Chicken Tacos, Corn and Black Bean Salsa and Fried Ice Cream

It's Mexican Night!

Ok, so it's 12:15 am and if there was going to be a Mexican night in this household it would have happened about 8 hours ago, but at 12:15 am no one should be keeping that kind of score, right? Anywho, here are some really yummy ideas for your next south of the border inspired menu. Let me know what you think in the comments below! :-)

Chicken Tacos

I was skeptical when I first saw this recipe. There just didn't seem to be anything very "taco-ish" about it... I mean red wine vinegar? C'mon!

I'm really glad I went for it though. It's a deliciously light and citrusy take on the usually spicy mexican favorite. I personally prefer the cleaner and fresher flavors in Mexican food, and this really delivers a lot of unexpected bright flavor. Try it and see!

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
•  juice from half a lime
• 1 teaspoon of white sugar (or a pinch of powdered Stevia/2-4 drops liquid Stevia)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 chopped green onion/scallion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• a few healthy dashes of dried oregano
• homemade flour tortillas (see recipe below)
• corn and black bean salsa (see recipe below)
• avocado slices
• shredded cheese
• shredded lettuce
• any other taco toppings you like

 Process:

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, cook until browned.
2. Add vinegar, juice, S&P, herbs, garlic and sugar. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
3. Serve with homemade tortillas and corn and black bean salsa (see below). Top with your favorite ingredients.
4. Enjoy! :-)

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Super simple and very delicious, this corn and black bean salad has a light clean flavor thanks to the lime and fresh cilantro.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of sweet crisp corn.drained and rinsed
• 1 can  black beans, drained and rinsed really really well
• 2 tablespoons diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• a couple of good squeezes of lime juice

Process:

1. Combine everything in a glass bowl. Cover and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Homemade tortillas

These little beauties stay soft and pliable, and will pretty much make sure you never go back to store-bought again.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons shortening (I like butter-flavored crisco, but you can use margarine in a pinch)
• 1/12 cups hot water
• extra flour for rolling

Process:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix in the shortening with your hands. This will be kind of a messy process, you're looking for something that resembles cornmeal. I find squeezing and pinching helps.
2. Add water and mix until the dough forms. Flour your kneading surface and place the dough on it. Knead until smooth and elastic. 
3. Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll them up into a ball. Put the balls into a bowl and cover with a damp paper towel to keep the moisture in. Heat a skillet over med-high heat.
4. One by one, take each ball and roll it out into a thin tortilla shape. Most of your tortillas will probably be oblong instead of round, that's ok. Just make sure that they're as thin as you can get them, though they'll still be thicker than store-bought tortillas.
5.   Place the tortilla into the skillet and cook each side until golden and kind of bubbly. Put the tortillas into a large ziplock bag to keep nice and fresh while you roll out and cook the rest. Enjoy warm.

Fried Ice Cream

These babies require a lot of planning, anywhere from 4-24 hours. Lucky for us (not so lucky for our waistlines), each step is quick and easy, with most of the time just spent waiting for the delicious goodness to be ready.

You can drizzle them with regular chocolate syrup, but if you're feeling fancy schmancy give the amaretto-infused dark chocolate creation below a try.

Ingredients:

• Vanilla ice cream
• about 2-3 cups Corn flakes
• cinnamon to taste (about 2 teaspoons)
• nutmeg to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 2 egg whites, beaten until foamy
• chocolate syrup (see below for killer recipe, store-bought is ok too)
• whipped cream (see Peach and Blackberry Cobbler post for recipe)
• oil for deep frying

Process:

1. Scoop out ice cream and shape into balls with your hands. They should be roughly the size of a tennis ball. Place on a baking sheet and put into your freezer for at least one hour, or overnight is possible.
2. Put your corn flakes, cinnamon and spices in a large ziplock bag. Close the bag and squeeze it to crush your flakes. Shake it up to mix the spices in well.
3. Dip ice cream balls in egg whites, and then shake in the corn flakes mix. You may have to do it a few times to make sure they're completely covered. 
4. Freeze balls again, for about 2-3 hours. You want them as frozen hard as possible so that they'll withstand frying.
5. Once firm, heat oil over high heat. Using a slotted spoon or a frying basket, fry the ice cream balls 1 or 2 at a time for just a few seconds until golden. Drain, drizzle with chocolate sauce and whipped cream and serve immediately.

Dark Chocolate Amaretto Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 squares dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao)
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla
• a dash of cinnammon
• A splash of amaretto liquor (optional)

Process:

1. Melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Add cream and chocolate. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until chocolate and cream have blended.
2. Add sugar and keep cooking and stirring until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla, cinnamon and the amaretto. Serve immediately.