Beer marinated chicken tacos

These are seriously AMAZING!  What a find!  I think what makes them especially good is that the chicken is grilled on the bbq, or perhaps it's the guacamole, I don't know, but the whole thing is just so good.  I didn't have some of the ingredients on hand, so I had to improvise.  Here is my rendition of this recipe:

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the marinade
1 cup dark Mexican beer, such as Negra Modelo (I had to use gluten free beer and it was still fantastic)
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups of your favorite guacamole
~ 8 taco size corn or whole wheat tortillas 


optional toppings:
sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese
diced tomatoes
shredded lettuce

What you do:

1. Mix all of the ingredients for the marinade together in a small bowl. Place the chicken breasts in a large Ziploc bag and pour in the marinade. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, and place in the refrigerator to marinate for 2 hours to overnight.

2. Remove chicken from the refrigerator while lighting the grill.  Grill chicken until fully cooked and browned on both sides. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut chicken into thin strips.

3. While the chicken is resting, warm tortillas on the grill until pliable, about 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. To assemble, pile with chicken slices, spread a heaping spoonful of guacamole along the middle, add sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. Enjoy the best tacos EVER! 

note: I forgot to take a picture, so I will replace this one the next time I make this awesome dish!  

Some more recipes

Been browsing tastespotting again.  Here are some more recipes that I will eventually make:
Sticky coconut chicken
Creamy lemon fusilli
Roasted chicken and brie sandwich

Creamy Salmon Spaghetti

I don't know why I never posted this before.  It's just so good!  I actually invented this recipe myself when I was pregnant.

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat spaghetti noodles (use enough for 4+ portions)
• 500 g heavy cream
• 3 portions of salmon
• 150 g spinach leaves
• ~1 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese

What you do: 

1. Preheat the oven to about 390 degrees F (200 C) and get the pasta water started.
2. Grate black pepper over the salmon and bake in a glass dish until done.  It usually doesn't take very long (maybe 15 minutes).  Cut one in half to check if you are unsure.  Don't overcook!  When pasta water is boiling, add spaghetti and cook until done.
3. While the salmon and pasta are cooking, get the sauce started: stir the grated parmesan cheese in with the heavy cream in a small pot.  Keep adding parmesan cheese to taste and stir until thoroughly melted and warm.  
4. Wilt the spinach leaves in a frying pan with some butter, salt, and pepper.   Chop up the salmon into bite size bits. 
5. Stir together spaghetti, cream sauce, salmon, spinach, and some black pepper.  
6. Serve with steamed asparagus and enjoy! 

Recipes that are coming up...

 I've been browsing tastespotting and have found a few recipes that I'm going to try in the next week or two:
Beer Marinated Chicken Tacos
Portobello Burgers
Scallops & Shrimp over Linguine with Baked Feta

Portuguese Chicken

I just made my portuguese chicken recipe again and it was really fantastic.  So easy and tasty!  Check it out here!

Scalloped Potatoes

 I got this recipe from here.  to die for! 

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme (or use dried thyme)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 kg russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
• 1 cup shredded cheddar & parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F (180 c). Meanwhile, melt butter in large Dutch oven (or large, heavy-bottomed saucepan) over medium-high heat until foaming subsides, about 1 minute. Add onion and saute until it turns soft and begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream, milk, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and potatoes and bring to a simmer. Cover, adjusting heat as necessary to maintain a light simmer, and cook until potatoes are almost tender (paring knife can be slipped into and out of center of potato slice with some resistance), about 15 minutes.
2. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Transfer potato mixture to a 3-quart gratin dish and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until the cream has thickened and is bubbling around sides and the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken with Tarragon, Gruyère & Mushroom Cream Sauce

I got this recipe from here, and let me tell you, it was fantastic!  I made several alternations, but it is essentially the same thing. The flavours work so well together.  I ate mine over mashed potatoes, Mark had his over pasta.  We both loved ours.  I served it with a side of baked asparagus.  This one will definitely be added to the rotation!

Ingredients

• 500g of white mushrooms 
• extra virgin olive oil
• 6 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
• ~ 1 tablespoon dried tarragon (season to taste)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese

What you do:
1. Heat a large, deep sauté pan over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add them to the pan. They should sizzle right away. Sauté for about 4 minutes each side. Remove them from pan to a plate.
2. Add butter and mushrooms and S&P to the pan and sauté mushrooms until they just start to release their liquid, about 4 minutes.
3. Add white wine and simmer until reduced, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the heavy cream, corn starch mixture, and the tarragon and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 4 minutes. Add the lemon juice and blend well. Add the grated Gruyère and stir constantly until melted and blended in. Season again with salt and pepper.
6. Return chicken to the pan. (While the chicken was sitting, it sweat out a lot of juices. I added these back into the sauce). Stir to coat chicken and simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes.
Serve immediately over rice, pasta, or mashed potatoes.