umommy: tacos

Fire up the Grill

, by umommy

Meal Plan for this week. Also known as The Best Week Ever.

I have been trying loads of new recipes lately, I think partly due to the arrival of spring plus I needed something to shake things up from the winter rotation of soups and comfort food. Here's a menu plan for 5 delicious dinners for this week - or any week really. If your family is anything like mine, this will be the best week ever.

Monday: Pasta with Peas, Bacon, and Ricotta - From Dinner: The Playbook, this easy-to-whip-up meal will surely please even the pickiest eater of the bunch. Cook 1 lb tubular pasta according to directions. Add 3-4 tbs of ricotta to a large bowl and toss cooked pasta with ricotta. Next, fry up 1/2 pound of bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels. Add 1/4 chopped onion and one 10-oz package of frozen peas to the pan and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add the chopped bacon back to the pan with the peas and onion. Then toss mixture onto pasta. Season with salt, pepper and grated parmesan.

Tuesday: Miso-Glazed Fish with Rice and Spinach - Another winner from Dinner: The Playbook, this simple and fast cooking meal is now a family favorite. I substituted salmon with Mahi Mahi and served it with sautéed spinach and white rice. Healthy and delicious! Click here for the recipe.

Wednesday: Braised Adobo Pork Tacos - Okay, another recipe from Dinner: A Love Story. I admit it. I'm obsessed with all the recipes from Jenny Rosenstrach. They are just so good and easy. She suggests making this with polenta (which I'm sure is amazing). I ended up cooking this in a slow cooker and and we made tacos with this. You will die of happiness if you make this. Click here for the recipe.

Thursday: Burgers with Fruity Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries - What's not to love about this meal? Tasty burgers, a simple slaw with kid-friendly fruit and healthy oven-baked sweet potato fries. This menu comes from ChopChop: The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families spring issue. This issue has four other great family dinners you have to try.

Friday: Taiwanese Meat Sauce Over Rice with Baby Bok Choy - My family goes crazy for a good rice bowl. When I saw this recipe from Jennifer Che of Tiny Urban Kitchen in the Boston Globe, I just knew my brood would love it. Simple meat sauce is packed with umami as it's cooked with dried mushrooms and asian flavors. We completed this dish with a hard boiled egg and stir-fried baby bok choy. I can't wait to make this again. Click here for the recipe!

Have a good week!

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, by umommy

In corn, GOOP

Shrimp Tacos with GOOP

This week's recipe is inspired by GOOP -- Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle website and weekly newsletter. For those not familiar with GOOP, it is Gwyneth's outlet to share advice and tips on travel, food, fashion and self-care. I subscribe to GOOP mainly for the entertainment factor. Ahh... if only I could stay at five-star resorts when traveling to Spain or dine and share recipes with celebrity chefs! I probably get more enjoyment reading Angry Black Lady Chronicle's posts about the impracticality of GOOP.

Okay, I should stop picking on Gwyn. After all, it was her Mexican Style Family Dinner edition that inspired me to make Shrimp Tacos. Hey, if Gwyneth can make these (in her fabulous kitchen), then I can too!

Southwestern Shrimp Soft Tacos
Inspired by GOOP and Adapted from Epicurious

INGREDIENTS:

Marinade

1 1/2 tbsp minced red onion
1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
16 shrimp, shelled, deveined, tails removed

Corn relish

2 ears corn (or 1 cup canned or frozen and thawed)
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
6 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 green onion, chopped
1 tbs fresh lime juice and zest

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine marinade ingredients with 1/4 cup water and season with salt. Add shrimp; refrigerate for one hour.

Shrimp marinating

2. To make relish, cut corn kernels off cob. Lightly spray a sturdy skillet with cooking spray and heat over moderately high heat. Stir-fry corn until golden brown.

3. Pour corn into a bowl and add remaining relish ingredients; season with salt.

corn relish - so good!

4. Remove shrimp and reserve marinade. Lightly spray the skillet with cooking spray and heat on high until very hot. Toss in a few shrimp at a time and cook until just opaque; remove shrimp.

switched to cast iron to sear in juices

5. Pour marinade into pan, bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes; lower heat and simmer until thick.

6. Put 4 shrimp on each tortilla; top with corn relish and marinade sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onion. Serve with rice and beans.

The Good: Pretty easy to make. My oldest loved this but the little one just preferred to eat the corn.

The Bad: The tacos by themselves will not feed a family of four. Be sure to make some sides.

Grade: B+. Tasty meal. Thank you Gwyneth!

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, by umommy

In anna's taqueria, burritos

Restaurant Review: Dorado Tacos & Cemitas

When we heard there was a new taqueria opening in town - and it was getting rave reviews - it was only a matter of time before we had to abandon our loyalty to Anna's Taqueria and check it out.

When you walk up to the counter, it is immediately evident that Dorado is not trying to compete with the mini fast-Mexican-food empire. There's no assembly line. Only friendly counter service that is happy to explain the different varieties of fish tacos, quesadillas and cemitas.

It was Wednesday night - Fish Taco night - so we ordered fish tacos. For $1.99, you can get a Esenada - beer battered Atlantic pollock with cabbage, salsa, pickled onions, baja crema (sour cream dressing), and limes in two soft corn tortillas. Each bite was delicious and complex - soft, chewy, savory, and sour with a crunch. We ended up getting three more after wolfing down the first taco.

Dorado's signature dish is the cemita - a popular street food sandwich. You choose your meat (1 of 5 options), layered between black beans, chipotle adobo, oaxaca cheese, cilantro, and avocado on a sesame-seed bun. It reminded me of a chilean chacareo - a combination of ingredients you would not think of putting between two slices of bread and ultimately tasting deliciously different.

And yes, they offer a kids menu too. Kids can choose from fish, chicken, and beef tacos with rice and tortilla chips for less than $3. The tacos are made simply without any toppings. Our boys scoffed up their plates (especially the house-made chips).

The space is clean and simple. Dorado is also one of the more 'green' restaurants in the Coolidge Corner area boasting eco-friendly utensils, napkins and plates, recycled wood floors and tables. Although small, Dorado is kid-friendly offering several high chairs.

And something the other burrito places don't offer - a good selection of imported beers, sangria and authentic mexican coke made from real sugar (v. high fructose corn syrup).

What's not to love?

401 Harvard St
Brookline, MA 02446

(617) 566-2100

doradotacos.com