HELLO SWEET KITTENS!

I haven’t done a blog post in a while because I was busy moving my entire life from Toronto to Los Angeles! I’ve been in LA for just under a month now and because of spending so much time focussing on my career, cooking has taken a back seat. The meals I have been making aren’t as elaborate, but they always pack a big punch when it comes to taste. We’re all busy bees and variety is the spice of life so I have come up with my favorite go-to, quick meal. TACOS.

I not talking about old el paso bullshit, (which don’t get me wrong, I love that stuff.) I’m talking about fresh corn tortillas filled with tender meats, perfect avocados, crisp veg, salsa, cheese and more!

It all starts with meat and a slow cooker. If I’m doing chicken, I use chicken thighs because they’re cheaper than chicken breasts and won’t dry out in the slow cooker. For beef I usually use a a slightly fattier, cheaper cut that will melt down real nice in the low and slow. I haven’t done the pork yet, but any kind of pork shoulder, butt, roast type cut would work. Simply toss your meat in the SC, add a half cup of water or broth and seasonings of your choice (I usually do garlic power, salt, pepper, cayenne) and let it cook for 5-6 hours on low. Once it’s done, pull apart the meat with a fork and store it in a tupperware so you’ll have meat for days to use in salads, sandwiches, pasta sauces, tacos and more!

Now, for building your taco.

1. Get yourself some corn tortillas. I bought a pack at Trader Joe’s for 99 cents. You could do flour tortillas as well, but I prefer corn. Just before building my taco, I like to heat the tortillas gently in a frying pan, 20 second on each side. This makes them pliable so they won’t flake and break in half.
2. Avocados! To me, they are key. You can either make a simple guacamole with lemon juice, salt and pepper or you can just smear a quarter of an avocado directly onto the tortilla as your base.
3. Veg! Sautee some onions and peppers if you like.
4. Meat! Reheat your meat in a pan (or microwave if you’re lazy) with a few spoonfuls of salsa. Tomatillo salsa is my fave.
5. Cheese! Once your meat and veg are cooked and warmed, add them on top of your tortilla and top with cheese of your choice. A blend of shredded cheese is always nice but my fave is a mild feta. It adds the right amount at tang! Cotija would be great too but I always have trouble finding it.
6. Extras! Get creative! Add a few spinach leaves. Toss in on black beans or corn to your meat. Go nuts with pickled jalapeños and hot sauce! Chopped cilantro! the possibilities are endless!

Once the meat is made, it literally takes 10 minutes to assemble these bad boys. I’ve been eating tacos like crazy and I don’t get sick of them because it’s always a different combination. And you know what? They’re pretty darn healthy! No extra oils or fats are used to cook the meat. Avocados are good fats. Full of veg. Beans are great. Cheese in moderation. annnnd not they’re gluten free! I usually make 2 for a meal on the run. If you want to get fancy you can also serve it with rice and beans or a side salad. The other day I sautéed the meat with diced sweet potato, onions, peppers and salsa, topped it with guac and ate it with tortilla chips. HEAVEN.

I’m going to try a slow cooker version with tofu, so stay tuned for that! I also made breakfast tacos, sans meat, by making a scramble with eggs, black beans, spinach and onion. Add avo, salsa, cheese and you’ve got yourself a breaky tacoooooo.

Doesn’t that look good? Off to make some more tacos! Ta-taco!

Julia