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Short Rib Tacos; Not the Demon You May Think — Video Included

October 9, 2011 By Fran Leave a Comment
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Short-Rib-Tacos-for-DinnerYou haven’t lived until you’ve splurged on these Short Rib Tacos.  But don’t panic, it’s not as bad as you think.  You aren’t going to have this dish often — maybe once or twice a year, but for those times when you want to treat yourself to something hearty and comforting and full of flavor and texture, this meal should not be overlooked.  I’ve created a video to show you the process which you can find here or by clicking on the arrow in the image below.

This dish is so robust, so savory, it doesn’t take much to satisfy and 3 ounces is much more than enough for two tacos.  I used 2 ounces for my dinner and they were so rich I couldn’t have added more.  By you know about my obsession with anything involving a corn tortilla, and this falls squarely in that obsession category.  It’s the 2nd time this week I’ve made Short Rib Tacos — come on!  I have to recipe test!

Braising-Short-Ribs

And yes, I lost weight this week THREE POUNDS!  For me, it’s about portion control and not denying myself food just because I’m on a diet — yes, I used the word diet.  I know it’s a lifestyle change, but it’s also a diet in my head, but I never go feeling deprived with just two exceptions — I want a really good piece of pizza — you know the kind, with that orang fat dripping down your chin — sorry, I’m from Jersey and that’s how we love our pizzas and something fried.  Maybe crispy French Fries or a good piece of Fried Chicken.  But I’ll have those things at some point.  I just choose not to indulge right now and I’m fine with that choice.

Pulled-Short-Ribs

Meanwhile, back to the short ribs …

Short Rib Tacos aren’t difficult to prepare, but it does take time since you’ll be braising the beef to a tender, pull apart texture.  A few years ago I found the recipe for David Lebovitz’s Short Ribs.  I’ve made these ribs too many times to count, sometimes following the recipe to the letter, other times putting my own spin on it, but every time I pay close attention to one very important step — searing and caramelizing the ribs.  There’s just no getting around it.  Don’t try to short cut the process.  No, you won’t ruin the meal, but the ribs won’t be as full of depth and comfort as they would had you just stood over them, coaxing and cajoling and turning and looking longingly at them as they turn a rich, chocolaty brown color with a chewy exterior and moist, tender interior.  Making you hungry, aren’t I?

Short-Rib-Tacos

I filled these tacos with a couple of unusual ingrediens, but ones that worked so well.  Celery Salad and Brie Cheese.  What?!  Trust me.  Please.  Trust me.

The nutritional breakdown of this meal is as follows:

The recipe for braised short ribs is below:

Print
Braised Short Ribs

1 hour

3 hours

4 hours

Yield: 4

1 Rib

Calories per serving: 300

Braised Short Ribs

This is not a skinny recipe, but you only need 1 oz. of meat per taco Two tacos will cost you 9 Weight Watchers Points Plus. A splurge, so plan your day carefully and use some of those 49 Bonus Points if need be

Ingredients

4 boneless Beef Short Ribs

1 small Onion, Sliced

2 cloves Garlic, peeled

1 Carrot, cut in 1/2 inch rounds

1 small Jalapeño Pepper, sliced thinly

3 tablespoons sweet Japanese Cooking Wine -- Mirin

2 tablespoons low salt Soy Sauce

2 teaspoons Hoisin Sauce

1/4 cup Red Wine

1 cup Beef or Veal Stock

1 Chiles in Adobo, chopped

1 teaspoon crushed Sichuan Peppercorns

1 tablespoon grated Ginger

Celery Salad Ingredients

1 bunch of Celery, cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 small Red Onion, cut in half and sliced thinly

1/3 cup low fat Ricotta Cheese

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar

1 tablespoon Greek Seasoning I like Penzys brand

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350º

Heat a dutch oven (preferably cast iron) pan to medium

Sear the ribs on all sides until well caramelized, taking care not to burn -- this may take 20 - 45 minutes

Remove the ribs to a plate

Add the onion and carrots and cook for 5 minutes

Add the garlic and jalapeño pepper slices and cook for 2 minutes, keeping the vegetables moving

Pour in the wine and cook for 1 minute

Add the mirin, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, stock and ginger and bring back to the boil

Return the ribs to the pot and place in the oven, uncovered

Cook for 90 minutes, checking periodically and turning the ribs once or twice to ensure the ribs aren't turning too dark

Cover the pot and continue cooking for another 90 minutes

Uncover and check to see if the meat is tender enough to "pull"

If not, return to the oven for and continue to cook until tender

Remove from the oven and use for tacos

For Celery Salad

Add Celery and Onion to a large bowl and mix

Stir in ricotta cheese

Pour in oil and vinegar and combine

Let sit for 10 minutes

For the Tortillas

Wrap a couple of corn tortillas in a paper towel and "Steam" in the microwave for 20 seconds, or until warm and pliable

For the Finished Tacos

Build the tacos by placing 1 ounce of meat then a couple of slices of brie, the celery salad, a bit of Aji Verde and fold

3.1
http://thinrecipes.com/2011/10/09/short-rib-taco-recipe/
http://thinrecipes.com

 

 

Filed Under: All, All Posts Tagged With: Aji Verde, Beef, Cook, David Lebovitz, Food, Jalapeño, Mexican, Short Ribs, Tacos, Tortilla, Video

I’m Not Perfect, I’m Not Thin…

August 10, 2011 By Fran 6 Comments
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Making-ChilaquilesIt’s not easy to be in the skin we’re in.  Oh my.  Did I really just type that?  I think this is good ground work for a country song — or maybe a song for children.  Yep, that’s good.  We need to do something to help children grow up to learn good eating habits, to get away from processed food and to know more about food than the package it may come in and this post is not it.

No, this post is about the fact that I make mistakes.  That sometimes I fall.  That I get up.  That I’m human.

You know my story.  After 23 Sunday morning weigh-ins at Weight Watchers, I cook fresh food.  I don’t fry anything anymore.  I’ve used just ONE stick of butter, less than a bottle of olive oil and so little canola oil I can’t measure it in SIX MONTHS.

The amount of heavy cream I’ve consumed is less than a quarter of a cup, there hasn’t been a fried anything, and nary a potato chip or chocolate chip cookie has crossed my lips.  But as saintly as this all may sound in a world of weight loss, hear this ——> I. Am. Not. Perfect.

Two things happened on Sunday to remind me of this fact and while humbled, it’s really no surprise.  Why would I admit this on my blog?  Why would I expose my foibles, faux pas and vulnerabilities?  Because you come here to find recipes to help you on your journey to a better eating lifestyle and maybe, possibly, you like to follow my journey in the stories I can’t seem to help but share.

And now you need an explanation.

So…there I was in the bathroom, getting ready to shower and head to my Sunday morning weigh-in, but first I stepped on the scale and as I knew, in 20 minutes when I hit the scale at my local Weight Watchers, I wasn’t going to like what I saw.

I’ve lost some amount of weight in 19 of the previous 22 weigh-ins.  The other three weeks amounted to a paltry sum of less than 2 lbs. gained.  It was minimal.  Almost negligible in the world of weight loss plans.  It was something to be happy with — to be proud of.  I could be in one of the Weight Watchers commercials as one of those, “This weight loss is not typical” stories.  Well, at an average of just over 1 lb. a week, perhaps not, but in the television commercial that plays in my head, with me being the star, this is the little disclaimer that runs at the bottom of the screen.

Making-Chilaquiles

I showered, got dressed, got on the elevator to head down to the lobby to wait for my friend to pick me up to make our weekly pilgrimage to the Temple of Weight Watchers.  And I say this, my friends, as a term of endearment.  Really.

So, we head off and I am thinking in my head … oh, this is going to be the worst week I’ve had during this program.  But I’m not terribly upset.  Those weeks when I gained were not devastating, because I knew I could do better the next week, but this was going to be more than a half pound gain.  My analog scale is tough to read, even with my bifocals, so I was nervous about seeing what the “official” scale had to say.

We roll out of the car, head into the storefront and get in line.  I head to the scale where my friend and fabulous Weight Watchers leader, Sue sits, waiting to weigh me and I close my eyes.  I don’t know why.  It’s not that I can see the scale.  Things have changed at the Temple of Weight Watchers and there is no exclaiming your weight out loud.  There is no number for you or any onlookers to peek at when you step on the platform.  It’s a silent kind of thing, with the person weighing you looking at a computer screen and waiting for the electronic sticker to print out to be put into your weight loss log, but you know.  I can’t imagine there are many people that get on the scale each week not knowing whether they will lose or gain, although I never know how much it will be.

I let Sue know that I was expecting a gain as though she could make it not happen.  And I told her it would be an increase that would be more than a measly few tenths of a pound.  And it was.  I gained 1.6 lbs.  No exclamation points here.  I don’t want to make this worse than it is.  I don’t want it to invade my brain.  The amount I gained this week was exactly what I lost the week prior.  That was disappointing.  All that work for naught.  But on the other side of that scale was a new week, one in which I have full control over how things will go.  Just as I can choose my attitude each morning when I wake up, I can choose how my eating and weight loss will go.

So, I came home after the requisite stop at Trader Joe’s for fresh produce and a couple of other things and stepped into my kitchen to make a Sunday morning breakfast.  I knew I wanted to use my favorite — Corn tortillas.  I thought I’d make chilaquiles for a fabulous breakfast.  The Trader Joe’s stop was the Ah-ha! moment.  As I stopped at the cheese aisle and reach in for a package of Queso Blanco, my brain stoped and said — Wait!  You just bought a package last week!  That was EIGHT OUNCES of cheese and there was nothing but 1/2 an ounce left in the fridge at home!!  Ah-ha!  No need to question where that gain came from.  Those BLTs — Bites, Licks, Tastes really do add up and now I know.  I pulled back and did not put the cheese in my cart.  I will do without Queso Blanco this week.

Pan-of-Chilaquiles

As I said above, I make mistakes.  I’m human.  I fall down.  This was the worst breakfast I’ve had in 23 weeks.  Really.  It was awful.  I’m not 100% sure, but I have a feeling I did this on purpose.  I suspect it was a form of punishment for the gain.  It was a pan of mush and it was hardly worth eating.  It certainly wasn’t worth photographing and hated that I wasted a corn tortilla and that my breakfast wasn’t fabulous.  But I had six more breakfasts in front of me for the week, so I ate, did the dishes and moved on.  And that’s how it goes for me with this long weight loss journey.  I just keep at it and for this, I’m proud of myself.  I am able to pat myself on the back, tell myself it is just a bump in the road and tomorrow will be better.

And it is.

Rather than leaving you without a recipe, feast your eyes on this redux of a truly delicious breakfast.

French-Taco-for-Breakfast

Breakfast Tortilla
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 1
A French-inspired Taco with Aji Verde
Ingredients
  • 1 6″ Corn Tortilla
  • 1 Trader Joe’s Mini Brie Bites, cut in slices
  • 1/4 ripe medium Avocado, chunked
  • 3 Cherry Tomatoes, diced
  • 1 tablespoon diced Onions
  • 1.5 tablespoons teaspoons Aji Verde Sauce, divided
Instructions
  1. Toast the tortilla until slightly charred. You can do this over an open flame, on a grill, or under a broiler pan. Keep your eye on it to make sure you don’t torch the entire tortilla.
  2. When the tortilla has toasted, heat a small skillet with 5 pumps of light olive oil spray.
  3. When hot, place the tortilla on the pan.
  4. Add the brie to 1/2 of the tortilla and let melt slightly.
  5. Add the avocado, the onions and tomatoes and cook until the avocado is warm to hot.
  6. Add a tablespoon of the Aji Verde on top of the tomato and onion mixture
  7. Fold the tortilla and hold down with the spatula
  8. Slide a remaining Aji Verde on top, remove from the pan and serve.
Serving size: 1 Tortilla Calories: 201 Fat: 12.4g Carbohydrates: 19.1g Fiber: 4.9g Protein: 6.8g
Notes

This 7 point tortilla is good any time of day. It’s a decadent breakfast, but also makes a wonderful appetizer. Cut into halves for a passed finger food.

Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe
1.2.4

 

Filed Under: All, Breakfast, Internationally Inspired Tagged With: Aji Verde, Brakfast, Cheese, Chilaquiles, Corn Tortilla, Jalapeño, Mexican, Onions, Queso, Thin, Tomatoes, Weight Watchers
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