The Fat Girl's Guide to Living

The first time my (now) husband cooked for me, it was a pretty interesting experience. I politely cleaned my plate, but I made a mental note then and there to always think carefully before accepting any future offers of a homemade meal. Luckily, a lot changes in eight years. My husband, after years of being subjected to my foodie mindset, hours upon hours of the Food Network, and a little trial and error of his own, has turned into quite the cook and I almost never worry about what he’s up to in the kitchen. That’s right ladies, now I’ve got the awesome guy who can cook, too–I’m a lucky girl!

This recipe is all his. It stretches a pound of meat into a very generous (and filling) eight servings and it’s easy to pull together from staples that many of us have in our pantries and freezers. It doesn’t require a packet of taco seasoning, so you get to control not only the spice but the amount of salt in your meal. You can pack it full with as many fresh veggies as your heart desires or you can go crazy with the sour cream and cheese. My favorite part, though, is the homemade tortilla chips. We season them in a dozen different ways: plain, salted, spicy, smoky, ranch, lime and pepper, etc. They’re so easy to customize according to your mood and what you’re serving them with — we haven’t had to buy a bag of tortilla chips in months!

Next time you’re craving a big, crunchy taco salad give this one a try. Invite some friends and family over to help you devour it or pack up the leftovers for lunches. This would be a nice communal meal served on the deck or patio for Memorial Day Weekend gatherings – and a nice break from burgers and dogs. ¡Olé!

Fiesta Salad with Homemade Tortilla Chips
1 pound lean ground beef, ground turkey, or boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into bite size pieces)
2 tablespoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons ground red pepper
1/2 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces frozen corn
1 14.5 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 16 ounce can pinto beans, rinsed
1 tablespoon lime juice
16 white or yellow corn tortillas
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Topping Ideas:
Salsa
Sour Cream
Avocado
Green Onions
Lime Wedges

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush tortillas lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt. Lay tortillas in a single layer on two cookie sheets and bake for 6-9 minutes until crispy, flipping halfway through (watch them closely or they’ll burn). Remove from oven and cool slightly before handling.

Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat, cumin, salt, and black and red pepper to pan and cook until meat is no longer pink. If necessary, drain off any fat. Add onion and garlic to the meat and cook 3-4 minutes until soft. Reduce heat slightly and add corn, tomatoes, beans and lime juice. Cook another 5-6 minutes until heated through. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Break tortillas into quarters and place on a dinner plate. Top with one cup of shredded lettuce, a heaping cup of the meat mixture, tomatoes and two tablespoons cheese. Garnish with toppings as desired.

yield: 8 servings

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One of my “resolutions” for 2010 has been to get re-focused on finding/developing great dinner recipes that don’t take a lot of time to put together. There’s nothing better than a really great meal on an otherwise “regular” day, but most weekdays we find it really difficult to come home and spend an hour and a half in the kitchen cooking dinner. Too late, too tired, too hungry… if there’s not something easy in the queue, it’s highly likely we’re going to skip cooking and go straight to take out or pizza.

A recent favorite is a more sophisticated take on tacos — Cumin-Crusted Pork Soft Tacos, a take on a recipe from FGG’s beloved magazine, Cooking Light. These beauties satisfy any craving for Mexican food, and I love the freshness of the corn-tomato salsa (which you can easily assemble while the pork cooks). Sometimes we eat them with black beans and rice, others we just have tacos with a side of margaritas; but no matter what you decide to accompany them with, they’re pretty amazing for something that comes together in about 20 minutes.

Cumin-Crusted Pork Soft Tacos
(adapted from Cooking Light)
Pork:
2.5 teaspoons  ground cumin
1.5 teaspoons smoked paprika
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut in half crosswise into two, 1/2 pound pieces
1  tablespoon olive oil

Salsa:
1/2  cup frozen whole-kernel corn, thawed
12 grape tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons red onion, diced
1 1/2  teaspoons fresh lime juice

Chipotle Sour Cream:
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced

8  (6-inch) corn tortillas

To prepare pork, combine first 4 ingredients. Rub cumin mixture over pork. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 4 minutes or until browned on all sides. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 15 minutes until a thermometer registers 155°. Remove pork from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Cut pork across grain into thin slices.

To prepare salsa, combine corn and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

To prepare chipotle sour cream, combine sour cream and chipotle.

Wrap tortillas, 4 at a time, in a damp paper towel. Microwave on high 20 seconds. Place about 1 ounce pork onto each tortilla. Top with 2 tablespoons salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Fold in half.

Yield: 4 servings