Somewhere along the line I think all home cooks fall prey to the "what can I make for dinner?" dilemma.
Most of us have a few trusted family favourites that we can fall back on in a pinch, but having a themed dinner for each night of the week makes meal planning easier and is kind of fun, especially if you have kids.
Get the family together and figure out what particular food or type of cuisine you'd like to feature for each night - say, Meatball Monday, Taco Tuesday, Wacky Wednesday (which could be a daring new recipe you've been dying to try) - you get the idea.
Tacos are super easy to make and don't require any exotic ingredients, and if you set the ingredients out in a salad bar format it's even more fun. Feel free to adjust the amount of spices in the recipes below. If your kids aren't big on spicy food you might want to cut down on the chili powder.
Taco Lettuce Wraps
2 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped green or red bell pepper
1 lb lean ground beef or ground turkey
½ tsp salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup salsa
1 head romaine lettuce, washed, base trimmed, separated into individual leaves (the smaller inner leaves are the best size for this recipe)
Toppings:
Additional salsa Chopped avocado Chopped tomato Chopped red or green onion Sliced olives Sour cream Shredded cheese (Monterey jack or cheddar)
In a large frying pan heat the oil over medium heat; sauté the onion and bell pepper until onion is translucent. Add the ground meat and sauté until browned and cooked through. Pour off any excess fat, then stir in the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salsa. Let mixture simmer for two minutes, then scoop some of the taco meat mixture into the lettuce leaves. Serve immediately; makes four servings.
Oven-barbecued Chicken Tacos
12 chicken tenders (breast filets)
1 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ cup barbecue sauce, whichever variety you prefer, plus additional sauce for drizzling 8 taco shells
Favourite taco toppings (see list in previous recipe, you could also use shredded lettuce or green cabbage)
Preheat oven to 400º F. and line a baking sheet with foil; spray foil with non-stick spray. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the olive oil in a shallow dish; add the chicken tenders and toss to coat generously with oil. Place the chili, garlic and onion powders and the salt and pepper in a medium Ziploc bag; add the chicken tenders, seal the bag and shake the bag to coat chicken with spices. Place the chicken pieces on the prepared pan and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the oven and preheat the oven broiler with a rack six to eight inches away. Baste the chicken liberally with barbecue sauce and place it under the broiler until barbecue sauce caramelizes and forms a glaze (watch carefully so it doesn't burn). Warm up the taco shells in the microwave; slice each piece of chicken into strips and place a few pieces into each taco shell. Drizzle chicken with additional barbecue sauce, then add your favourite toppings. Serve immediately; makes four servings.
Cinnamon Sugar Dessert Tacos
6 small flour tortillas
1cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted Aluminum foil Sliced strawberries or other chopped fresh fruit - pineapple, kiwis or bananas would all be good Vanilla ice cream Chocolate sauce (purchased or homemade)
Preheat oven to 350º F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Crumple six large pieces of aluminum foil into rough half-moon shapes about the size of a tortilla folded in half and about one and one-half inches thick. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon on a plate; brush both sides of each tortilla with melted butter and lay each side on the plate to coat with cinnamon sugar. Fold each tortilla in half and place a foil half-moon inside each one to keep the tortillas open while baking, then lay them on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping the tortillas over onto their other sides halfway through baking time. Place on a wire rack to cool completely (don't remove foil until they're cool). Fill shells with ice cream and fruit and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Makes six servings.
Angela Shellard is a selfdescribed foodie. She has done informal catering for various functions. Contact: [email protected].
