Meatless Navajo Tacos

Does anybody else remember Navajo tacos from the elementary school cafeteria?  I'm not entirely sure I ever even ate them at school (my mom usually made our lunch...we could only buy "hot lunch" on the rare occasion when she was sick) but they always looked so good to me!  So whether I ate them then or not, there is this incredible feeling of nostalgia that these bring on for me.  My version is usually meatless, but don't worry, you won't miss the meat.  Of course, if you look closely at the picture you may notice I cheated this time around--I had some ground sausage in the fridge I wanted to use so I tossed that in with my bean/tomato mixture.  If you're really craving some good animal protein, you can of course cook up some ground beef to add in.  Also....the fry bread (or scone, if you're from Utah) recipe will make 12, but you probably won't have quite enough toppings for that many.  Bummer....I guess you'll just have to eat some fry bread slathered in honey butter for dessert. 

Meatless Navajo Tacos

Number of Servings: 8-10
Time to Prepare: 2 hours

Fry Bread

• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 pkg)
• 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder (slightly heaping)
• 4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• oil for frying (make sure to choose one with high smoke point like canola, peanut, or grapeseed)

Topping

• 2 (15.5 oz) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes (not drained)
• seasoned salt
• shredded Cheddar Jack cheese
• sour cream
• shredded lettuce
• diced tomato
• diced avocado
• sliced olives

 Dissolve the yeast and 1/2 Tbsp sugar in warm water. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, until very bubbly and frothy.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the buttermilk, 1/4 cup sugar, melted butter, vegetable oil and salt until completely dissolved.  Add baking powder and 1 1/2 cups of flour and beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl constantly. Add yeast mixture and beat on high for 3 minutes.
Add the eggs and mix until completely combined, then stir in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until you have a soft dough.  It will be coming away from the sides of the bowl, but it will still stick to your finger when you touch it.  Place the bowl in a warm place and cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

When the dough has risen, sprinkle a large, clean work surface with flour. Punch down the dough and then roll it into a rectangle about 1/4″ thick. Using a sharp knife or a pizza wheel, cut the dough into 12 rectangles. Separate the dough pieces slightly and cover with a clean cloth.  Let rest while you heat the oil and prep the toppings.

In a large, heavy pan heat about 2-3 inches of frying oil over medium heat until it reaches 350-360 degrees (use a deep-fry or candy thermometer).

While the oil heats, combine kidney beans and canned tomatoes in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add seasoned salt to taste.  Let it cook until most of the liquid from the canned tomatoes has cooked off. 

While the beans and tomatoes cook, add a couple dough pieces to the hot oil and cook until golden brown on one side, then flip and cook the other side. Repeat with remaining dough pieces.

Place one piece of fry bread on a plate and top with a scoop of the bean-tomato mixture.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese and top with a dollop of sour cream.  Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, diced avocado, sliced olives, or whatever else you like on your tacos.

Source: fry bread recipe slightly adapted from Our Best Bites
Produce Used: Lettuce, tomato, avocado

7/28/2012 Basket - Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas
Uses from this basket: Lettuce, tomato, bell pepper
Other produce: Onion, garlic

• 10-12 flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
• olive oil
• 2 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/4 cup chopped green chiles (one small can)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella or Monterrey jack cheese
• Romaine or iceberg lettuce
• Chopped tomatoes

Saute the onion, garlic, and bell peppers in a small amount of oil, set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the mushroom soup, green chiles, and chicken broth.  Add the onion mixture and the sour cream.  Remove about 1/3 of the mixture to a smaller bowl and mix with the cooked chicken. 

Warm tortillas in the microwave to soften, if desired.  Fill each tortilla with about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture and sprinkle with a little cheese.  Roll and place side by side in a greased 9x13 pan.  After all enchiladas are rolled, pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Serve over a bed of lettuce and tomatoes (we also added some sliced red onion this time).

5/26/2012 Basket - Mexican Rice Burritos

Mexican Rice Burritos
Uses from this basket: Romaine lettuce, tomato

Cook a package of Mexican rice according to the directions on the packet. Stir in a can of green chilis and a can of drained kidney beans. Serve with tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and tortillas.

4/21/2012 Basket - BLT Wraps

BLT Wraps
Uses from this basket: Lettuce, tomato

• Bacon
• Tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Ranch dressing or garlic aioli
• Large tortillas

Cook the bacon until it begins to crisp.  Slice the tomatoes.  Wash and chop the lettuce. 

Spread dressing or aioli down the center of a tortilla.  Place 2-3 strips bacon, 4 slices tomato, and 2 cups lettuce on the tortilla and wrap up.  Enjoy!

4/21/2012 Basket - Sesame Chicken Salad

Sesame Chicken Salad 
Uses from this basket: Lettuce
Other produce: Carrots

• 1 chicken breast, diced
• 1/3 cup Asian sesame dressing (we like the Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame dressing)
• 1 head Romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1 (11.5 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1/2 cup peanuts (Kroger/Smiths has these new honey mustard peanuts that were AWESOME in this salad)
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1/2 cup chow mein noodles

Cook chicken breast in a skillet over medium heat with the Asian dressing until the liquid is gone.  Place lettuce in large salad bowl and top with chicken, oranges, peanuts, sesame seeds, carrots, and chow mein noodles.  Serve with additional Asian dressing.

3/10/2012 Basket - Mexican Chicken Salad with Spicy Ranch and Pineapple Orange Sherbet

Mexican Chicken Salad with Spicy Ranch
Uses from this basket: Lettuce, Anaheim peppers, small sweet peppers, green onion
Other produce: Tomato, red onion, lime, cilantro


To make dressing, blend 1 packet ranch dressing mix, 1 cup mayo, 1 T lime juice, 3/4 cup milk, 2 T cilantro, 3 T salsa verde, and ground red pepper to taste. Blend in a food processor until smooth.

Top lettuce with chopped tomato, diced red onion, shredded cheese, shredded chicken (we used this mango chicken from the other day), black beans, chopped green onion, and sliced roasted red peppers (see instructions here). Place tortilla chips around the edge of the salad. Serve with spicy ranch dressing.


Pineapple Orange Sherbet
Uses from this basket: Oranges, pineapple
Other produce: Lemon

• 2 cups pineapple chunks
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• zest of 2 oranges
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar (more or less depending on tartness of pineapple and orange juice)
• 1 cup milk

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturers directions. If you don't have an ice cream maker, place in a metal bowl in the freezer, covered with plastic wrap. Whisk every 20 minutes to incorporate frozen crystals. It should begin to thicken and firm up after 2-3 hours.

3/10/2012 Basket - Soft Tacos with Crock Pot Mango Chicken

Soft Tacos with Crock Pot Mango Chicken
Uses from this basket: Mango, pineapple, Anaheim pepper, green onion, lettuce
Other produce: Tomato, red onion, cilantro, lime

• 2 mangoes, diced
• 1/2 a pineapple, diced
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 2 Anaheim peppers, diced
• 2 green onion, finely chopped (green and white parts)
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 4 T chopped cilantro
• 1 T lime juice
  
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 T salt
• 4 T brown sugar
• flour tortillas
• shredded cheese
• shredded lettuce

Combine mango, pineapple, tomatoes, Anaheim peppers, green onion, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and white sugar in a bowl. Stir to combine.

Place chicken breasts in crock pot. Sprinkle with salt and brown sugar. Cover with mango salsa. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-6. Shred chicken.

Place chicken in tortillas and top with cheese and lettuce (and any other desired toppings).

*This chicken is super delicious and you can use it in all sorts of things--tacos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, nachos, etc. Or just eat it plain!

3/3/2012 Basket - Greek Salad Wraps and Frosted Banana Bars

Greek Salad Wraps
Uses from this basket: Lettuce, cucumber
Other produce: Tomato, red onion, lemon, garlic

• 2 cups cooked turkey or chicken
• 4 cloves garlic
• Rosemary
• Oregano
• Basil
• Poultry Seasoning
  
• Tortilla wraps (we used the sundried tomato and basil flavor)
• Sliced red onion
• Diced tomato
• Lettuce
• Blue Cheese
• Tzatziki (see recipe here)

In a food processor, grind the turkey or chicken with garlic and herbs, to taste. Warm tortillas in the microwave so they are pliable. Fill with ground turkey/chicken, lettuce, onion, tomato, and blue cheese. Drizzle with tzatziki. Wrap and enjoy!

Frosted Banana Bars
Uses from this basket: Banana

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

Frosting

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, sour cream and vanilla.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture.

Stir in bananas. Spread into greased 15x10" baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool.

For frosting: In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla. gradually beat in enough confectioners' sugar to achieve desired consistency. Frost bars. Store in the refrigerator.

3/3/2012 Basket - Garden Salad, Salt Potatoes, and Apple Cinnamon Crepes

Garden Salad
Uses from this basket: Butter lettuce, Anaheim pepper
Other produce: Red onion, tomato


Wash lettuce and tear into bite-size pieces. Top with diced tomato, diced Anaheim pepper, diced red onion, crumbled blue cheese, and sunflower seeds. Serve with your favorite salad dressing.


Salt Potatoes
Uses from this basket: Gold potatoes


Salt Potatoes are originally from Syracuse, New York (right around where my husband is from). If you haven't tried them before, you really need to make this recipe. It's not healthy at all, but definitely worth splurging every once in a while (as with most unhealthy things). The inside of the potatoes gets SO creamy, they are just to die for.

• 8 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
• 3 pounds well scrubbed gold potatoes (or other small potatoes), as uniform in size as possible
  
• 1 stick butter, cut into pieces
• pepper

Bring salt and water to a boil and add potatoes. Cook until tender, about 25 minutes.

Drain potatoes in a strainer. Place pot back on stove over medium heat and add butter. When just melted, add potatoes and black pepper. Stir to coat and serve immediately.

Apple Cinnamon Crepes
Uses from this basket: Apples

• 4 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups diced apple
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 4 T (2 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups whipped topping, thawed from frozen
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• melted butter
  
• powdered sugar

In a small nonstick pot on the stove, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and salt with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir to dissolve. Add apples and lemon juice and stir. Bring to medium heat and cover. Cook until the apples have softened and liquid has thickened, about 5 minutes, uncovering often to stir.

Remove the pot from heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Allow it to cool for several minutes. Thoroughly stir in cream cheese. Fold in whipped topping. Keep in fridge until ready to use.

Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Use a spoon to create a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well and add 3/4 cup milk. Whisk in small circles in the well, slowly incorporating the flour until you have a thick mixture. Whisk in the rest of the milk until smooth. Strain the batter to remove any lumps.

Brush the cooking surface with melted butter. Pour a small amount of batter onto the pan (or dip your crepe maker into the batter if you have one), making sure it covers the surface. Cook for about 2-3 minutes (depending how you like your crepes).

Put about 1/4 cup filling into each crepe and roll it up. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

2/25/2012 Basket - Beef Gyros with Tzatziki

Beef Gyros with Tzatziki
Uses from this basket: Cucumber, lettuce
Other produce: Tomato, red onion, garlic, lemon

• 2 (7-ounce) containers plain Greek yogurt
• 1 cucumber (unpeeled)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 T white wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp dried dill
• 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 1-2 pounds thinly sliced beef
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 3-4 T olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon

• pita bread
• thinly sliced tomato
• sliced red onion
  
• shredded lettuce
• crumbled feta cheese
• sun dried tomatoes
  

Grate the cucumber and squeeze grated cucumber to remove as much liquid as you can. Place it in a food processor along with the yogurt, sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, garlic, salt, and pepper and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Note that the tzatziki will taste pretty tangy--it may seem too strong, but trust me, once you get it on the gyro it is perfect.)

Combine beef, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs. Toss to coat. Let marinate for about 30 minutes. Cook over medium high heat until browned.

Heat the pita bread in the microwave for about 15 seconds, until warm and pliable. On each piece of bread, lay a few pieces of meat and top with lettuce, onion, tomato, feta, etc. Drizzle with tzatziki sauce, fold, and enjoy!

2/4/2012 Basket - Cream of Celery Soup and Garden Salad

Cream of Celery Soup
Uses: Celery, onion

• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 bunch celery, chopped (including leaves)
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 cups hot milk
• 1/2 tsp dill
• 1/2 tsp sage

Pour the chicken broth into a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the celery, carrots, onion, and garlic to the pot and return to a boil.

Whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and milk, then add it to the pot.

Simmer for about 20 minutes, then use a stick blender, blender, or food processor and blend to desired consistency (some people like it smooth, others like some chunks left in). Stir in dill and sage.

Garden Salad
Uses: Lettuce, radishes, avocado, tomato


Wash lettuce, tear into bite-size pieces and place in salad bowl. Top with diced avocado, diced tomato, julienned radish, and shaved carrot. Serve with your favorite dressing.

1/28/2012 Basket - Cobb Salad

Cobb Salad
Uses: Lettuce, avocado, tomato, green pepper


Wash lettuce and tear into bite-size pieces and place in individual salad bowl. Top with sliced avocado, diced tomato, diced green pepper, diced red onion, sliced hard boiled egg, and blue cheese. Serve with ranch dressing.

1/14/2012 Basket - Taco Salad

Taco Salad
Uses: Lettuce, tomato, avocado


I'm guessing you're all familiar with taco salad, but just in case you're not, here is the basic idea:

Start with a base of tortilla chips and crush them up into bite-size pieces. Top with ground meat flavored with taco seasoning (we used ground turkey), cheese, beans, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado/guacamole, sour cream, and any other toppings you want!

Here's what I did to make the guacamole:

2 avocados, mashed
lime juice
garlic salt
onion powder
paprika

All the seasoning is done to taste so just start with a little and add until you're happy with it.

7/16/2011 Basket - Cauliflower Casserole & Lettuce Cups

Cauliflower Casserole

Uses: Cauliflower, green onions

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/company-cauliflower/detail.aspx

Lettuce Cups

Uses: Iceberg lettuce, tomato

We had some seasoned and cooked pulled pork in the freezer. So I heated it up and put it on iceberg lettuce cups with tomato and cheddar cheese. Instant awesome.

7/2/2011 Basket - Dueling Pizzas

So yesterday we had one pear and 1/3 head iceberg lettuce leftover and were trying to decide on a plan for dinner. We decided on pizza. I used this recipe for the crust:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/jays-signature-pizza-crust/detail.aspx

I added Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder to the crust recipe when I added the salt and oil. Make sure to add a lot of the seasonings, since the crust will rise a lot.

Pear & Blue Cheese Pizza

Uses: Pear, iceberg lettuce

This pizza is based on California Pizza Kitchen's "Pear + Gorgonzola" pizza. Once I rolled out the crust, I brushed it with garlic-infused olive oil before topping it with mozzarella cheese, sliced pears, toasted almonds, caramelized onions, and crumbled blue cheese. Once the pizza is cooked, remove it from the oven and top with shredded iceberg lettuce tossed with blue cheese ranch. Eat the whole pizza in one sitting; it doesn't reheat very well due to the lettuce.

Margarita Mushroom Pizza

Uses: Tomatoes

I marinated two tomatoes in garlic olive oil for a few hours before I started the second pizza. So first I brushed the other half of the dough with the garlic olive oil and topped with the marinated tomato slices. Then I covered it mozzarella, extra sharp cheddar, caramelized onions, and mushrooms.

I baked both pizzas on a scorching hot pizza stone at 425 degrees for 8-12 minutes until the crusts were golden and the cheese in the center melted and bubbled.

7/2/2011 Basket - Butternut Squash Soup & Pork Lettuce Wraps

Butternut Squash Soup

Uses: Carrots, butternut squash

Chop 1 onion, 3 carrots, 5 small potatoes (red or gold), and 2 peeled and seeded butternut squash.

Cook carrots and onion in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add potatoes, butternut squash, and 4 cups chicken stock. Cook 20 minutes until squash and potatoes are tender and can easily be pierced with a fork. Transfer soup (in batches) to blender, or use immersion blender in soup pot. Once blended, add 8 oz. softened cream cheese and 1 cup brown sugar. Stir or blend until soup is smooth. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Pork Lettuce Wraps

Uses: Iceberg lettuce

I used the below recipe, but used pork instead of chicken.

http://www.food.com/recipe/p-f-changs-chicken-lettuce-wraps-15865