Tacos with Chipotle Ranch and Corn Salsa

       
       These are not your average tacos. They are clean, fresh, and so very simple. I can't wait to make them in the summer when all of the vegetables are even tastier. They start with the typical seasoned ground beef (chicken would be delicious too) and shredded cheese, but they are topped with creamy avacado, fresh corn salsa and a smoky chipotle ranch dressing. I used Boston lettuce leaves to save some extra calories, but I'm sure it would be delicous wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. The homeade Chipotle Ranch starts out with a recipe I've been using lately from Jason and Shawnda but I added canned chipotle peppers to give it a nice smoky flavor. I made the ranch and the corn salsa during Ethan's nap so it would have a couple of hours for the flavors to meld. You don't have to make it ahead, but it's way tastier if you do :)


Tacos with Chipotle Ranch and Corn Salsa


For the Ranch:
3/4 cup mayonnaise

3/4 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk

1 small bunch of chives

Small handful of parsley

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

2-3 chipotle peppers

Place all ingredients in a blender, using less buttermilk for dip and more for dressing. (I used about 1/3 cup) Blend until smooth.

Store in air-tight jar for a week or more in the fridge.

For the salsa:

2 ears yellow corn

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped

1/2 large bell pepper, chopped

1 small tomato, seeded and chopped

3 green onions, whites and greens chopped

juice of one lime

salt to taste

Wrap corn in paper towels and microwave about 7 minutes; let cool. Scrape kernals into a bowl and add remaining ingredients; stir to combine.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

For the tacos:

1lb ground beef

3/4 cup water

taco seasoning

    1  tsp chili powder

    1  tsp onion powder

    1/2  tsp cumin

    1/2  tsp paprika

    1/4 tsp garlic powder

    1/4 tsp seasoning salt

    1/8 tsp cayenne

    1/8 tsp white pepper

Combine spices in a small bowl. Brown beef in skillet until cooked through. Drain if nessecsary. Return to pan with seasonings and water. Cook until most of the water has evaporated.

 Layer lettuce leaves or tortillas with ground beef, shredded cheese, corn salsa, chipotle ranch, and avacado. Enjoy!

 

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder

  

    We love, love, LOVE  pork shoulder (or Boston Butt) in this house. Brian always makes a dry rub for it and smokes it for hours on the smoker, basting it with homeade bar-b-que sauce. We serve it for a big group of family and friends with my famous white sauce. It is sooo good! That's why I was intrigued when I saw this recipe from NomNomPaleo for Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder. Roasting it in the oven with only vegetables and a simple rub, allowed the flavors of the pork to really come through and gave me the ability to serve it however I wanted. I served this with corn on the cob with herb butter and Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan. This dish made enough for two dinners in our family, so I will be using the leftovers for another meal.


Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder
(adapted from NomNomPaleo)

3lb boneless shoulder roast (boston butt)
dry rub of your choice (I just grab whatever looks good from my cabinet)
vegetables (I had onion, carrot, and garlic on hand)


The night before, season pork with your dry rub. Really work it in, showing it some love. Refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, preheat your oven to 275 and let your pork come to room temperature. Cover a pan with foil and place your veggies on the foil with the roast on top of them. Wrap the veggies and roast in the foil. Put it in the oven and forget about it for at least 6 or 7 hours. ( I checked mine at this point with a meat thermometer and it was close to being done, so I unwrapped it and roasted it about another hour.) Your roast is done when it reaches 165 degrees and is fork tender. Yummm!

When it's done, pull it out of the oven and let it rest while you prepare the rest of your meal, at least 30 minutes. Then, pull it apart with your fingers or two forks.

You could use bbq sauce..or ranch...or whatever tickles your fancy. But it really doesn't need anything. We ate it plain.

I wanted simple sides to go with my simple roast. I wrapped corn on the cob in paper towels and microwaved them for 8 minutes. I chopped up some fresh herbs and stirred them into melted butter to brush over the top of the cooked corn.

We also had Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan which you can find here.


Voila!! Simple and delicious!