Steak Tacos and Black Beans

My coworker Eric always has delicious homemade tacos everyday for lunch, so I decided to make my own steak tacos Friday night. I went a little crazy with sides and toppings (with the roommates' help!), so we had quite a feast. I also used a delicious spice combo that my friend Ivette gave me for Christmas which was Chili, oregano and salt to season the steak- the flavors really complimented one another.

Steak Tacos

2 pounds flank steak
1 tablespoon chili, oregano and salt mixture
1/4 cup Worchestershire sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil 2 avocados, sliced and divided
1 poblano pepper, roasted
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Corn tortillas
Optional:
2 mangos, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 cup shredded jicama
1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons cheddar cheese

Top steak with first 3 ingredients and marinade for 30 minutes to an hour. Heat a grill pan to medium high heat. Cook steak about 5 to 6 minutes on each side (for medium to medium rare). Remove from heat, let sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Combine 1/2 avocado, pepper, sour cream and salt and pepper in a food processor and serve as sauce for tacos in corn tortillas. Top tacos with remaining avocado and mangos, jicama, cilantro and cheese as desired.

Black Beans

4 cloves garlic
1 cup chopped red onion
1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed
1 green bell pepper, halved, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup corn kernels
1 teaspoon chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add garlic and red onion and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook about 10 minutes. Serve with rice and cheddar cheese.

The boys also prepared fried yucca and plantains which were SO good. If I ask nicely, I'm sure I could get them to blog about it :)

The final product!

As an added bonus, I had some beans left. The next morning I made a southwestern scramble simply by scrambling 8 eggs then mixing in the beans for the last minute of cooking (I warmed them first) and topped with some cheese. Delicious!

Shrimp Skewers with Sauteed Veggies and Southwestern Wontons

A few weeks ago for our office Christmas party we did a cooking class at Whole Foods which turned out to be a lot of fun! We did a world cooking class and made dishes from six different countries. I was in charge of Mexco and made these delicious sirloin kebabs, which inspired my shrimp kebabs for this evening.

The previous night, I had prepared a dessert using won ton wrappers and had some left along with corn kernels, so I thought it would be fun to do a southwestern won ton appetizer- there were some fun flavors in there, though I may tweak the recipe a bit, so be on the lookout for a revised version soon!

Finally, I thought some sauteed fruit and veggies with a pineapple soy sauce would be the perfect side dish in a bed of rice for this tropical winter treat.

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Kebabs

2 chipotles in adobo
1 tablespoon adobo sauce from chipotle in adobo can
2 limes, zested and juiced
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound shrimp, deveined and tails off

Finely chop the chipotles and then mix in a bowl with all other ingredients. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, soak 6 wooden skewers in water to prevent scorching while cooking.

Preheat a grill pan on medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Thread 3 to 4 shrimps on each skewer and cook about 3 minutes on each side.

Sauteed Fruits and Veggies with Pineapple Soy Sauce

1 (6 ounce) can pineapple juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Zest and juice from 1/2 orange
1 orange bell pepper, halved, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 green bell pepper, halved, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups 1-inch pineapple chunks

Preheat a saucepan on medium high heat and combine first four ingredients. Once simmering, reduce heat and cook about 10 to 15 minutes, until thickened. While sauce is thickening, heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Add remaining ingredients and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

To serve, place vegetables on a bed on white rice and drizzle with pineapple soy sauce.

Southwestern Won Ton Bites

12 medium won ton skins
4 ounces corn kernels
1/4 red onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 (4 ounce) package reduced fat cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 roma tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, minced

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray and place won ton skins in the tin. Heat a skillet on medium and spray with cooking spray. Roast corn, onion and bell pepper for about 5 minutes. Remove and place in a bowl. Mix in cream cheese and salt and pepper and divide equally among won ton skins. Bake about 15 minutes until skins begin to brown. Remove and top with tomato and avocado pieces and then top with cilantro. Enjoy!