Better Than Your Mom’s Barbacoa Beef Tacos

Throw this bitch in the crock pot first thing in the AM and you’ll have your house smelling like the taste of yum in the evening. I made up this recipe on the fly because I was craving tacos and didn’t want to spend $14 for a Chipotle burrito bowl full of rice. I fed this to my man and he said this was better than his mom’s soul food cooking. I’ll take that as a compliment. :)

But first… Seriously, don’t skip this step!

• Marinade 1.5-2 lbs of Chuck beef in pickle juice at least overnight

Ingredients:

• Fill up to the top with braising liquid, aka beef broth, and some of the pickle juice

• 1/4 cup tamari/liquid aminos gf soy sauce

• 2 tbsp Worsheshire sauce

• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

• 1/2 cup brown sugar (add more to top the entire thing)

• 2-3 tbsp Ranch Seasoning

• 2-3 tbsp anchovy caper lemon butter

• 1-2 tbsp everything bagel seasoning

• 1 tbsp umami seasoning from Trader Joe's

• 2 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tsp onion powder

• 2 tsp herbs de province 

• 1 tsp seasoned salt

• 1 tsp 21 salute seasoning from Trader Joe's 

• 1/2 tsp mustard powder

• Cracked black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Crock pot slow for 5-6 hours. 

2. Shred that shit with a fork

3. Get a frying pan and turn to medium-high heat

4. Saute the meat with its sauces scooping a ladle full at a time

5. Let it reduce for 15-20 minutes

6. Serve with taco fixings like my homemade guacamole and onions + peppers with the anchovy caper lemon butter with taco seasonings 

Plant-Based Taco Wontons

A family-friendly out-of-the-box version of tacos

Craving tacos and looking for a more family-friendly way of eating them? I’ve done the out of the box thinking for you. My family grew up eating tacos because it’s a cheap and easy way to feed the family. After a while, that gets boring. I wanted something else that wasn’t another trip to the golden arches.

A few weeks ago, I had the idea to cook my own potstickers at home. They were absolutely delicious. Afterward, I had leftover wonton wrappers and a lot of vegetables. I was craving tacos but didn’t want the greasy or floury shell. Lately, I’ve found that eating an excessive amount of corn has been upsetting my stomach beyond measure. Corn is also one of the most highly sprayed plants with glyphosate, which can cause inflammation in the gut. Instead, the idea of making taco wontons was born.

Making wontons is a great way to help with portion control, especially because each piece is bite-sized. It can be eaten in one or two bites, versus a whole taco. If you’re by yourself, this could be a tedious process because it takes a while. This will test your patience, but it’s worth the time if you want to turn your meal into a creative masterpiece. Be prepared to get messy in the process. Brownie points if you can get your family to help you. It’s a great activity to do with young kids to turn into an arts and crafts project. Turning food into fun is the best way to start children eating healthy at a young age. I used plant-based meat to make this a completely vegetarian dish. If you want to go the extra mile and make this a complete meal, I prepared nopales and guacamole. I added mangos to the guacamole to give the dish a sweet and salty bite. That way you get your healthy fats, vegetables, lean protein, and carbohydrates. Find my popcorn-worthy recipe below.

For the Wontons:

• 1 lb Plant-Based protein

• ½ green or red bell pepper, diced small

• ¼ red or white onion, diced small

• ½ small roma tomato, diced small

• 1 clove of fresh garlic, minced

• 1 tsp chili powder

• ½ tsp paprika

• ½ tsp cumin

• ½ tsp Italian seasoning

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• A handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

• 1 pack of store-bought wontons

• Top with fresh cilantro and green onion

For the Nopales:

• 3 nopales, chopped

• 1 serrano pepper, sliced into strips

• ½ green or red bell pepper, sliced into strips

• ¼ white or red onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Top with squeezed lime juice, fresh cilantro, and green onion

For the Mango Guacamole:

• Use my restaurant quality guacamole recipe

• 1 Mango, diced

• Top with fresh cilantro and green onion

Directions:

1)      Prepare the nopales by following the directions here —> this website explains it very well and would like to give credit

2)      In a sauté pan, add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to the pan. Add the prepared nopales and salt to the pan. Cook on medium heat and let it simmer (covered) for 15-20 minutes until the liquid in the center has evaporated. Set aside.

3)      Chop the rest of your remaining vegetables for the nopales, wontons, and guacamole.

4)      In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the wontons. Mix everything around with your hands until everything is incorporated.

5)      Carefully wrap your wontons by using 1 heaping teaspoon of the mixture into the middle of the wonton wrap. Dip two fingers in water and tap the outsides of the wonton until damp. Do not over soak or they will rip apart while you’re closing them. To close, gently fold into a triangle and press the edges down with a fork to secure the sides together. Remove any excess mixture as you close the wontons if it starts leaking out the sides.

6)      Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Place as many wontons in the air fryer that fit and cook for 8 minutes.

7)      While the wontons are cooking, add the remaining tablespoons of olive oil into the pan with the nopales and sauté the remaining peppers for 5 minutes.

8)      Prepare the guacamole by mixing all of the ingredients into a large bowl.

9)      Enjoy the wontons with guacamole on top and a side of the nopales to make this a well-rounded meal.

Vegan 7-Layer Taco Dip

If I were to name my favorite appetizer of all time, it would have to be a 7-layer taco dip. Whatever you want to call it, it’s game over as soon as I see this dip in front of me. My family had this at almost every gathering and it would be the one thing I would be looking forward to. Food always gets me inspired to elevate the dishes I eat. I live to eat different foods as much as I can. Unfortunately, for this dip, it was made from a can of refried beans, sour cream with taco dip, cheese, and fixings on top. I could eat the entire dip myself without getting an ounce of nutritional value out of it. When I found a remake of this recipe on Minimalist Baker, I was elated because I could eat my favorite dip without feeling like shit afterward from all the dairy. I went the extra mile by making a homemade pico de gallo to add to the guacamole and homemade refried beans. My smoky flair on the queso puts this dish over the top to make this the best vegan taco dip you will ever eat in your life.

Inspired by: https://minimalistbaker.com/vegan-7-layer-mexican-dip/ and any other 7 layer dip I’ve ever had

Ingredients (in order of layers)

For the Bean Dip:

• 1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

• ¼ cup water, divided

• 1 tsp paprika

• Salt and pepper, to taste

** OR If you choose to opt-out, use 1 15 oz can of vegetarian refried beans from Trader Joe’s

For the Pico de Gallo:

• ¼ red onion, diced small

• 6 Roma or vine-ripened tomato, diced small

• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (** You can leave the seeds in if you like your guacamole spicy)

• ¼ bunch cilantro, chopped

• 1-2 fresh limes, juiced (I add 1.5 limes)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Guacamole

Use my restaurant quality guacamole recipe

For the Queso Dip

• 1 ½ cups raw cashews soaked overnight in cool water

• 1 lemon, juiced

• ⅓ - ½ cup nutritional yeast

• ½ cup vegetable broth

• 1 tsp Chili powder

• 1 tsp Paprika

• 1 tsp Cumin

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• ⅛ tsp liquid smoke (optional)

• Dash of hot sauce (optional)

For the Toppings:

• Diced red onion

• Diced red pepper

• Diced cilantro

Directions:

1)      In a large casserole dish, assemble the bottom layer by spreading the refried beans. To prepare the refried beans from scratch, add all of the ingredients with half the amount of water to a high-powered blender or food processor. Add more water and pulse until you achieve the desired consistency.

2)      For the 2nd layer, spread pico de gallo on top of the refried beans. To prepare the pico de gallo, chop up all of the ingredients, and mix them together in a medium-sized bowl.

3)      For the 3rd layer, spread guacamole on top of the pico de gallo. To prepare the guacamole, use any extra pico de gallo to combine with 2-3 ripe avocados. Mix in a separate bowl before adding this to the dish.

4)      For the 4th layer, spread queso dip on top of the guacamole. In a high powered blender, combine all the ingredients for the queso and blend until smooth. If you have a Vitamix or other high powered blender, you don’t need to soak the cashews overnight.

5)      Top with diced red onions, red peppers, and cilantro. Enjoy with tortilla chips as a dip or as a delicious filling for tacos to go with your protein.

Check out my recipe book, “Quarantine Clean Eating” for other dishes I’ve created while at home during COVID-19 lockdown.

Restaurant Quality Guacamole

Homemade Guacamole just like you would find in a restaurant.

Who here besides me totally forgot it was Cinco de Mayo today? * raises hand * It’s been like that already in my household based on the way I’ve been cooking lately. I was put on furlough at my job, so I’ve had nothing but time. I took the opportunity to go inward and re-prioritize the way I want my life to look like going forward. That means having access to lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. When I was on-the-go working at the kitchen last year, it made me realize how important it is to stay healthy and really own that. I took my health for granted. The only way for me to learn that was to have everything come to a complete halt so I had no choice but to slow down.

Slow the lifestyle. Slow the mind, Slow the cravings.

On the surface, this holiday focuses on a lot of boozy deliciousness, tacos, and a glorious amount of fried food.

My mouth waters at all the foodie photos I see across social media.

Why not focus on some healthier ideas to bring to the table?

Move over, queso. Guacamole and pineapple salsa are the star condiments on the table tonight.

Filled with healthy fats, and antioxidants, these will add an array of colors.

Take your Taco Tuesday to the next level with my restaurant-level guacamole and pineapple salsa right in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Homemade Guacamole:

Ingredients:

• 3 medium-sized avocadoes, mashed

• 1/2 red onion, diced small

• 1 Roma or vine-ripened tomato, diced small

• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (** You can leave the seeds in if you like your guacamole spicy)

• 1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

• 1-2 fresh limes, juiced (I add 1.5 limes)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1) Cut your avocadoes in half, remove the core, and remove the flesh inside the skin. Scoop it out and put it in a large bowl. Mash it with a masher, mortar & pestle, or a fork.

2) Chop your onion, tomato, and jalapeno small. Add them to the bowl.

3) Wash and dry your cilantro with a paper towel. Chop it small and add it to the bowl.

4) Add the lime juice, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together in the bowl. Adjust the seasonings to your liking. Enjoy any way you like. There are ever-growing ways to add guacamole to anything.

Homemade Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh pineapple, diced small

• 1/2 red onion, diced small

• 1 red bell pepper, diced small (I used 1/2 red bell pepper and 1/2 yellow bell pepper in the image below)

• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped (** You can leave the seeds in if you like your guacamole spicy)

• 1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped

• 1-2 fresh limes, juiced (I add 1.5 limes)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1) To prepare the pineapple, do the following: First, cut off both ends. Lay the pineapple flat on the cutting board. Using your knife, cut off the skin until you see the flesh of the pineapple. Flip onto the other side and remove any skin you missed. Cut in half and cut those halves in half again (quarters). The middle of the pineapple is not edible, so you want to cut it off on each quarter. Using your knife, cut the white part off until only the yellow flesh remains. You’ll want to cut it on an angle. Cut each quarter into thin strips and chop it super small. That will leave you the small diced pieces you are looking for.

** If this is confusing, please contact me at redefiningalldiets@gmail.com and I will walk you through it step-by-step.

2) Chop your onion, pepper, and jalapeno small. Add them to the bowl.

3) Wash and dry your cilantro with a paper towel. Chop it small and add it to the bowl.

4) Add the lime juice, salt, and pepper. Mix everything together in the bowl. Adjust the seasonings to your liking. Enjoy on some tacos, with guacamole or even with some fish.

Need some more ideas on what to use these with? I created a recipe ebook during quarantine with over 30 of my favorite recipes. Almost every single meal can be topped with my salsa or guacamole.