Korean-Style Tacos

So last week my husband had to have an intervention with me.  He sat me down and said something to the tune of, “honey, I know you love your blog but you are spending 2 grand a month on groceries.”  Wham!  I have to admit that I really don’t pay any attention to what I spend on food because it is my full blown passion.  Every now and again I realize what’s happening and tighten up the budget -- but then a few months pass and I get lazy -- I stop trying to turn my leftovers into something else....I start going to the crazy expensive grocery store that is closest to our house....I don’t plan out meals  at all....  So that’s where I started last week -- staring at a large pork butt and thinking, “we are going to eat this all week and I’m going to make something different with it every day!!!!”  Not all of it is blog-worthy, but these tacos sure are!  

I’ll tell you the best part of these tacos: the pickled cucumbers!  You might be thinking, “aren’t pickled cucumbers just pickles?!”  NO!  These are pickled for just a few hours in rice wine vinegar, giving them a classic asian flavor that I love!  Give these spicy tacos a try -- it’s like street food in your own house!

Korean-Style Tacos (makes 4 servings)

from Key Ingredient

1 pound cooked pulled pork, cooked shredded chicken

12 corn or flour tortillas

¼ cup Quick Cucumber Pickle (below) or prepared kimchi (Korean pickled, spicy cabbage)

For the Kogi BBQ Sauce

2 tablespoons Korean fermented hot pepper paste (gochujang)

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Whisk all ingredients together until sugar has dissolved and mixture is smooth. You can make this a few days in advance and store tightly covered in the refrigerator.

For the Quick Cucumber Pickle

1 large English cucumber (or 2 Japanese cucumbers), sliced very thinly
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh chili pepper (or more depending on your tastes)
generous pinch of salt

Mix together all ingredients. You can make this a few hours in advance and store in refrigerator.

Pittsburgh Style Salad

Hey everyone!  In case you didn’t notice,  I haven’t updated the blog in about 2 weeks because I’ve been on a nice long vacation!  It was one of those vacations where you come home exhausted and with a few extra pounds tagging along.  My husband and 2 friends of ours went on an excursion to Europe, including Venice and Bari {Italy}, Corfu, Athens and Mykonos {Greece}, Dubrovnik {Croatia}, and Munich {Germany} for the Oktoberfest!  Our days consisted of eating and drinking our way through these areas, getting a taste of the local flavors and trying our hardest to communicate with the people to get the most out of our visits.  

We really tried to immerse ourselves in the local food and wine -- asking our waiters/waitresses to bring us something special that hasn’t been “Americanized”.  I’ll never forget watching a girl bring us a huge plate of tempura battered mini fishes -- heads, eyes, tails and all!  I dubbed them “Fish French Fries” and they were delicious!  I have a lot photos of food and many experiences to share so I’m planning on picking an area, showing you the food and why they’re known for it and re-creating one of the dishes for you all to enjoy!  Look for this coming up in the next few weeks so I have time to compile my photos and write some recipes!

But ahhh....it’s good to be home! 

So due to my extreme exhaustion and the fact that I’m writing this blog at 4 am due to jet lag, I have something easy for you today!  The Pittsburgh Salad is more of a style than a recipe, although I will give you my recipe and dressing recipe as well.  A little history -- those in Pittsburgh have a habit of throwing french fries on everything, especially those decadent sandwiches known as Primanti Brothers, which I devoured on the regular while in college.  I was a little shocked, though, when I ordered a salad listed “Pittsburgh-Style”  and received a pile of lettuce, chicken and cheese, topped off with a mountain of crispy french fries.  So much for eating healthy -- but wow, this combination is fan-freaking-tastic.  Go ahead and bake your fries to keep it on the healthier side -- that’s what I did here!  And feel free to mix it up with veggies and meats!

Pittsburgh-Style Salad (makes 2 large dinner salads)

1 head of romaine lettuce, cut or torn into bite sized pieces

4 c. spring mix greens

3 small tomatoes, quartered

1 orange bell pepper, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 cucumber, thinly sliced

4 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, seasoned with salt and pepper, cooked and chopped into bite sized pieces

1/2 bag Ore-Ida frozen Seasoned French Fries, baked according to package directions

1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese {start with a block and shred with a grater for easier melting cheese}

1. Toss all vegetables and divide among two dinner plates.
2. Top salads with chopped warm chicken, pile with french fries and scatter cheese on top and allow to melt a little before serving with your favorite dressing.

SkinnyChow Balsamic Dressing

This recipe is very acidic, which I love.  Most dressing recipes have more oil than acid but I use a reverse ratio to make it a little more health conscious.

1/4 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/3 c. balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp grainy dijon mustard

1 large garlic clove, minced or grated

salt and pepper to taste

1/8 to 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil, to taste

1.  Combine all ingredients and use an immersion blender, blender or magic bullet style mixer to combine and whip into a smooth dressing.  

Pizza Crudo

During the hot and humid Southern summer, I’m constantly looking for light meals that taste fresh, are simple to make, and don’t take much time to complete.  I saw this recipe in Rachel Ray Magazine and just had to try it out -- I made a few changes but stuck with the main concept and it turned out fantastic.  

Ciabatta bread is one of my favorites -- I love how it gets crispy on the outside but still soft in the middle when it’s grilled or toasted.  It’s the perfect crust for this lazy pizza.

Also, don’t skip the last step of this recipe, which is to drizzle each pizza with a good extra virgin olive oil -- I always underestimated what this does to a recipe but it adds a creaminess to the pizza that is beyond incredible!

Pizza Crudo (makes 8 pieces, or 4 servings)

adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine

4 ciabatta bread rolls or 1 large ciabatta bread loaf, split and toasted or grilled

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling

salt and pepper, to taste

12 oz fresh mozzarella

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into bite sized pieces

1 bunch of basil, ripped into small pieces

1. After toasting each piece of ciabatta bread, take garlic clove and rub it onto each piece of bread.
2. Place mozzarella cheese, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper in food processor and pulse until cheese resembles crumbles, this makes it easier to spread on the bread slices
3. Divide cheese mixture on each bread slice
4. Top with tomatoes, bell pepper and basil and drizzle with olive oil before serving.