Carne Asada Tacos

Usually when I find a new recipe to try I make some changes to make it more original and to my taste.  This time I went in following the ingredients exactly. I have always loved Carne Asada and whenever I see it at restaurants I always order it, so when I saw this recipe I needed to try it.  It was delicious!  Try it for yourself and you will not be disappointed!

Steak and Marinade Ingredients

• 3 pounds flank steak
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Relish Ingredients

• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, juiced

Salsa Ingredients                                                  

• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
• 1 white onion, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 dried New Mexico chile pods
• 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste

Other ingredients 

• 1 (32 ounce) package corn tortillas
• 2 cups grated cotija or shredded chedder cheese (optional)
• 2 limes, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Lay the flank steak in a large glass baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, 4 cloves of garlic, juice of two limes, and olive oil. Season with salt, black pepper, white pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika. Whisk until well blended, then pour over the steak in the dish. Turn over once to coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for 1 to 8 hours.
2. In a small bowl, stir together 1 chopped white onion, cilantro, and the juice of 1 lime. Set aside to use as a relish for the tacos.
3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Toast chile pods in the skillet for a few minutes, then remove to a bowl of water to soak for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
4. Place the tomatoes, 1 onion, jalapenos, and 4 cloves of garlic onto a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until toasted but not burnt. Place the roasted vegetables, and soaked chile pods into a blender or food processor, along with salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.
5. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the marinated flank steak into cubes or strips. Cook, stirring constantly, until the meat is cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated.
6. Warm the tortillas in a skillet for about a minute on each side to make them pliable. Tortillas may also be warmed in a microwave oven. Arrange two or three tortillas on a plate, and lay a generous amount of beef over them. Top with a sprinkle of the onion relish and a large spoonful of the pureed salsa. Add as much cheese as you like. Garnish with lime wedges, and serve.

Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Pasta

I love this dish.  It is one of my absolute favorite ways of making pasta.  The combination goat cheese and balsamic vinegar make is amazing.  It is super delicious and super simple, I hope you love it!


Ingredients:
1/2 pound of your favorite pasta.  I recommend Rotini

1 medium eggplant
2 Zucchini
6 ounces Goat cheese
1/4 cup mint
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 table spoons olive oil
8 table spoons balsamic vinegar
Canola Oil cooking spray
Salt and Pepper to taste

Prep:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray with the cooking spray
Cut the Eggplant and Zucchini into small cubes and spread on to the cookie sheet
Spray the tops of the Eggplant and Zucchini with the cooking spray and season with salt and pepper
Put the cookie sheet in the oven for 25 minutes
Boil pasta
While pasta is boiling finely chop the mint and put it in a bowl.
Add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pepper flakes and mix together
Crumble goat cheese








In a large bowl add pasta and roasted veggies.
Top with the goat cheese

Add the dressing and toss.

Now you are ready to enjoy!  I hope you like this dish as much as I do.  I love the fresh veggies and the flavors of the balsamic vinegar and goat cheese just can't be beat in my opinion.  Have a great meal everyone!

Don't forget you can follow Cooking with WillYum by RSS feed or on Facebook!

Portobello Burgers

I love Burgers!  They remind me of summer and spending time with my family and friends.  Burgers are great during the summer because of the fresh ingredients that you can find to make them.  This “Burger” is one of my favorites and it doesn’t even have any beef!  This is my favorite vegetarian Portobello burger.

Ingredients:

4 Portobello mushroom caps

1 Tomato

Baby spinach

2 Yellow or red peppers

Goat cheese

Buns

Mayonnaise

Marinade Ingredients:

(4 tablespoons)Balsamic Vinegar

(4 tablespoons)Spicy brown mustard

(½ cup) Olive oil

(2 tablespoons) Hot Sauce (optional but recommended.)

In a bowl mix all of the ingredients of the marinade together.  Add a dash of salt, pepper and garlic powder.   I recommend putting the mushroom caps in a zip lock bag and coating them in the marinade.  Let the marinade infuse the mushroom caps with flavor for at least two hours.  For the best results marinate the caps overnight in your fridge.

Slice peppers in half and remove the seeds.

When you are ready to cook, heat your grill up to medium high heat and place the caps gill side down. (Set aside the rest of the marinade in the bag for later use.)  Place the peppers on the grill and cook the caps and peppers for 6-8 minutes on each side. 

In a bowl combine ½ cup of mayo with 4 tablespoons of the marinade.

Slice your tomato and rinse your baby spinach.

When the Caps and Peppers are done grilling, it is time to build your burgers.  On the top half of your bun spread some of the mayo/marinade mix.  On the bottom half place the mushroom cap gill side up.  Top the mushroom cap with the goat cheese.  Now add the peppers, baby spinach and tomato. 

I hope you decide to try this recipe even if vegetarian meals are not your thing, you will not be disappointed.  These burgers have a ton of flavor and you won’t miss out on the meat at all.

If you would like to learn a new recipe for one of those foods that you have never taken the time to cook on your own, please leave a comment and it will be a future post of mine.  Also feel free to email me at willslowenski@gmail.com if you have any delicious recipes you would like to share with the world.