It’s SPRING! The world is opening up after the worst year we have ever had. Flowers are blooming. Vaccines are here. Stores are opening. Little by little we are getting our lives back. Time for a small celebration meal with your family, Celebrate Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican- American festival that celebrates the victory of a small Mexican army over their conquerors; celebrate getting your vaccine; or the joy of spring.
Keep your celebration small and easy with simple Crispy Chicken Tacos topped with avocado, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and green sauce. Or just make your own tacos and add a green sauce instead of usual salsa. Green Hot Sauce makes the celebration spicy.
GREEN HOT SAUCE
Ingredients:
5 green tomatillos, medium size
4 Serrano peppers (add more for a spicier sauce)
1/2 Cup water
4 Tbsp. Cilantro
Salt
Preparation:
Remove husks from tomatillos and rear end of the serrano peppers. Add tomatillos and serrano peppers in a pot. Add enough water to cover them. Put on medium to high heat and cook for about 5 minutes. NOTE: To get a nice GREEN sauce, do not overcook the tomatillos and peppers. If overcooked the tomatillos and peppers turn yellow, affecting the color of the sauce, not the flavor.
Add cooked peppers, tomatillos and water to a blender along with the cilantro.
Blend for about 2 minutes, or more depending on consistency desired.
Season with salt to taste.
This recipe is a perfect celebration for your body. Avocado, lettuce, tomatoes and tomatillos give you lots of vitamin C for good eyesight and a stronger immune system to keep you healthy. Avocadoes are loaded with healthy fats and even have more potassium than a banana, important to keep muscles and nerves working right.
Best of all, in these dark days of COVID, a small celebration is just plain good for you.
SMALL CELEBRATIONS - BIG FLAVOR!
RECIPE: Crispy Tacos Dorados
INGREDIENTS:
12 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 cup of lettuce, thinly shredded
2 small tomatoes cut into thin slices
4 Tbsp. fresh cheese, crumbled
3 Tbsp. sour cream
Cooking spray
1/2 avocado sliced
PREPARATION:
Preheat the oven to 350F
Lightly warm up the tortillas in a skillet on medium heat.
Fill the tortillas with the chicken, roll them like a taco, and insert a toothpick in each one to keep the shape.
Place the tacos on a baking sheet, spray tacos with cooking spray, and bake for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Remove them from the oven.
Remove toothpick and place tacos on a plate.
Lightly coat upper shell with sour cream and top with lettuce and tomatoes.
Garnish with the fresh cheese and avocado.
Add green hot sauce to your taste.
TIPS & TRICKS
Tortillas: Warming up tortillas in a skillet makes it easier to roll them and prevents them from breaking during the process.
STORAGE TRICKS:
Lettuce: Loosely wrap lettuce in a damp paper towel and place in an open plastic bag in the refrigerator. Will last about a week.
Tomatoes: Place stem side down in a cool place in your kitchen. It's best not to store them in the refrigerator as that can destroy some of the flavor. If you decide to put in the refrigerator, take the tomatoes out a few hours before using to restore part of the flavor.
Tomatillos: Leave the husks on and store in the refrigerator in a paper bag. Will last 2-3 weeks.
Avocado: Let ripen on the counter in the kitchen. Once ripe store in the refrigerator for a week. Cut avocado should be used right away or it turns brown.
