Nothing fancy to share today, only the sad confession that we've had tacos the last three Tuesdays, and may very well continue the inadvertent tradition tonight.
As much as I love alliteration, and I do, even I'm not so amused with it that I plan meals around it.
It's just that...
Tacos are so easy.
And so delicious.
And they make such a wonderful excuse to stuff my face with guacamole.
Now that I've got tacos on your mind I figured I might as well share some of our favorite new places and recipes in case you too would like to get in on #TacoTuesday.
First, there's Torchy's Tacos. (Does alliteration get more perfect than that?)
We've had really great experiences with the location at Forrest and Preston. (We went twice the week friends introduced it to us, actually.) And the price is right to keep going back.
Their tacos range from $3.24 to $4.75 each, and I get filled up on one order (plus chips of course) so we can get out of there without breaking the bank.
I'm a big fan of The Democrat, beef barbacoa, avocado (yay) and cilantro, yum.
Mikael loves the Ahi tuna, which is called Mr. Pink. So manly. :)
He said Mr. Orange, which is salmon, is great too, but what really intrigues me is their Taco of the Month.
March's specialty is a chicken and waffle taco. With a fried egg. And bacon. And syrup.
I'm gonna judge myself for saying this, but, I've got to try that. You only #YOLO once, right? ;)
The picture of yummy shrimp tacos is from a great place my sister just introduced us to Sunday night, Meso Maya.
Their food was so good I ate my leftovers Monday and could still go back for more today.
I actually ordered brisket enchiladas (I'm a creature of habit, and I love bbq), and elote con crema (ain't I fancy?) but Mikael and Jessie both got tacos there, shrimp in fact.
Everything we tried was outstanding, including the housemade chips and salsa, which was a green, not-too-spicy but very flavorful blend.
Hands down it was the best Mexican I've eaten so far this year, maybe in my life.
The place is pretty pricey* but the food really is delightful and the atmosphere is nice too.
Dim lighting, comfortable seating, generous portions, Mexican bottled Coca-Cola. What's not to love?
(*Entrees were in the $11 to $19 range. Since I'm usually pretty thrifty I feel like I needed to clarify that. Not exactly sell a kidney pricing, but it's definitely a splurge.)
Now, this last recommendation is gonna surprise those of you that might have missed out on my #WhatsForDinner tweets over the last few months, especially if you've ever spent time and money with me at a drive thru.
But we've been making a lot of meatless meals around here, and I'm actually adjusting to the transition.
I still love beef, mind you, and pork, and chicken...
But, I definitely like that we're finding balance between his favorite super-healthy recipes and my guiltiest pleasures (fried Oreos, gas station hotdogs...).
One of our easiest go-to recipes is the Blackbean Quinoa burger recipe found here, which is super adaptable and pretty simple/quick to make.
I'm sharing it now because once you've created your "meat" you can use it in any number of applications.
In fact, TacoTuesday actually started because we made extra burger patties one Monday night, and decided to use the leftovers as tacos the next day.
If you scroll through the comments you'll see there are lots of ways you can adapt this particular recipe, adding different veggies to the mix, different spices, even substitutes for the bread crumbs.
Though I'm not the Head Chef in our household, should you have questions about the recipe I'll be happy to pass them along.
Most importantly though, I really can attest to how good these burgers turn out, with the right seasoning that is.
If you're interested in dabbling in vegeterianism, or just opting out of meat one or two nights a week, these blackbean burgers are a great place to start. (Plus most of the other ingredients are probably already in your cabinets.)
So what are you thinking? Does #TacoTuesday sound like a plan?
More than that, what are your favorite weeknight, go-to recipes? Do share.
I hope you all have a great day after Monday.
I'll be back tomorrow to share something a bit more "meaty."
In the meantime thank you from the bottom of my hungry stomach for hanging in there with me, through all these weird meanders as I try to find my footing as a more consistent "blogger," and through all my very amateur attempts at legitimate graphic design. :)
(The logos/photos above were borrowed from the websites linked up in this post, by the way, save the fuzzy food photo in the background; that's all me.)
Your support has really helped spur me on, and I'm so grateful for faithful friends willing to stick with you through your growing pains and food cravings.
Tacos are the best Stephanie!
Hope you got your craving M&K!
Posted by: Jen | 03/07/2013 at 12:04 PM
YUM. Really craving some delicious tacos now. Thanks for sharing! M&K at brewedtogether.com
Posted by: M&K | 03/06/2013 at 05:46 PM
TACO TUESDAY is the best invention ever! :)
Posted by: Stephanie | 03/05/2013 at 05:26 PM