brown. Add soups, peppers and onions to noodles in pan and reduce heat to medium low; let simmer until soups are reduced by 3/4. Let pasta brown on one side then flip to achieve same result on other side (think potato pancake).

Cut pasta in to quarters and serve individually.

Makes about 8 tacos.

BBQ Chicken

2 lbs boneless chicken thighs

BBQ Sauce:

1 qt Ketchup

1 cup orange juice

2 cups Stout beer (we use Black Fly)

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tbs Balsamic Vinegar

1 tbs Molasses

2 tsp Cayenne

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Chili Powder

1 Serrano pepper (roasted)

1 large sweet onion (diced small)

2 tbs lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tbs vegetable oil.

Grill chicken evenly on both sides until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. When done pull apart with forks or by hand and set meat aside.

Heat large sauté pan on medium low and add vegetable oil. Add Onions and a pinch of salt. Stir to evenly coat onions with oil and salt. Reduce heat to low and continue to stir periodically. Cook onions until soft. When onions are soft add stout and increase heat to medium high. Let liquid reduce by ¾. Add all other ingredients except lemon juice and let slowly simmer for about 10 minutes, gently stirring. Add lemon juice and grilled chicken and reduce heat to low. Stir gently for 20 mins.

Habañero Slaw

½ head green cabbage

½ head red cabbage

1 large carrot

2 egg yolks

2 cups Canola Oil

1 Habañero pepper (roasted)

1 tbs Dijon mustard

2 tsp Lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Shred cabbage using a knife or mandolin. Shred carrot using a cheese grater. Mix together and set aside.

Grill Habañero until slightly blackened on the outside. Peel off the charred skin and remove seeds (please use gloves for this or your hands will burn). Cut the Habañero into about 6 strips, set aside.

Add egg yolks, Habañero, and Dijon to a blender. Make sure blender is on its lowest setting and turn it on. Now gradually increase the speed until it’s at about 1/3 of its full power (about 1 second in between each speed should be fine). Now slowly add oil into the blender while it is mixing. Start with a few drops at a time and slowly increase to a slow and steady stream. When all oil is added pour mixture out into a bowl and add lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Now add shredded carrots and cabbage and mix till all are well coated.

Serve about 4 oz of bbq chicken with 2 oz slaw on a tortilla.

americastestkitchen:

Cook’s Illustrated test cook Lan Lam drops a big handful of chopped kale into an in-progress pot of caldo verde, a traditional Portugese soup that derives its namesake deep green color from the hearty leafy green, in addition to deep flavors from potatoes, onions and (sometimes) smoked sausages like chouriço or linguiça. See more behind-the-scenes photos at: http://bit.ly/o0qi36

The top 3 entries will be featured on the menu as that weeks specials and the #winning cooks eat for free all week.

Listen up, Vegetarians!

Create a vegetarian lunch entree from the following:

Asparagus

Tofu

Goat Cheese

Mesclun Salad Mix

Remember, these are just the base ingredients.  This is the foundation for your dish.  Feel free to experiment and add what you want.  Make magic, make a mess!

The top 3 entries will be featured on the menu as that weeks specials and the #winning cooks eat for free all week. 

Create a brunch dish using the following ingredients:

Beacon Apples

Lamb Shanks

Kale

Maple Syrup

Remember, these are just the base ingredients.  This is the foundation for your dish.  Feel free to experiment and add what you want.  Buy local and get cookin’!