Chorizo, Potato and Mushroom Tacos

It's no secret in our house that my husband loves him some chorizo.  It's also no secret that I'm always on the look out for a quick weeknight meal.  This recipe fit both and sounded delicious, so I decided to give it a try.  Normally when I make tacos, I serve them with cheese and sour cream, but now that we're a (mostly) dairy-free household, I can't do that anymore.  This recipe was so flavorful and filling that I didn't miss the dairy at all!  So next time you have taco night, I highly recommend you trying this recipe!

Chorizo, Potato and Mushroom Tacos

Rick Bayless, Mexican Everyday, as seen on Pink Parsley

12 oz fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed
1 medium white onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 oz of your favorite mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
12 oz red skin, yukon gold or russet potato, grated
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
12 warm corn tortillas, for sering
3/4 c tomatillo salsa, for serving
1 avocado, sliced, for serving
Margaritas, optional but definitely recommended!

Crumble the chorizo into a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat.  Cook, stirring often to break up any large lumps, until some of the fat starts to render and the sausage looks half-cooked, about 4-5 minutes.

Increase the heat to medium-high, and add the onions, garlic and mushrooms.  Cook, stirring nearly constantly, until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.

Sprinkle the grated potato over the sausage mixture and continue cooking until the potatoes are soft, about 3 minutes, stirring often.  Reduce the temperature if the potatoes start to brown before they soften.  Taste and season with salt if necessary - some chorizo is highly seasoned.

Scrape mixture into serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.  Serve with warm tortillas, tomatillo salsa and sliced avocado.

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Crusty, No-Knead Bread

About ten years ago, I decided to make homemade bread for my co-workers for their Christmas presents.  All I remember from the experience (I think I blocked it out as it was so traumatic) was that I swore I would never make bread from scratch again.  Ever. Kneading bread dough was just not my cup of tea.

Trying to find good bread without any dairy in it is possible, but definitely not an easy task.  I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it because it didn't have any dairy and because you didn't have to knead it.  Praise the Lord for no knead bread recipes!

I loved this recipe for so many reasons.  Have I mentioned that you don't have to knead it?!?  There are only four ingredients, all of which you probably already have in your pantry.  Your active work time for this recipe is only about 5 minutes.  And lastly, the bread has this wonderful crust while still being soft and moist inside.  Delicious!  Also, you can easily add-in other ingredients if you'd like to make flavored bread.  I think my next loaf will be a breakfast bread with dried cranberries and pistachios in it...

Crusty, No-Knead Bread

recipe from Simply So Good (for step-by-step pictures, check out SSG's blog post)

3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 t salt
1/2 t yeast
1 1/2 c water

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.  Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside (don't refrigerate) for 12-18 hours.  Overnight works great.  Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven reaches 450 degrees, place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and let pot heat for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Remove pot and carefully place dough into pot.  Cover with the lid and return to oven for 30 minutes.  Take lid off and bake another 15 minutes.  Remove bread from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

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Slow Cooker Smoky Pulled Pork

This recipe was the best pulled pork I've ever made.  The meat had a wonderful flavor and was so tender.  It only took me about 45 seconds to shred the meat since it was literally falling off the bone.  Yum!  This recipe is going back on the menu again this month.  The liquid smoke was a crucial element as it added a true barbecue flavor that is normally lacking in slow cooker recipes.  (I found liquid smoke in the aisle with the BBQ sauces.)

Also, I couldn't find less than a 9 lb pork shoulder roast at my grocery store, but the butcher was more than happy to cut it down for me.

Slow Cooker Smoky Pulled Pork

recipe from Six Sisters Stuff

3-4 lb pork shoulder butt roast (can be bone-in)
3 T paprika
1 1/2 T kosher salt
1 1/2 T pepper
1 t garlic powder
1 t dry mustard
1/3 c liquid smoke
1 (16-20 oz) bottle of BBQ sauce (I used Stubb's)
buns

Spray the inside of your slow cooker with nonstick spray.  In a small bowl, combine paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, mustard and liquid smoke and whisk to combine.  Rub marinade into all sides of pork and place meat into slow cooker.  Cover with lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Remove pork roast from slow cooker and shred meat.  Add meat back into slow cooker and stir in BBQ sauce.  Serve on buns and enjoy!

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Once a Month Cooking

Does anyone do this?  I'm trying to figure out if I can swing it.  I think we'd eat out less often (and thus save money) if I had meals in the freezer ready to cook.  I literally spent four hours yesterday trying to plan out a menu and collect recipes and I'm still not finished.  Anyone have any advice for me???

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