Our first Friday night together was great! This session is girls only, for some reason. I wonder what happened to the boys? Anyway, the girls came in and went right to work. I don't think there are any beginner cooks among them. With very little direction from me, everyone went right to work and created a fabulous Mexican meal. If Bodega found out about us, they might steal our recipes and the cooks.
Next week the plan is to create great pasta-like dishes using a veggie spiralizer instead of flour based pasta. The girls decided to make a dish with pesto sauce, an Asian stir-fry and a Tai dish with peanut sauce. No one this session has peanut allergies. The veggie recipes will be posted week after next with our comments. We will not meet this Friday because of Martin Luther King weekend.
Last week's recipes are posted below the picture.
Handmade Tortillas
Ingredients:
• 4 cups masa harina (Maseca is best)
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Mix together the masa harina, water and salt until smooth and pliable.
2. Preheat a griddle or skillet to medium high.
3. Divide the dough into 24 equal sized balls.
4. Press each ball between two sheets of plastic wrap and press flat with a rolling pin or tortilla press.
5. Place the flattened tortilla on a preheated griddle or pan for 30 seconds or until slightly browned.
6. Turn the tortilla over and cook the other side for 30 seconds.
7. Repeat and keep all tortillas covered and warm, until ready to serve. Instead of using a packet of taco seasoning from the grocery store we combined our own taco spices, which did not include the preservative maltodextrin to improve flavor and prolong shelf life.
Taco Seasoning
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. paprika
Combine all the above spices in a small bowl.
Stir fry meat, chicken or tofu until done.
Add the bowl of spices to the cooked chicken, beef or tofu along with a 1/4 cup of water.
Stir together until mixed well.
Serve with tortillas, cheese, greens, salsa, guacamole, sour cream. Everyone builds their own tacos.
Fresh Farmers’ Market Salsa
Ingredients:
6 garden tomatoes, chopped.
1 yellow or red onion, peeled and chopped.
3 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed.
juice of 1 lemon or lime.
1 bunch of fresh cilantro leaves chopped.
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt.
Directions:
Mix together in a bowl and serve.
Fresh Guacamole
Mash two soft avocados with a fork until it reaches a creamy constancy. Add a 1/4 cup of the salsa from the recipe above, the juice of a lime and salt to taste. Serve all of the above ingredients along with cheese and sour cream. Everyone can build their own tacos.