Feliz Taco Tuesday!

Of course, not making a typical taco for taco Tuesday. I realized a couple things today. First, I haven't made deviled eggs for most of the year. Really odd, for me. Being a deviled-egg lover. Deviled-eggs is one of the first things that I've ever made. And used to be a signature thing that I'd bring to parties and what-have-you.
I have made so many different types of deviled-eggs. But, amazingly enough, haven't made a tacoish-egg.

Ingredients:

• Boiled eggs - about 6 (tip: ice or very cold water shower after boiled for 15 minutes to help separate egg from lining of shell)
• Beans - 1/2-1 cup [all-depending on how many eggs you make- I made 12 -ate 3 :-)][I chose black beans- my fav.] Smashed- not fully.
• Salsa - 1/4-1/2 cup (mixed into smashed beans)
• Cumin - 1 tsp
• Chili Powder - 1/2-1 tsp
• Green Onion - 1 sliced
• Cheddar cheese - for toppings
• Sour cream (or greek yogurt) - for toppings
• Cilantro - for toppings
• Lettuce - if you'd like

Boil eggs. Cut in half & remove yoke and set aside for something else. Mostly smash your beans with a fork, then add salsa, cumin & chili powder. Use mixer to blend nicely. Add to boiled eggs. Then add your other layers: cheese, cream, green onion, cilantro. Feel free to add a little piece of lettuce, if you'd like. 
Serve, or fidge and then serve it up later! 

So, I made these quinoa patties very basic because I had fresh market cilantro leaves that I wanted to use and to see how the patties would taste with the focus being on the cilantro. I did this because I wanted to see if it would taste "soapy"-as I have read and heard many times. I never really noticed, but that is because I mostly use it in Mexican dishes that have a lot of Mexican flavoring, that I guess over-powers the cilantro. 
Before cutting, I took a handful of the leaves to really breathe it in. It has it's own herbal smell. While cutting, I took a piece and tasted it (because in cooking- don't knock until you try it!). I don't know if I would say it has a soapy taste to it, but it definitely has it's own leafy taste- not very earthy. It's not the greatest of herbs ;-)
But, I wasn't going to let that odd, simple taste refrain me from trying something different. Some would say that I try not to make the same exact thing twice. Always twisting-it up!

• 1 cup of quinoa
• 1/2-1 cup of cilantro-coriander leaves (market)
• 1/2 cup pimentos 
• 1/2 cup of onions (give or take)
• 1/2 cup of tomatoes (give or take)
• 1 or 2 pieces of garlic cloves
• black pepper
• breadcrumbs
• sunflower oil (SFO)
• baking/ cooking spray
•  baking sheet with foil or parchment paper

Preheat oven at 450. Cook quinoa accordingly to instructions (hopefully you got the pre-washed)-add a tbsp of oil. Chop how you want your cilantro leaves and add to a mixing bowl. Chop onions & tomatoes and add to bowl. Dice garlic and add to bowl. Add the pimentos, pepper, crumbs and some SFO. Then add half (or more) of quinoa (little bit left over-in case I wanted to make something else with it.). Mix it up good! I decided I was going to bake part and skillet the other part.
Bake - Form your patties on baking sheet (tsp size) and bake for about 15 minutes. Flip and the bake another 10ish minutes. If you want some brownish patties, put on broil for about 5 minutes.
Skillet - Medium-low heat, add SFO. Let it glisten for a couple minutes and add tsp of mix to pan. Pat down to a patty and let cook for 5-7 minutes, flip and cook for another few minutes. Repeat!
​

So, I think making them either way taste pretty much the same, except that the pan fried was flatter and a little greasier. 
For me, they were on the pretty good. Not great, but I like my food with a lot of taste-spices, herbs.
So, I decided to add a dip. For myself, I chose thousand island with horseradish for a little kick to my patties!

Thought I'd add a "meat"ish recipe. When I do sometimes eat meat, it is primarily a pescatarian dish- like fish, tuna, scallops, etc.
What I had and chose was tuna to stuff my mushrooms. Always try to be consciencous about making my food from ingredients from my local farmers markets!

• 8 or more button (cremi) mushrooms (from the market)
• 1/4 cup (2 or 3 slices) yellow onion (market)
• 1-2 pieces garlic cloves (market)
• grape tomatoes (market)
• 2 or 3 pieces of: basil, rosemary & thyme (from my plants that I got from......the market!) - or 1/2-1 tsp of each
• 1/4 cup parmesan (and some for toppings)
• 2-3 tsp horseradish 
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1/2-1 tsp pepper
• 1 can of tuna- albacore
• some alfalfa for toppings

​

Really wash your fresh mushrooms! Chop up the herbs. Dice the onion. Super dice the garlic. Add them to a mixing bowl. Add the albacore tuna, horseradish, parm, pepper and oil. Add a whipped egg. Mix it up!
Spoon into each mushroom. Now, your choice of toppings! Mine were tomatoes, parmesan, alfalfa and olives. I didn't do them all the same- every one was a bit different. Giving people options.
Place on baking sheet with foil or parchment paper or sprayed sheet. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes and then turn of oven. Let set in oven for 10ish minutes. Take out.......eat em up!

I had leftover black bean mix from my taco pita pizza recipe. So, I also made some little meatball-looking bites! The same day....not today! lol. I just got around to posting it today. :-)

So, the ingredients for the mix is on my taco pita pizza recipe post. 
Additional ingredients:

• 2 eggs (one for adding in mix & one for washing)
• 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup of avocado oil
• 2 tsp of cilantro (plus some for topping)

Add 1 egg and oil to mix (if you'd like, add some crumbs and some more cilantro). Tsp or Tbsp out from mix. Add some breadcrumbs. Rolls and form balls. Put on sprayed baking sheet (or foil on top of sheet, or parchment paper. Wash the whole ball with whipped or mix well egg. Sprinkle cilantro. Repeat till finished. Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Let sit for a bit, then eat em up!


Need to dip? Me too! Here's a little dip recipe:

From the picture, you can see the ingredients I used for my quicky dip!

• 1 tbsp of sour cream
• 2 tbsp of greek yogurt (or 3 tbsp of only greek yogurt)
• 1/2 lime squeezed
• 1 clove super diced (from market)
• chives, parsley flakes (maybe some more cilantro) - fresh or farmers market, if you got it!
• 1/2 tsp of pepper

​Mix it up! Dip it up! Eat em up!

As I receive many emails of recipes, I stumbled on one that was called potato towers. I have made many recipes with baking potatoes in different ways, but never made these! I don't know if you are like me, but I receive so many recipes daily, that when I find one that I like, I forget about making it because I don't always save the email or put a reminder-n-such. But, I did this time! And, sooo glad that I did! These are yummy!

Guideline ingredients:

• ​potatoes - 3-5 (farmers market- or store bought)- I used red potatoes (skin on-washed)
• onion - yellow (semi-sweet-from farmers market)- thinnest slice on mandolin
• garlic clove - 1-2 pieces (farmers market)
• oil - 1/4 cup I used organic sunflower oil (try it, healthier- mix it up!)
• parmesan - 1/4-1/2c (it's up to you!) - and some for topping
• pepper - 1-2 tsp
• thyme (2-3 tsp) and some for topping (wish it was from farmer's market!)
• grape tomatoes- enough for toppings (had farmers, but wanted to use up store bought)

Slice the potatoes on the thinnest level on mandolin (or knife). Same with the onions. Add to bowl. Add garlic, oil, parm, pepper & thyme. Mix it up either nicely with your washed hands ;-) or with a spoon. Spray muffin pan or use cut up foil or parchment. Add a few layers of sliced potato, then add a layer of onion, another layer of potato and onion, then top with layer of potato. Sprinkle with parm and thyme and add sliced tomato (or whatever topping you prefer). Bake on 450 for about 35 minutes- check on them! Let cool a bit, then eat em up!
Normally, I like to really switch up the ingredients for either more of a kick, variety or health conscience. Which I did change a few things, like used red potatoes, sunflower oil and how it was baked. Being the first thyme (ha, get it), wanted to keep it simple. Not next thyme! ;-)

Now, you can eat the potato towers as is, or dip them in a dip sauce/condiment of your preference! Your dipping choice is your oyster!!
Normally, I would have whipped-up something special- but, again, keeping this recipe post simple & easy.

There is an amazing difference when buying your veggies from the store and from the market!
I prefer and buy as much as I can from my local farmer's markets.
Many of the items in this recipe is from local farmer's markets, but there is always the option of buying from the store.

• cucumbers (hopefully from your local market!) - 1 or more (depending on much you want to make)
• chickpeas (garbanzos) - 1 can
• basil (fresh from market, store bought or pre-chopped bottle)
• EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)- or whatever oil you want to use (hopefully not vegetable oil!) - 1/2 cup
• garlic clove ( from the market!) - 1-2 pieces (if you like garlic or not) (or minced garlic)
• black pepper
• red pepper flakes (for a bit of a kick) (or not)
• squeezed lemon (or lime)
• finely chopped onion (quarter) (from your market!!!) - or Tbsp of onion powder
• cherry tomatoes (maaarket)
• organic pitted olives
• homemade or store pickles

Puree everything!....except the last three and the cukes!
Slice cukes to your preferred thickness.
Spread puree on cukes. Add whatever little toppings you prefer. I chose chopped cherry tomatoes, chopped pickles and organic pitted olives -for a variety. 
I used plenty of basil- which makes it look darker. Feel free to use whatever amount you'd like!