the best taco-sense is a good b-fense...Mexican style tacos in the house

During my 2 month hiatus of not blogging -- I was still busy in the kitchen with the thoughts of Mexican style tacos on my mind. My trip to Los Potosinos definitely impacted my taste palette and since then I can't get enough of corn tortillas, onions, cilantro and limes with any assortment of meats or legumes. The bear-fense aka b-fense wishes to present the following evidence of such obsession with all things Mexican style.


Exhibit 1: Mexican style tacos with ground turkey & homemade black bean salsa with the El Yucataco pasa doble bringing up the rear

This meal was delicious though unfortunately we were short of limes -- so I soaked the onions in vinegar to emulate the acidic clean taste of missing limes. Despite it's deliciousness I think I prefer non-ground meats in my tacos. There's more substance and diversity of texture. See Exhibit 2:


Exhibit 2: Mexican style tacos with grilled chicken with guacamole salad and Traders Joes Chimichurri rice with the El Yucataco pasa doble bringing up the rear again...

Holy bear-ito. These tacos were on-point. I grilled the chicken on the stove with this Buckeye Rub that I got from Hill's market -- and it gave the chicken a fantastical smokey sweet flavor that really enhanced the taco. Though not pictured we had fresh squeezed lime juice. This meal was replete -- the true gem was the improvisational guacamole salad that I free styled after noticing how Los Potosinos and most other taco reviews revealed that radishes were common with your taco truck experience. This was also my first time making guacamole since Betty makes one that will blow your paws off. The guacamole salad consisted of:

• 3 avocados
• juice from 1.5 limes
• salt & pepper to taste
• 2 jalapenos diced with membrane removed
• defrosted frozen organic corn from WholeFoods
• a bunch of radishes sliced chunky
• some diced tomatoes
• diced onions
• splash of El Yucateco green sauce

For the guac -- I placed everything in a covered bowl and shaked it up like a polaroid picture to let the ingredients combine naturally at first -- then went through with a fork and did some slight smashing. The guac has become a mainstay at our cave these days and Betty finally realized the true unleashed flavor of Mexican style tacos.



Exhibit 3: Mexican style tacos with grilled mahi mahi + radishes and said Trader Joes Chimichurri sauce

You thought I was kiddin'...nope. I kept remixing these tacos I tell you. Exhibit 3 brought out the fish in all of us. I know humans stereotype bears to eat only salmon -- but this bear likes to get his fish on with mahi mahi. I grilled up some mahi mahi -- frozen from WholeFoods -- with seasoned salt, lemon and then splashed it with some vinegar. Then topped it with all the usual fixins but also added diced radishes. This was my first time EVER cooking with fish and it seemed too easy. Ultimately this meal was simply outstanding.

For our final exhibit -- Betty and I decided to hit up La Casita for only our second time as I was craving some authentic Mexican food. After having success at Cazuelas and Don Patron 3 I was amped to see how La Casita fared with their taco offerings. I ordered their taco platter that came with beans and rice.


Exhibit 4A: from La Casita: Mexican style taco trifecta featuring: carnitas, pastor and chorizo


Exibit 4B: refried beans and Mexican rice from La Casita

Well...go figure my taco bear-ble was busted at La Casita. I had a bite of the first taco which was a carnitas taco and it was very tasty though a bit fatty for my tastes. I then had the pastor taco which was greasy and showed no semblance of the sweet tasting pork I had learned to savor. The same greasiness also showed up again when I ate the chorizo sausage. No real smoky kick -just salty greasy strangeness. The highlight of this meal was the beans and rice and I suppose the first taco. This is the first time that I would say I did not like the food at a Mexican restaurant. I felt a little queazy in the post-meal discussion with Betty thinking about the fattiness and greasiness of the meats. Her meal was so so as well. She had a chicken dish with a tangy sour cream sauce. Perhaps this meal was a sign telling us that we are long overdue to hit up El Vaquero? Who knows.

What the b-fense has hoped to show and offer up today is that

1. I love Mexican style tacos which generally utilize corn tortillas sometimes 2 for the base then topped with some form of protein, diced onions, cilantro and a lime wedge.
2. They are pretty easy to make at home using a variety of different proteins.
3. Don't be afraid of radishes. They taste very good in guacamole and on top of fish tacos.
4. Similar to the Dew's Pizza post -- while restaurants & taco trucks can serve up tasty authentic tacos -- sometimes there's no taco like home-made...which is why I say the best taco-sense is a good b-fense...
5. Word is bear-log.
   

the return of the 2-flip: middle eastern 2-flip chicken

Back to the kitchen for some 2-flip chicken. Recall 2-flip chicken got it's name cause you only need to flip it twice to cook it. This time i marinated the chicken in turmeric and lemon juice and then topped it with the heatwave seasoning. I also made some lemon rice with bhasmati rice, fresh lemon juice and rind and chicken stock. Grilled up some zuccini, squash and onions as a side. Also made season some greek yogurt with cucumbers, onions and spices. Smacked some Trader Joes hummus in the middle crowned with a pita chip. Very fresh and tasty meal. I flip you not.


turmeric lemon chicken with lemon rice, grilled zuccini and squash, yogurt and hummus

license to grill at the Chateau...

Betty and I had a busy 4th of July weekend grilling out. I tried my sister's marinade once again on some chicken tenders and thighs this time but changed it up a bit adding some other spices and even beer to the recipe.


chicken tenders and thighs on the grill...okay so not quite Los Potosinos...but still

The chicken tenders were good but even after a day of marination did not seem to be ultra-flavored as previously made. The chicken thighs on the other hand were simply delicious though not as healthy. I think the fat tissue on the thighs hold the marinade better.

We also stopped off at Whole Foods and picked up some 85/15 ground beef burgers.


covered burgers on challah buns with American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles

This was my first time grilling beef burgers and I struggled cooking them. I left them on the grill for 12 minutes but they were still bloody so I cooked them longer. In the end I got them to a medium cooking color and we served them with challah buns. The burgers were phenomenal. Why have i been spending my money on restaurant burgers when these are the jam?


plated above was the grilled chicken thighs with chipotle mac and cheese and tater salad all bear made

The chipotle mac and cheese was a freestyle from 2 different recipes and included 2 different types of cheddar and a pepper jack cheese, 3 adobo chilis and paste, and 2 chorizo sausage links. This was my first time making mac and cheese and it turned out pretty good but still not as good as my sister makes. The tater salad was the freestyle salad inspired by Columbus Yogurt that consisted of both sweet and dill pickles, pickle juice, red wine vinegar, curry and cumin. We used the grill 3 times over the weekend which brings my total grilling adventures to 7 or so. There is still a lot to learn about grilling and heating strategies on the grill but for now it's safe to say that I have a license to grill. Now the only question is...what to grill next?

at last the taco trucks...Los Potosinos

Finally got a chance to try one of the taco trucks that foodies and bloggers have been giving critical acclaim to..it's name Los Potosinos. A local blog http://tacotruckscolumbus.com is pretty much all you need to get started with the Columbus Taco Truck taste wagon. After scouring the site Los Potosinos came up as one of http://tacotruckscolumbus.com's favorites because of their pollo al carbon. I went with some fellow colleagues from across the forest to check this place out. It was about a 25 minute trek out there but it was pretty easy to find. I ordered a spicy pork soft taco and the pollo al carbon. Technically i ordered 3 tacos but they goofed my order. No worries.

spicy pork taco with cilantro and radish, cucumber and lime to garnish


signature pollo al carbon with bottled hot sauce on the refried beans accompanied with a lettuce, tomato and avocado salad

The taco was tasty. Fresh and unlike any taco you'd find at a chain restaurant. The simplicity of the taco with the lime, cilantro, radish and cucumber was refreshing but you still got to appreciate the meatiness of the taco because it wasn't littered with lettuce allowing the seasoned pork to be featured.

The pollo al carbon was the real treat here. I've never had anything like it. The chicken was tender with a great grilled taste with a mix of spices that I could not distinguish. It reminded me of a Mexican spiced version of Tandoori chicken. Delicious.

A funny anecdote about trying to get hot sauce: I asked for hot sauce and the lady directed me to the bottle on the table. I asked for something stronger and she provided a bottled hot sauce. I asked if she had anything hotter to which she came up with the following:


hot sauce?

In this case sliced habanero peppers topped with fresh squeezed lime juice and a dash of salt. I was slightly apprehensive initially because though I love hot and spicy foods the habanero pepper is one i typically avoid raw. I made sure to have a full mouth of food as I snuck in a sliver of the pepper and the meal was perfect. This was my first time eating a habanero pepper in its entirety and since then I've already started incorporating them into my cooking.


pollo al carbon aka what's under the grill hood at Los Potosinos

The trek out to Los Potosinos was fun and exciting to do with a group of bears. I was a little turned off by the prices of the food not being readily listed on their menu and sure I missed my 2 tacos that I believe I was charged for -- but all in all the food was good, unique and a good time was had by all. The only question is where will our next taco truck adventure take us? Any suggestions?

chicken tacos...tostadas...nachos...yums in my tums...whateva you want to call them...

Betty and I hit up the kitchen for some lunch for my sister and future brother-in-law. We decided to mix it up and do crispy chicken tacos. I broke my shells and turned them into tostadas. Betty represented with her homemade guac. I heated up some refried beans and trader joes chimichurri rice on the side. Threw in some mixed green salad with tomatoes, onions & sour cream and we were set. You know the drill. You know the subject of this post. Yums in my tums.


broken chicken tacos with home-made guac, refried beans, and trader joes chimichurri rice

P.S. notice the missing El Yucateco...very very sad...

I heartburn comfest...La Fogata Grill

Late Friday night eats after Comfest found Betty and I devouring chicken nachos and cheese fries in the pitch dark at La Fogata Grill located in Betty's old hood in the Short North. This place has a very nice patio but at night their tables could use some candles:


chicken nachos and jalapeno covered cheese fries...

I almost fogata about this meal the next morning but after Betty reminded me -- and I consulted the camera evidence -- the flavor memories came back to me. This food was very tasty -- junky yes --but very tasty. I'm glad this place wasn't around when Betty lived at the Greystone or else we would've been in BIG trouble. The margaritas here are very tasty as well and apparently make you fogata about your meal. La Fogata is a great spot to grab Margaritas and some Mexican with a dash of heartburn if you're up in the Short North.

the more you know...the more you potato...

Columbus Yogurt made the best potato salad I've ever had in my life. Unfortunately he freestyled his recipe and doesn't quite remember what was in it. No worries -- I recalled he used 3 different kinds of pickles and that was good enough for me to finally venture out on my own. Pictured below is my homemade potato salad, grilled chicken croissant sandwich, and left over black bean dip.

Crucial to my potato salad were:

1) diced pickles + pickle juice
2) heavy cream
3) real mayo
4) yellow mustard
5) smathering of seasonings.

Taste: off the charts.


tater salad, chicken croissant, black bean dip

big surprise...chicken nachos again...

In true boring fashion -- I decided to make some chicken nachos. Still remixed as far I'm concerned. In this case -- I used chicken breast seasoned with a buckeye grill seasoning that I purchased from Hills market. The nachos were covered with a layer of pinto beans and corn, habanero cheddar cheese, and topped with sliced jalapeno peppers and diced green onions. El Yucateco duplex in the back with Cholula. Don Pablo's hot salsa in the middle. Muy sabrosa you know it ain't no joke-a.

chicken nachos.

I can't believe that I'm sharin a kebab with the most beautiful bear in the room...

Grilling season is here and I figured it was time to try my sister's marinade for the 2nd time ever. Her marinade recipe is below -- but I tweaked it slightly.

3 1/4 salad oil/vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs vinegar
2 Tbs honey
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
3 tsp ground ginger

- blend all the above and marinade with chicken, fish, or veggies

I marinated the chicken and veggies for 1 hour. I cooked the kebabs for about 15 minutes on the grill and then plated them. The kebabs were delicious. I served them up with El Yucateco's Caribean hot sauce and was set. I will definitely be making these in the future and will be pondering marinade remixes as well.


post-marination skewered up kebabs


almost grilled kebabs


plated outside.


plated outside extreme close-up

Jon Spencer's Taste Explosion presents...Now I Got Quesadillas...

Remixed -- but i ask again how you gonna mess with this. Whole wheat tortillas with shredded extra sharp cheddar, diced chicken and black beans with homemade guac and salsa to boot. John Spencer's Taste Explosion...word



preppin' in the kitchen with diced chicken, shredded cheddar, diced red onions & black beans


extreme close-up before grillage


quesadillas proper plated with salsa, guac, sour cream and the el yucateco trifecta.

Now I got tasty is more like it.

ladies and gentilemen...put your hands together for columbus's very own eat junkies!

There is a group of DJ's known as the Beatjunkies that take turns on the 1's and 2's aka turntables doing some pretty amazing DJ feats. Well Betty and I were the eat junkies in our kitchen the other night. Betty cutting up some jalapenos and garlic to remix into her amazing guac and your's truly following some new guidelines from Cook's magazine on marinade magic -- sauteing chicken on the stove with a lime marinade -- all to be mastered in to extremely delicious chicken nachos topped with a homemade corn cilantro salsa. I ask as always how you gonna mess with chicken nachos with homemade guacamole? You can't. I'm drooling just looking at the pictures...and of course El Yucateco trifecta got in the mix:



certified classic chicken nachos with guac and corn salsa


certified classic chicken nachos with guac and corn salsa close-up

aurora burrito-alis...

In case it wasn't apparent I have a tendency to remix leftovers into new culinary creations. Saturday night driven by a strange polar light from the skies in the north -- I took the leftover chicken and pepper tomato salad and flipped them into a mexican meal. I made 1 bean burrito with refried black beans, onions, and cilantro and another with diced chicken from the other night with refried black beans, onion, cilantro, and a pepper, tomato, onion, corn salsa. El Yucateco trifecto??? Of course. Muy Sabrosa! :)

refried black bean burrito and chicken burrito with tomato, corn, pepper salsa

kickin' it in the kitchen with 2 flip chicken...

I made some 2 flip chicken last night. For those not familiar with what I'm talking about -- I'm talking about grilling chicken on the stove but only using 1 flip to cook each side. 1 + 1 =2 flips -- not too complicated right. I usually do 5-6 minutes per side and the marinade and seasoning varies. Last night I needed to get rid of some lemons so I marinated the chicken in lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, and dijon mustard, and a little bit of this and that seasoning. For the sides I tried the Aunt Nellies Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage from Jungle Jims, a homemade goat cheese, tomato, pepper salad, and some browned potatoes with grilled onions.


2 flip chicken, sweet and sour cabbage, tomato, goatcheese, and pepper salad, and browned potatoes

The dijon mustard gave the chicken a mellow-winey-taste that complemented the cabbage and everything really tasted yummy together.

The only low part of the meal was the void of cooking for one since Betty was off to Chicago -- but all in all a good meal.

nothing beats kfc... khurmagiana freestyle chicken...

Betty and I do not normally eat a lot of Italian food out. Not sure why. I am not normally even a big fan of chicken parmigiana but i decided I would freestyle something together using some recent purchases from the Hills Market. I used Trader Joe's tenderloin chicken.


defrosted Trader Joe's chicken tenderloin patted dry.


seasoned-salt-flour; boring plain bread crumbs with Trader Joe's pasta seasoning; 1 beaten egg

I dredged the chicken in an egg wash with yolk - why waist it you know? Then dusted the chicken in a flour-seasoned-salt blend -- back in the egg wash again -- and then one final dusting in a breadcrumbs-Italian-pasta-seasoning blend.


boring prep shot. chicken browning on iron skillet

The linguine was delicious and cooked in 3 minutes. I used the Rossi Pasta Classic linguine from Hills Market. Marietta Ohio represent.

The pasta sauce was pretty good with everything as well. I used "Cleveland's Own Little Italy Pasta" sauce available at the Hills Market as well.

I also steamed some broccoli and cauliflower to accompany the meal along with a small mixed greens salad with goat cheese and tomatoes.

Oh. And I forgot that we also had garlic bread from Weilands bakery.


Betty and I really enjoyed this meal. There was an authentic restaurant style taste to the pasta sauce that made everything taste good together. Even nicer was that we had mother amounts of leftovers for lunch for the remainder of the week.


divide and conquer. kfc lunch for the week

salads and salads...

I wasn't kidding when I was talking about salads.



1) mixed greens
2) grilled chicken tenderloin marinated in a rosemary spice blend
3) sliced boiled eggs
4) shredded mozzarella cheese
5) green onions
6) all topped with a blend of cous cous, tomatoes, corn, onions, cucumbers tossed with balsamic vinegar

2 Flipped-Finger Chicken Good Y'all...

It's been a while since we've purchased chicken. Normally I prefer to get the frozen chicken tenderloin from Trader Joe's trusting their label that the animal was living a good free range life without steroid injections. The past week or so saw me pulling the chicken out of the fridge and grilling it with various seasonings.

The meal below:

Mixed Green Salad with Radishes and Cucumbers; Grilled Brussel Sprouts with Yukon Potatoes + sauteed onions and garlic; Grilled Chicken rubbed in rosemary seasoning mix splashed with Balsamic Vinegar + Worcestershire.

I was very pleased with the meal. I tried a new approach for cooking the chicken which involved only turning it twice. Historically I'm guilty of flipping the chicken a number of times while it cooks. For this I cooked it on medium for 5 minutes on each side and presto. Good tasting chicken seared on the outside tender on the inside. Boom!

the salad days...

For the last 3 years my new years resolutions have included eating more veggies. With that goal i have had many great experiences making various kinds of salads. The one below was extremely delicious. Let's see if I can remember what was in it:

1) mixed greens
2) shredded brussel sprouts
3) carrots
4) 3 pepper blend
5) black beans
6) grilled chicken tenderloin marinated in a rosemary spice blend
7) tomatoes
8) onions
9) sliced boiled eggs
10) shredded cheddar cheese



With all the different flavors in the salad I did not really need a dressing but I did put a splash of balsamic vinegar on it.

Where am I and do I have to go back to Ohio...aka the Ft. Lauderdale Bar Crawl

Betty and I flew down to Ft. Lauderdale the night before our cruise and man oh man was I impressed. My main memories of Florida were going to Orlando, Orlando, and then some more Orlando as a kid. I found Ft. Lauderdale to be very clean, upscale, and quiet. I was prepared for college kids on spring break and while there was some of that -- there was a strange calm in the warm night breeze that was seductive. I suppose the fact that it was 80 something degrees with clear skies in March and that I was surrounded by the ocean and the woman I loved helped as well. Betty and I hit up the strip and decided to jumpstart the first day of our vacation by doing a bar crawl.


First stop was Sangria's cafe. We decided we'd start of with a gigantic margarita...everybody else was doing it.


Margarita was nothing to write home about but at the same time it didn't really matter cause everything else was so perfect. So perfect that we didn't bother finishing either of ours. :) We did split a chicken quesadilla that was simple and delicious. One thing I noted about Ft. Lauderdale was that you started to forget about how good the drinks or food were and just really took in the ocean view and relaxing vibe of the city.

Not properly buzzed from our first drink we decided to check out the House of 100 Tequilas.


We took a seat at the bar and engaged the bartender in a conversation on tequilas and Ft. Lauderdale culture. We tried 2 tequilas that I had never heard of and they were tasty.




Later on that evening we ended the evening at our Hotel Restaurant and Bar at the Hilton called Ilios. We sat on the patio where we had a dramatic view of the ocean and skyline. We had some martini's and tried a number of their tapas that were delicious and pricey including:



a crab and corn chowder; bread with 3 dipping oils/butters; and shrimp and mango ceviche



along with a jerk chicken with carmelized sweet potatoes and asparagus.

It was a whirlwind night before our cruise. The mood of the Ft. Lauderdale strip made it difficult for even the grumpiest of critics to mind the expensive drinks and cuisine. There was definitely a magical and intoxicating vibe (okay...maybe that's being too literal) in the air that stole Betty and mine's heart and money. Let's see how I feel when my credit card bill for this month comes.

iron chef columbus...

i finally transferred the photos from iron chef columbus. a friend of ours decided to have a monthly potluck following loosely the format of the food network show iron chef.

the secret ingredient was rice.

i created a rice cake in the spirit of a crab cake. i think officially i called it rice cake with deconstructed remoulade.

rice cake key ingredients: brown basmati rice, pinto beans, blue corn tortilla chips, death valley kettle potato chips, cilantro, monterrey jack cheese, and a slew of spices.

the remoulade consisted of 2 sauces. one was a simple sourcream sauce with my heatwave spices mixed in. the other sauce was a rice wine vinegar and sake salsa of sorts with corn, onions, and tomatoes.

the cake is topped off with a death valley chipotle chip.

i'm not sure if i'm super competitive when it comes to cooking...but how can you hate on the plating and use of the secret ingredient? i finished second.

here are some photos:





the competition:


vennison stuffed peppers with rice.



fried chicken and waffles on the left. the waffle were made with a rice flour. the chicken and waffles won go figure. they tasted amazing!




betty made kheer crispies. i mean how are you going to have rice as the secret ingredient and not have rice crispies. the twist on the recipe is after the indian dessert called kheer which is a rice pudding. cardamom, nutmeg, and almonds were added to make it taste yummy

all in all it was a good time. we have talked about this month's secret ingredient being an orange...but we're all struggling to find time in february for it. let's see how it goes.