The Herbalist and The Carnivore

Archives for October 2018

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

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People wait all year for the fall flavors of pumpkin spice and it’s so easy to turn your favorite cinnamon rolls into pumpkin cinnamon rolls! All it takes is a can of @libbyspumpkin and your favorite cinnamon roll recipe (don’t worry, you can use mine). There’s pumpkin in the filling and pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting on top. Fall has definitely arrived!

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Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Servings 8

Ingredients

  • ¼ oz. package quick rise yeast
  • ½ cup warm water
  • ½ cup warmed milk
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 egg
  • 3 ½ cups flour

Filling:

  • 1 cup or ½ of a 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • 2 tbsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. nutmeg

Pumpkin Frosting:

  • 8 oz. cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 cup or ½ of a 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
  • 6 tbsp. butter
  • 1 ½ cup confectioners sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • Zest of one lemon

Instructions

  • In a small bowl combine yeast and warm water. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl combine warm milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of the flour and combine. Add yeast mixture and slowly add remaining flour until combined enough to knead on lightly floured board. Knead dough for about 10 minutes, then roll out into a rectangle approximately 16 x 10 inches (It doesn’t need to be perfect).
  • In a medium bowl combine all of the filling ingredients. Spread evenly over the rolled out dough.
  • Starting on the long side furthest away from you, roll dough evenly towards you, creating a long roll.
  • Cut into 12 slices and place in a buttered and sugared baking dish.
  • Cover with towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
  • Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake until golden brown on edges, about 30 minutes.
  • Make frosting by blending all ingredients together until creamy. When cinnamon rolls are cooled, spread frosting over top.

National Taco Day

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Smokey, spicy, chipotle shrimp pairs perfectly with sweet pineapple

Anything having to do with tacos is always my favorite. Maybe because they are usually accompanied by margaritas and tequila shots! Or maybe because they are just fun to eat. One of my favorite local taquerias is La Catrina Tacos and Tequila in Mount Vernon, WA. They have really good margaritas, a super fun atmosphere and lots of different tacos to try. Check them out https://www.facebook.com/lacatrinatacostequilamv/ I dare you to try the Chapulines (Yes! Grasshopper Tacos! I bet they are crunchy!!) If you’re staying home try one of my recipes.

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Smokey Chipotle Shrimp Chorizo and Pineapple Tacos

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, tacos
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 16 Argentinian Pink Shrimp peeled, deveined
  • 1 tbsp Zatarain’s Cajun seasoning
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil
  • ¼ cup pineapple juice
  • 1 20 oz can pineapple tidbits juice reserved
  • 6 oz beef chorizo
  • 4 chipotle tortillas
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • ½ cup tomatillo salsa

Instructions

  • Pat shrimp dry
  • Season shrimp with Zatarain’s Cajun seasoning, set aside
  • Drain pineapple and reserve ¼ cup of juice
  • Place pineapple on sheet pan and broil until slightly charred
  • In a small saute pan, cook chorizo on medium heat until cooked to 160 degrees
  • Heat a large cast iron pan on medium high heat
  • Add cooking oil
  • Sear shrimp on one side until browned
  • Turn shrimp over and add pineapple juice, cook until opaque
  • Assemble tacos: tomatillo salsa, shrimp, chorizo, pineapple, cilantro
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Pork Belly Bahn Mi Tacos

Bahn Mi inspired tacos with melt in your mouth grilled pork belly and quick pickled crispy vegetables.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, Pork, tacos
Keyword asian tacos, pork belly
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

Grilled Pork Belly:

  • 2 lb pork belly strips
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp hoisin
  • 1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ½ tsp fresh ginger grated
  • Very small corn tortillas heated

Quick Pickled Vegetables

  • ½ cup seasoned rice vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • ¼ tsp fresh grated ginger
  • 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
  • ½ cucumber thinly sliced
  • 1 carrot peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise with peeler
  • ½ red bell pepper thinly sliced in long strips
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • ¼ cup green onion sliced

Instructions

Grilled Pork Belly:

  • Start charcoal grill
  • In a medium bowl combine soy sauce, hoisin, rice vinegar, raw honey, garlic and ginger
  • Place pork belly strips in bowl and let site until grill is ready
  • Grill pork belly until caramelized and fat rendered, remove and let rest for 10 minutes
  • Chop and serve on tortilla with quick pickled vegetables

Quick Pickled Vegetables

  • In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and let sit at least 15 minutes. Serve with grilled pork belly.
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Tinga de Camarones

Smokey chipotle tomato tinga sauce that you traditionally see with chicken, but we love it on shrimp.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, Seafood, tacos
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 12 Argentinian pink shrimp shelled, deveined
  • 2 tbsp olive oil or lard
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 1 pinch mexican oregano
  • 1 pinch cumin
  • 2 large tomatoes roasted
  • 2 large tomatillos roasted
  • 1 cup tomato bouillon found in Mexican section at grocery
  • S & P
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • cilantro
  • red onion
  • lime

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan over medium high heat saute onion in 1 tbsp olive oil until softened.
  • Add garlic and stir together, cooking lightly, taking care not to burn.
  • Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes, then set aside.
  • Pat each shrimp dry and season each shrimp with S & P.
  • In a large saute pan over high heat sear shrimp on each side in remaining olive oil.
  • Add sauce to shrimp and toss together.
  • Serve in warmed tortillas and top with cilantro, red onion and squeeze of lime.
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Pasilla Pepper & Pineapple Short Rib Tacos

Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, tacos
Keyword short ribs, taco tuesday
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2-3 beef short rib steaks they sell them in packs at Costco
  • 1 cup pasilla sauce recipe below
  • 12 small “street tacos” corn tortillas
  • ½ yellow onion slivered
  • ¼ cup cooking oil
  • S & P
  • 1 lime cut in wedges
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • ½ cup pineapple chopped
  • ¼ cup cotija cheese

Pasilla Cream Sauce

  • 2 dried Pasilla peppers seeded and stemmed
  • ¼ onion diced
  • 4 large garlic cloves diced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • ½ cup roasted tomatoes
  • 2 ½ cup chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 small corn tortilla torn into pieces
  • 4 tbsp heavy cream
  • S & P to taste

Instructions

  • Start charcoal grill
  • In a large bowl, combine ½ cup pasilla sauce and short rib steaks, let sit until grill is ready. When ready, grill, making sure to get charcoaled edges. Let rest and rough chop in fairly small bite size pieces
  • In a medium saute pan, heat 1 tbsp cooking oil over medium heat, cook each tortilla (both sides) and place in foil to keep warm. You may need to add oil after cooking a few of the tortillas. You’re warming the tortillas quickly. They should still be soft
  • In a medium saute pan over medium heat, cook onions, dry without oil until softened and starting to char, set aside
  • In a small saucepan, heat ½ cup pasilla sauce (recipe below) over low heat
  • Assemble tacos: tortilla, 1 tsp pasilla sauce, about 2 tbsp short rib steak, ½ tsp pineapple, ½ tsp onion, ½ tsp cilantro, ½ tsp cotija cheese and squeeze lime

Pasilla Cream Sauce

  • In a medium saute pan, dry toast pasilla peppers over medium heat for a few minutes until you smell the aroma and they soften a bit
  • Add onion to dry saute pan and cook until softened and almost charred
  • Add butter and garlic and stir, cooking until garlic is translucent, but make sure to not brown the butter.
  • Add roasted tomatoes and chicken broth
  • Cok for about 15 minutes until Pasilla peppers are softened and tender
  • Add brown sugar and stir
  • Add torn corn tortillas and turn off the heat. Let sit for a few minutes.
  • Blend with immersion blender until smooth
  • Add heavy cream and S & P
  • Reheat when ready to serve
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Asian Inspired Street Tacos

Grilled steak in a hoisin plum sauce with Asian inspired vegetables and sriracha mayo.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Beef, tacos
Keyword asian tacos, taco tuesday
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 NY strip steaks cut thin at ½ inch
  • 12 very small flour street tacos

Glaze:

  • 2 overripe plums juiced
  • 1 tbsp hoisin
  • 1 tsp garlic chili sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • ½ tsp soy sauce
  • ½ tsp fresh grated ginger
  • ½ lime juiced

Sriracha Mayo:

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tbsp sriracha
  • ¼ tsp ginger
  • 1 tsp sugar

Toppings:

  • 1 ½ cups red cabbage shredded
  • 1 cucumber sliced thin
  • 1 bunch radish sliced thin
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • ½ lime sliced in wedges
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Blue Corn Beef Tacos with Fresh Corn & Tomato Salsa

Ortega’s Good Grains Blue Corn Crunchy Tacos stuffed with seasoned ground beef and topped with fresh Tomato Corn Salsa
Course Main Course
Cuisine Beef, Mexican
Keyword crunchy tacos, ground beef, taco tuesday
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 box Ortega Good Grains Blue Corn Taco Shells
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 package your favorite taco seasoning
  • 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese grated

Corn & Tomato Salsa:

  • ¼ red onion diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 2 ears corn cut off the cob
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • ½ jalapeno diced
  • S & P to taste
  • ½ cup cilantro

Instructions

  • In a large saute pan, brown ground beef and add taco seasoning according to directions on package.
  • Prepare corn & tomato salsa by mixing all ingredients together.
  • Assemble tacos: ground beef, cheese, salsa