As promised, I'm making cooking a priority again in my journey to #bebetter and focus on what makes me happy. I'm really good at telling other people to take care of "Number One" that sometimes I forget to heed my own advice.
Over the last two weeks since making my presence again on the blog, I've created three new recipes, documented some "oldies by goodies" in my cookbook journal, and brainstormed some ideas for future kitchen adventures. Most of the time, my recipe ideas come to me when I'm walking the aisles of the grocery store. I LOVE shopping...at the grocery store and fruit and veggie markets. I love looking at all the ingredients, trying to come up with inspirations and ideas, thinking about what food adventure I could go on next.
Ok, so who doesn't love tacos?! Seriously though. Tacos are AMAZING. And very versatile. Hard shell or soft shell. Corn or flour. Chicken or beef. Or fish! Salsa or sour cream. Or dare I say BOTH!? The options are endless. These tacos came from...well...a walk through the grocery store. I knew I wanted to make a taco recipe for the book, but wasn't sure what direction to go in. I have had this pico de gallo recipe in my back pocket for a few years now. So I knew I wanted it to have that. As I walked the produce section of the grocery store I go to here in Beijing, I saw the avocados. And the rest is kinda, sporadic. I just grabbed ingredients and went with it. And this is what I came up with:
SHREDDED CHICKEN TACOS WITH AVOCADO CREAMA & PICO DE GALLO
Avocado Creama
+ 2 avocados
+ 1/2 cup greek yogurt, plain
+ juice of 1/2 lime
+ cilantro
+ salt & pepper
Pico de Gallo
+ 2 tomatoes, seeded, diced*
+ 1 clove garlic, minced finely
+ 1/2 red onion, finely diced
+ 3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
+ juice of 1 lime
+ sugar
+ salt & pepper
Shredded Chicken
+ 2 chicken breasts
+ 1 tsp garlic powder
+ 1 tsp chili powder
+ 1/2 tsp paprika
+ salt
+ juice of 1/2 lime
Other
+ 1 cup purple cabbage, julienned
+ juice of 1/2 lime
+ hard corn taco shells
*If I had my choice of tomatoes for pico de gallo, they'd be roma tomatoes. Not as juicy, which means your finished product won't be watered down. I haven't found roma tomatoes yet in Beijing, so I opt for "hot house" type tomatoes. If you have access to romas and you are making this recipe, use 4 tomatoes as they are generally smaller in size than hot house.
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1. Poach chicken in 4 cups of water for 12-15 minutes. Remove and shred with forks. Add garlic powder, chilli powder, paprika, pinch of salt, and juice of 1/2 lime. Mix with hands. Taste and add seasoning as needed.
2. While chicken is poaching, assemble pico de gallo. Combine chopped tomatoes, garlic, red onion, cilantro, lime, pinch of sugar, salt and pepper. Mix together and let sit for 5 minutes. Taste and add lime or salt as needed.
3. Now, assemble avocado creama. In a blender or food processor, add avocado, lime, greek yogurt, and a handful of cilantro. Pulse until the ingredients have combined together into a smooth mixture with no lumps. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix with a spoon.
4. In a small bowl, combine julienned purple cabbage and the juice of half a lime. Toss together.
5. Once all components have been made, it's TACO TIME!
6. TACO SHELL + SHREDDED CHICKEN + PURPLE CABBAGE + PICO + CREAMA
7. Serve with a side of creama, pico, and a lime wedge.
I'm pretty proud of this recipe. The flavours work really well together. The tangy bite from the pico, the sweet & smooth flavour of the creama, the crunch from the cabbage and hard shell, the spice from the chicken. I ate three...and I'm drooling again thinking about the idea of getting to eat the leftovers for lunch!
Something I'd like to try next time is adding cheese. Maybe crumbles of queso fresco (if I can find it in Beijing) would add another depth of flavour? I'm a woman on a mission for Mexican cheeses now! Watch out, Beijing!
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