Chorizo, Potato & Mushroom Tacos

I don't think I need to explain my obsession love for Mexican food.  It's pretty cut and dry and something that will probably always be an obsession love of mine.  Next to cheeseburgers and ice cream, it's at the top of my list of favorites!  I mean, usually when we go out for dinner, it's what is on my mind to get (we usually have to choose between Mexican and sushi).  And it doesn't stop there...I love making Mexican-inspired meals at home!

I came across this recipe on Pink Parsley not all that long ago and marked it as one to try.  Each week that I sat down to do my meal planning, this recipe seemed to pop up, but for one reason or another I'd brush it off and tell myself I'd make it another time.  Well ladies and gentlemen, that time has finally come.  And let me be the first to admit what a HUGE mistake it was to put off for so long!  This was, seriously, one of the easiest and tastiest meals I have thrown together in a long time.  I'd have to say it's climbed right up there as one of my top meals (probably right alongside the Creamy Shrimp & Grits)!

The spiciness of the chorizo with the crispy, soft potatoes and sauteed mushrooms make for an explosion of textures and flavors in your mouth.  We served them on real corn tortillas (the best) with a little cilantro, sour cream and salsa verde.  Paired alongside some Spanish Rice and Mexican Fried Corn, this recipe is surely going to find it's way in our regular meal rotation!  Please do me a favor and don't deprive yourself as long as I did from inhaling tasting these!

Chorizo, Potato & Mushroom Tacos

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Lg. Potato, cubed
1 - 15 oz. pkg. Chorizo, casings removed
1/2 Med. Onion, diced
6 oz. Button Mushrooms, chopped roughly
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
Corn Tortillas, warmed
Sour Cream (optional)
Salsa Verde (optional)

Directions
In a large pan, heat olive oil over med-high heat.  Add in the potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp on the outside (about 7-8 minutes).  Transfer to another dish and set aside.

In the same pan, begin crumbling the chorizo over med-high heat.  Cook, stirring often to break up any large pieces, until heated through (about 5 minutes).  If needed, carefully drain the grease from the pan. 

Add in the onions and mushrooms to the chorizo; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender (about 3 minutes). 

Add in the potatoes to the chorizo mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until the potatoes are heated through.  Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with tortillas and optional sour cream and salsa verde.

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: Adapted from Pink Parsley, originally from Mexican Everyday

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Taco Mac 'n' Cheese

Seriously, who doesn't love a good bowl of mac 'n' cheese, especially the homemade kind?  Don't get me wrong, I've been known to treat myself to my fair share of Velveeta Shells and Cheese from time to time and even the stuff that comes in a blue box as well, but the homemade version is so good, so comforting and so easy to make!

The possibilities are endless when it comes to add-ins and mix-ins for mac 'n' cheese.  In college, I loved mixing it with a little tuna and frozen peas...kind of a semi-homemade version of tuna casserole (and on the cheap too)!  But one thing I've never done before is make a taco version.  And with my love for Mexican-inspired food, for the life of me, I can't think why!  Taco Mac has been all the buzz lately in the online foodie community; it's sort of a homage to Hamburger Helper.  Remember that stuff?!  I used to eat that a lot in college too and I'm not gonna lie....it's pretty darn tasty, but also pretty darn bad for you! 

So I had a few different versions of Taco Mac bookmarked to make, but in the shower the other day (yes, I think about food in the shower and everywhere else and at all times of the day), a few ingredients came to mind that would be perfect pairings with the mac 'n' cheese recipe to replicate the currently infamous Taco Mac.  While most everyone else used ground beef or turkey, I decided to spice it a bit and use chorizo!  Sauteed in some diced onions and poblano peppers, it flavored this dish in so many other ways than just using plain old taco seasoning.  I used a mixture of Mexican cheeses for the sauce and, of course, my homemade taco seasoning.  It was so creamy and so delicious, I am highly anticipating the leftovers for lunch today!

Taco Mac 'n' Cheese

Ingredients
1 lb. of Chorizo
1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
1 Sm. Poblano Pepper, diced
1 lb. Pasta (I used Rotini)
1 1/2 cups Milk
8 oz. Cream Cheese
3 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning
2 cups Mexican-blend Cheese, shredded (any kind of cheese would suffice, especially Monterey Jack)
2 Tbsp. Sour Cream

Directions
Cook pasta in large pot of salted, boiling water until al dente (about 10 minutes).  In a large skillet, begin browning the chorizo over med-high heat.  Drain the grease from the pan and mix in the onion and pepper; saute' until tender (about 5 minutes).  Drain the pasta and place back into the pot.

In a small saucepan, mix together the milk and cream cheese.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the cheese is melted and the sauce begins to thicken (about 5 minutes).  Stir in the taco seasoning; mix well.

Pour the chorizo mixture into the pasta and top with the sauce; mix together.  Add in the cheese and stir until it's melted in.  Mix in the sour cream until incorporated into the pasta.  Serve immediately.

Yield: 4-6 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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Stuffed Poblano Peppers

While food happens to one of my most favorite things in this world, what you don't know is that my favorite kind of food is Mexican!  Whenever Chris and I discuss where we want to go out for dinner, my first choice is almost always Mexican (even if I don't say it out load with the fear that he may become tired of my suggestion(s), it still looms in the back of my mind)!  I could eat it everyday, which means it would be darn near impossible for me to turn down an opportunity to make it at home.  The love for Mexican cuisine even carries throughout my family...when getting together with my parents, that is always the food of choice when we go out!  It has even become a yearly tradition with my extended family....every year we all get together to make homemade tacos.  Yes, they are homemade because we even make the corn shells with a taco press.  The work becomes an all day process, but at the end of the day when we all sit together and pile those tacos into our bellies, it is SO worth the wait every year!

I had quite a bit of Chorizo in the freezer and trying to use up what we have before going out and buying more groceries, I had to really start getting creative!  Normally, I love chorizo for breakfast.  Give it to me in my scrambed eggs, omelet, breakfast casserole...you name it, I love it (for breakfast that is).  Chris had never had chorizo before and while we both love breakfast foods, I wanted to make something different; something that would really make him fall in love with chorizo like I had!  Someone had recently mentioned stuffed peppers and they had been sounding good for quite some time.  The light finally went off - Stuffed Poblano Peppers!  I've never made them before, nor had I ever tasted them.  I didn't have the slightest idea what I was going to put in them or how I was going to prepare them.  So, I started running through my Mom's Stuffed Pepper recipe and figuring out how I could tweak it to suit this dish appropriately.  With a few switch-a-roos of ingredients, I came up with my own creation of what I have found to be a quite popular dish! 

I ended up serving them with Mexican Fried Corn and it was SO GOOD!  This entire dish was something I, literally, pulled out of the air and made on a whim.  With no direction and no idea of what I was doing, I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out!  Man oh man, was this good!  It's not very often I give myself a pat on the back for a well-created dish; however, there is that rare occasion and this was definitely one of those occasions!  I even got a "high-5" from Chris!  SUCCESS!  He continuously kept repeating how good everything was and while my food guinea pig usually gives me the best compliments, I've never gotten them like this before!  I just had to share this recipe with you....enjoy!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 lb. Chorizo
1 Med. Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
3/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
1-14 oz can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilis
1 1/2 cups Rice, cooked
1 Tsp. Cumin
5 Lg. Poblano Peppers
1 lb. Mexican Cheese, shredded

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Preheat large skillet on med-high heat.  Remove chorizo from casing and crumble into the skillet.  Cook until heated through; drain grease.  Add onion and cook until translucent.  Add garlic, cilantro, tomatoes, rice and cumin; mix together.

To prepare the peppers, you'll want to use gloves (while they're not very hot in taste, they will make your hands burn while working with them).  To remove the seeds from the pepper(s), make a cut in the form of a "T" by making across the top (just below the stem) and then another slit down the middle.  Using your hands, gently pry open the pepper to remove the seeds and ribs.  You'll also need to carefully cut off the stem inside where all of the seeds are connected.  Place the pepper on a foil-lined baking sheet.  Do this for all of the remaining peppers.

To stuff the peppers, place a generous amount of cheese inside and then fill to the top with chorizo mix.  Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, pull out and top with remaining cheese; bake for another 5 minutes.

Yield: 4 Servings
Source: With a Cherry on Top

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