Sweet Potato Chorizo Breakfast Tacos

If you've ever been to Austin, no doubt you've had a breakfast taco. They're a basic requirement of life here, right along with queso and margaritas (or Mexican martinis, depending on your preference). Every time the SXSW festival rolls around and throngs of people are introduced to the tradition of the breakfast taco, I'm shocked that the little bundles of love haven't made their way all across the country. Supposedly you can get a good breakfast taco in Brooklyn, but no one should have to consider riding the train for a taco.

Though we love to go out for breakfast tacos in Austin, they're incredibly easy to make at home, and everyone has their own standard flavor. At my house we're pretty traditional with bacon, egg, and salsa or taco sauce, but because I'm me, I also like to mix things up a bit.

One of the great things about breakfast tacos, in my opinion, is that they're perfectly suitable to eat all day long. I like making sweet potato chorizo breakfast tacos because the recipe makes a big batch of filling, and we can have them for any meal of the day or as a handheld spicy snack for multiple days in a row. (We think nothing of tacos every day here in Austin.)

Mexican chorizo is different from the Spanish chorizo many people are familiar with. Most Spanish chorizo is cured and ready to eat when you buy it at the store, while Mexican chorizo comes in bulk like Italian sausage. Mexican chorizo is heavily spiced, predominantly with cumin and Ancho chile. This makes it great to cook with, because you don't need to fiddle with adding your own spices to the recipe!

These sweet potato chorizo breakfast tacos don't have any egg or cheese, though you can of course add some if you like. I prefer to serve them simply with avocado slices, and use homemade flour tortillas. Your favorite tortillas can be swapped in, but don't forget to warm them before filling, for the best taco experience.

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Sweet Potato Chorizo Breakfast Tacos Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet potato, diced
• 1/2 pound mexican chorizo
• 10 flour tortillas
• 1 avocado
• salsa

Directions

1. Heat a pot of water to boiling and add sweet potatoes. Cook for about 10 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, brown chorizo in a large skillet. Do not drain grease.
3. When the potatoes are ready, drain into a colander, then add potatoes to the chorizo and cook for about 5 minutes to crisp.
4. Warm tortillas in the oven, microwave, or by cooking lightly on a dry skillet.
5. Divide filling among tortillas. Halve and pit avocado, then slice thinly and add to tacos. Spoon on salsa, if desired.
6. If freezing, let filling cool to room temperature before putting in tortillas. Then, add filling, leaving off avocado, and wrap tortilla tightly. Place seam-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining tortillas. Flash-freeze tacos for about 1 hour, then remove and wrap each in foil or plastic wrap. Store in freezer bags and reheat unwrapped in the microwave for about 2 minutes. 

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Walking Tacos

Do you call them "walking tacos" or "tacos in a bag"?

I have become aware that different parts of the country are prone to using different names, a la the pop/soda/coke debacle: some use the term "walking taco" to describe tacos made in a bag of tortilla or corn chips that you can carry in your hand (and walk around with), while other call them "tacos in a bag".

Side note: If you went to my high school, you were also used to the term "tacos in a bowl" to describe tortilla chips served in a bowl with the taco fixings placed on top, nearly always purchased at a football game.

Whatever the name, the concept is the same: portable tacos. I can get down with this.

While doing a bit of research for this recipe, I realized that some people apparently like a more chili-like mixture on top of their walking tacos, while others go for a more traditional taco meat. Call me a traditionalist ("You're a traditionalist!"), but I like the taco meat style, personally.

For this incredibly easy taco meat, I bypassed the pre-packaged taco seasoning and used my own mix of seasonings. While I often keep a little jar of my homemade taco and chili seasoning on hand (right next to my homemade ranch dressing mix), sometimes I like to just whip up enough seasoning for one batch of tacos. When I do, this is my go-to. It will take you approximately 1 minute to measure out the ingredients, all of which you probably have on hand already – significantly less time than it will take you to find the taco seasoning aisle at the grocery store. Trust me, I know.

I also chose to forego the more traditional Frito chips and use bags of tortilla chips that I found in the natural section at my grocery store. You can certainly use any type of tortilla or corn chip that floats your boat, though – it's all about what you like and want to feed to your family.

I personally think these would make a perfect assembly line food for fall bonfires…anyone else agree? Follow them up with some Grilled S'Mores and you'll have a bunch of happy campers indeed. 

It's Taco Week on Food Fanatic sponsored by KitchenIQ. Follow along, make your own, and make sure to share them with us on Twitter and Facebook using #TacoWeek.

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Walking Tacos Recipe

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Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef, or ground turkey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 cup water
• 4-6 bags corn chips, or tortilla chips

For Topping:

• lettuce
• diced tomatoes
• shredded cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• salsa
• avocado
• taco sauce

Directions

1. In a skillet, cook ground beef or ground turkey over high heat until cooked through.
2. Drain off any accumulated fat and return meat to the pan.
3. Add the seasonings and water; stir to combine and cook over medium-high heat until most of the water has cooked off.
4. Serve over tortilla or corn chips with your favorite taco toppings.

Notes

• Note that using smoked paprika will result in a decidedly smoky flavor. If you prefer, you can certainly use regular paprika instead.

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Seitan Tacos

One of my favorite vegetarian restaurants in NYC is Candle 79. I've never been to a vegetarian restaurant where so many of the dishes are so good that it's hard to choose one. However, I do know that one menu item is always a must order; the seitan chimichurri appetizers! They are served as charred pieces of seitan on skewers along side a citrus herb sauce for dipping. These citrus herb seitan tacos were kind of inspired by a craving for these skewers.

It was also partly inspired by tacos I recently had at a Jersey City Mexican restaurant. Their menu actually had a vegetarian taco with seitan and poblanos. It was the first time I had seen seitan at a Mexican restaurant and they were quite good!

In case you are not familiar with seitan, let me give you the scoop. Seitan, pronounced say-tan, is wheat gluten, the protein found in wheat. It's chewy and is often used as a meat substitute or to make mock meats.

Because it's high in protein, I often use it to make my vegetable stir fry recipes into a heartier meal. It's very versatile because it can be prepared in different flavors and firmness. If you're up for it, you can make your own seitan at home and customize it. If you're like me and find that the process takes too long, you can just buy it packaged and already cooked. I've seen it sold as strips, cubes, and even crumbles.
Our usual vegetarian tacos consist of vegetarian refried beans, lettuce, tomato, onion and cheese. Seitan tacos are a great alternative to vegetarian bean tacos. I usually have seitan stocked in the refrigerator. It comes in handy when I want tacos but forgot to soak the beans!

I was really craving those chimichurris, so I decided to make a citrus dressing in place of using taco sauce. It not only reminds me of my favorite restaurant's yummy appetizers but the citrus herb dressing gives them a distinctly different flavor from our usual taco. I love that it is sweet, sour and spicy all at once!

If you are looking for a different vegetarian taco, give these a try. Serve them in your favorite soft flour tortillas, corn tortillas, crunchy shells or even as a salad.

It's Taco Week on Food Fanatic sponsored by KitchenIQ. Follow along, make your own, and make sure to share them with us on Twitter and Facebook using #TacoWeek.

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Seitan Tacos Recipe

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Ingredients

• 8 ounces seitan strips, 1 package
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, deseeded and minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 2 cups baby spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 flour tortillas, corn tortillas, or corn taco shells

Directions

1. Drain the seitan strips and toss them with the garlic, jalapenos, cumin, chili powder, and onions in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Combine the orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, parsley, cilantro and honey in a blender and mix until combined. Whisk in the sour cream. Set aside.
3. In a medium skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the seitan mixture and cook until the seitan has browned and the onions are soft.
4. Assemble the tacos with the seitan mixture, tomatoes, spinach and cheese.
5. Spoon the citrus dressing over the tacos. Alternatively, because it is very liquid, you can also coat the cooked seitan mixture with the desired amount of dressing before taco assembly. 

Notes

• I used a thyme flavored honey which added to the herby flavor of the dressing.
• Make sure the jalapeno is actually spicy. This dish is better with a little kick!

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Homemade Taco Sauce

One of our family favorites is a good ole Taco Night after a busy day. We typically have tacos at least once every other week. It makes for such a quick and easy meal, plus they are so versatile.

We love that the whole family can mix and match on taco night; we do a wide variety from chopped brisket tacos, fish stick tacos, slow cooker shredded chicken tacos, and then the basic beef tacos. Taco nights are also a wonderful way to use up leftover meat from the week. That's generally how we end up with so many different varieties of toppings to choose from!

One thing my husband and I love to top our tacos with, aside from salsa, is a good taco sauce. Did you know that taco sauce is actually one of the easiest foods to make at home?

It's such a simple mix of homemade taco seasoning with a little bit of tomato sauce, water, and vinegar. In just a few quick minutes, you will have the perfect sauce to top your tacos with.

I have a homemade taco seasoning that I use regularly. The thing I love about making my own is that I can add a little bit of dill weed to the mix. It may sound a little unusual, but it is actually super tasty! Of course, I am a dill fanatic, so that could be part of it too.

We also use taco sauce in enchiladas too. If you do not have a good enchilada sauce on hand, I have found taco sauce works just as well!

Taco sauce is versatile and can be made easily at home, which will help avoid any additives that may be found in the store-bought sauce.

I like to keep taco sauce on hand as a pantry staple in our home and thankfully it last a long time too. This could even be used on top of the grilled chicken taco pizza!

Time for a Taco Night!

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Homemade Taco Sauce

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Ingredients

• 8 ounces tomato sauce, 1 can
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill

Directions

1. In a small sauce pan, on medium heat, combine the tomato sauce, water, and vinegar.
2. Whisk in the remaining spices.
3. Let this simmer for an additional 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.

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Fish Stick Tacos

My family loves taco night. As a matter of fact, I love taco night too. We usually have it once a week during the busy school year. While chicken and beef tacos are very popular, my family prefers fish tacos.

Sometimes fish isn't the easiest thing to cook. But I have a little secret I am going to let you in on. I use fish nuggets that are baked in the oven in under 20 minutes. They come right out of a frozen package. Gasp! Yes, it's true. My family's favorite tacos are made with fish sticks.

Trader Joe's has several kinds of frozen fish that are perfect to use for tacos. I prefer their fish nuggets, but you can use any type of fish sticks that you or your family prefers. It's all about personal preference. There are so many brands out there, so choose your favorite.

Same thing goes with the salsa. I prefer to use either corn salsa or a pineapple salsa, as it goes well with fish. You can purchase so many different types of salsas in a jar or containers in the refrigerated section. They all add lots of color to the tacos too.

The other ingredient you will need is guacamole. When time allows I make this simple guacamole, but feel free to purchase some already prepared guacamole at your grocery store. It can be found in the prepared foods section of the produce department. If you are feeling really lazy, mashed avocado with a little salt works well on these tacos.

These fish stick tacos are so easy to put together! Once I heat up the fish sticks and corn tortillas, my kids like to make their own. While guacamole and corn salsa are our favorite toppings, the possibilities are endless. Cabbage, cheese, sour cream and chopped tomatoes are all things that can be put on a fish taco. I guarantee if you try making these tacos, your family will want them once a week!

What's your favorite taco topping?

If you adore tacos like I do, try these other recipes!

• 
  Steak Tacos
• 
  Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Tacos
• 
  Tacos de Camaron

• 
  Shredded Beef Tacos
• 
  Spicy Shrimp Tacos
• 
  Banana Split Tacos

It's Taco Week on Food Fanatic sponsored by KitchenIQ. Follow along, make your own, and make sure to share them with us on Twitter and Facebook using #TacoWeek.

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Fish Stick Tacos Recipe

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Ingredients

• 16 fish sticks, frozen, or fish nuggets
• 8 tortillas corn tortillas, soft
• 3/4 cup guacamole
• 1 cup corn salsa, or any other salsa you'd like to use
• limes, sliced for garnish

Directions

1. Bake fish sticks according to package directions until golden and crispy.
2. While fish is cooking, heat tortillas in a large non- stick pan or grill for about one minute on each side. Keep warm.
3. To assemble, spread some guacamole on each tortilla. Place two pieces of fish cut in half on top of the guacamole. Top with salsa. Serve with lime slices for garnish.

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Duck Fat-Potato Galette with Caraway and Sweet Onions

Bon Appétit  | December 2011

by Victoria Granof

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photo by Christopher Baker

yield
Makes 6 servings

Duck fat and potatoes are a match made in heaven in this rustic, savory galette (bacon fat makes a fine substitute).

Ingredients

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Preparation

Arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 425°F. Brush a foil- or parchment-lined baking sheet with butter; set springform ring on top.

Toast caraway in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Let cool. Place in a resealable plastic bag; crush with a rolling pin or bottom of a skillet. Place in a large bowl. Add duck fat, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Add potatoes; toss to coat.

Arrange 1/4 of potatoes in an even layer inside ring on baking sheet, overlapping as needed. Toss onion in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Arrange 1/3 of onion over potatoes. Repeat layers twice more, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Carefully remove ring.

Bake until potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes. Brush with 1 tablespoon butter. Bake until edges of potatoes are deep golden and top is crisp, 5-10 minutes longer.

Run a thin spatula under galette to loosen from foil. Slide onto a platter. Season with salt, if desired.

my notes

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How To Steam Vegetables — Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn

Steamed vegetables — this is one of the easiest and quickest ways to get vegetables onto our plates. It's something we can do without needing to think about it too much or make too much effort. We can just let the veggies steam while finishing the rest of dinner and toss them with a little butter before serving. Vegetables, done!

If you've been scarred by mushy carrots or sad green beans in the past, I'm here to help. Here's how to perfectly steam any vegetable in a few easy steps.

Steamed Vegetables: Two Essentials

The key to steaming vegetables is twofold: cut the vegetables into uniform sizes and don't over-steam them. Pretty logical, right?!

Cut the vegetables into uniform sizes so that they cook at roughly the same rate and are all done at the same time. You can mix vegetables, but be aware that more tender vegetables, like broccoli, will cook faster than denser vegetables, like carrots. If you want to steam mixed vegetables at the same time, add the longer-cooking veggies first and then the quicker-cooking veggies after a few minutes. You can also cut the denser vegetables slightly smaller so that they cook more quickly and finish at the same time as the rest of the vegetables.

My trick for avoiding over-steaming? Set a timer! If I don't, I'm likely to get distracted with other parts of the meal and forget that the vegetable are steaming away on the back burner. I usually set the timer initially for three minutes, and then continue checking intermittently based on how quickly I think they're cooking.

I also take the vegetables out of the steamer basket when they still have just a bit of crunch in the middle — by the time I get them to the table, the vegetables have cooked through perfectly without going mushy. Take a look at the guide below for rough cooking times for various vegetables.

Any other steaming tips to share?

How Long to Steam Vegetables

• Spinach and Arugula: 3 minutes
• Peas: 3 minutes
• Broccoli Florets, Cauliflower Florets, Green Beans: 5 to 7 minutes
• Carrots, Potatoes, Turnips, Squash: 8 to 20 minutes
• Kale and Collards: 10 minutes

Cut the vegetables: Cut the vegetables into uniform bite-sized pieces, the way you plan to serve them. Smaller pieces will also cook more quickly than larger pieces.

How To Steam Vegetables

What You Need

Ingredients
Any vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, green beans, peppers

Equipment
Cutting board
Chef's knife
Small saucepan with lid
Steamer basket
Paring knife

Instructions

1. Cut the vegetables: Cut the vegetables into uniform bite-sized pieces, the way you plan to serve them. Smaller pieces will also cook more quickly than larger pieces.
2. Add 1 inch of water to the pan and insert the steamer basket: Add an inch or two of water to your saucepan. Insert the steamer basket. The surface of the water should be under the basket; pour out some water if necessary.
3. Bring the water to a boil: Bring the water to a boil over high heat. When you hear the water bubbling and see steam starting to emerge from the pot, it's ready.
4. Add the vegetables, cover and reduce the heat: Scatter the vegetables over the steamer basket. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium.
5. Steam the vegetables: Start checking the vegetables after a few minutes. Tender vegetables, like broccoli and asparagus, will cook in just a few minutes. Harder vegetables, like carrots and potatoes, will take longer. Smaller pieces will also cook more quickly than larger pieces.
6. Vegetables are done when tender: The vegetables are done when you can easily pierce the thickest part of the vegetable with a paring knife. Most vegetables are also bright and vibrant in color when ready. Stop steaming when the vegetables still have a bit of crunch to them — they will finish cooking in the residual heat.
7. Serve the vegetables: Use the vegetables as directed in your recipe. For a simple side dish, toss the vegetables with a little olive oil or butter, salt, and a squeeze of lemon.

This post has been updated. Originally published February 2010.

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Recipe: Freezer-Friendly Spinach Feta Breakfast Wraps — Breakfast Recipes from The Kitchn

Ah, autumn, when crisp mornings make me forget about chilled overnight oats and smoothies, and instead push hot breakfasts to the front of my mind. The only challenge is finding warm breakfasts that are still quick enough to make on busy fall mornings. Enter these freezer-friendly breakfast wraps.

Following these tips for freezing burritos, I made vegetarian wraps filled with eggs, tomatoes, spinach, and feta that are ready to microwave in the morning. Skipping breakfast at Starbucks is a lot easier when I can have this on my plate in only two minutes.

You could dress these wraps up with any fillings you'd like, but I love this 5-ingredient version inspired by the wraps at Starbucks. This hits all the crucial flavor points — savory eggs and spinach, sweetly acidic tomatoes, and salty feta cheese — while staying nutritionally well-rounded. One of these wraps plus a hot cup of coffee, and I'm set until at least noon.

Spinach Feta Breakfast Wraps

Serves 4

10 large eggs
1/2 pound (about 5 cups) baby spinach
4 burrito-size whole wheat tortillas (about 9-inches in diameter)
1/2 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Butter or olive oil
Salt
Pepper

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until the whites and yolks are completely combined. Place a large skillet over medium heat and add enough butter or olive oil to coat the bottom. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, pour in the eggs and stir occasionally until the eggs are cooked. Stir in a pinch of salt and a generous amount of black pepper, then transfer to a large plate to cool to room temperature.

Rinse or wipe down the skillet, place it back over medium heat, and another pat of butter or oil. Add the spinach and cook, stirring often, until the spinach is just wilted. Spread the cooked spinach on another large plate to cool to room temperature.

Arrange a tortilla on a work surface. Add about a quarter each of the eggs, spinach, tomatoes, and feta down the middle of the tortilla and tightly wrap (See How To Wrap a Burrito). Repeat with the remaining three tortillas. Place the wraps in a gallon zip-top back and freeze until ready to eat. If freezing for more than a week, wrap the burritos in aluminum foil to prevent freezer burn. To reheat, microwave on high for two minutes.

Recipe Notes

• I usually prefer soft scrambled eggs, but find the process overly fussy for a wrap I'll be freezing. If you're eating these fresh, though, give it a try!
• Microwave times may vary, but two minutes works for us.

(Image credits: Sarah Crowder)

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