I love Mexican food! May be it is all those chilies and lime or all that cilantro, but it reminds of Indian summer food! A simple fajita or a burrito bowl or even a taco has a perfect mix of some sour and spice, hot and cold, all eaten with either the rice or tortilla, which is just like our roti. So, when my parents visit, we always look for a Mexican place as our go to eat out place.
Also, a taco party makes for a fun activity to do with friends or kids, with a side of margaritas for the adults! It looks like it is exhausting but in all honesty, the work is spread out and can be easily done for more than ten people at one go. I can vouch for it as I took this to my 30th birthday boat party! Simple steps, cook the rice in a rice cooker, beans in a slow cooker, veggies on the skillet, crema in a blender and voila!
What? You say that still looks exhausting? Let me break it down further then. Taco party needs the following:
Tortillas: I usually use store bought, and I prefer corn tortillas but seriously, there are so many options and I am sure each one of you has a favorite.
Beans: Cook a cup of black beans overnight in slowcooker with 1/2 tbsp salt with at least 3 cups water.
Cilantro-lime Rice
One could do tomato rice or like me, make the cilantro-lime rice, which is what they give in the chain restaurant, Chipotle.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup long grained rice
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp ghee or butter
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
Recipe:
- Bring the water to boil and add the ghee and rice to the water. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for around 15-20 minutes with the lid closed.
- Fold in the lime juice and cilantro and adjust the salt as needed.
Pico de gallo
Ingredients
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 small red onion (finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup sweet corn
- 1/2-1 jalapeno (finely chopped)
- 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 cup cilantro (finely chopped)
- Salt
Recipe:
Mix the ingredients and let them sit in refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight.
Fajita Veggies
Ingredients:
- Chopped veggies (peppers, sweet potato, cauliflower, onions, corn)
- Taco seasoning
- 1 tbsp oil
Recipe:
- Start with a hot cast iron skillet and add the oil and veggies.
- Cook for around 2-5 minutes. Don’t overcook the veggies. Sweet potatoes take longer, and add them to the skillet first.
- Add the salt at the end.
Avocado-lime crema
I LOVE using this but this can be easily subbed with either a simple guacamole or just plain ol’ avocados.
Ingredients:
- 1 avocado scooped
- 2 tbsp greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 jalapeno
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- salt
- water to thin
Recipe:
Put them all in a blender and run it twice.
Assembly:
Additional ingredients: Pico de gallo or fresh chopped veggies (jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, cilantro)
For tacos
Take a warm corn tortilla. Layer it with 1 tbsp rice, 1 tbsp beans, some fajita veggies, fajita veggies and add some freshly chopped veggies and top it up with some crema.
Put it in your mouth.
For bowl
Take a bowl and add 3 tbsp rice, 2 tbsp beans, fajita veggies, salsa, fresh chopped veggies and pico de gallo and top it with some crema.
Put it in your mouth.
Always Food Talk 