The Traveling Epicurean

Pulled Beef Taco’s & Mango Salsa


Pulled Beef Taco’s & Mango Salsa

Just wait until you taste the flavors in this pulled beef taco dish that ONLY uses three ingredients! Yes, that’s right we only use three ingredients… red wine, Trader Joe’s Autentica Salsa and a chuck roast that braises in the oven for two and a half hours with the cover off. I almost feel like we are cheating here by only using these three items because it seems as though something this amazing in taste, similar to Boeuf Bourguignon, should involve way more effort and ingredients. I think it’s important here to use the oven instead of a crock pot because the dry heat helps to caramelize the beef really building on all those layers of flavors.

This is the perfect dish for having groups of friends over because it’s a total make ahead dish. You can even make my mango salsa the day before. If you are really in a pinch for time you could always buy fresh made salsa at the store. I personally like to make this homemade pulled beef the morning of the party so that the house fills with all the aromas of the braising chuck roast, red wine and tomatoes. Really gets the juices flowing!

You can use your favorite hard taco shells to serve up the homemade pulled beef, corn and flour tortilla’s or even serve it on a bed of lettuce with shredded cheddar cheese and my mango salsa! I would also offer sour cream and Siracha in the side fixin’s and just let people go to town making their own creations. How fun is that?
You may just want to make my decadent Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake for dessert! You won’t believe how EASY it is to make! You could also try my Chocolate Crackle Cookies that melt in your mouth. Then there always Fresh Berry Granita or Berries in a Dreamy Cream for dessert too. You’ll be able to actually relax and have lots of fun with your family and friends.

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mangosalsa

Ingredients for the Pulled Beef Taco’s:

  • 3 1/2 lb. beef chuck roast (look for some good marbling)
  • 1 bottle of red wine – Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 1 bottle Trader Joe’s Salsa – Autentica
  • 3 tbsn olive oil

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350º
  2. Slice  the chuck roast into 6 pieces
  3. Salt and pepper the pieces
  4. Add 3 tbsn of olive oil to a large pan on med/high heat and begin to add the beef pieces
  5. Turn up the heat to high and quickly sear all sides til browned – this takes 10 minutes
  6. Add in 3/4 of the bottle of red wine (be careful of steam here) and the whole jar of salsa
  7. Bring to a simmer and pop into the oven for 2 1/2 hrs.
  8. Every hour turn the beef pieces over so the other sides can caramelize
  9. At 2 1/2 hours take the braising meat out of the oven and begin to remove the beef to a dish wear you can start to pull apart the beef pieces
  10. Tilt the braising pan to the side so that you can skim off the fat that rendered out of the meat
  11. Pour the left over juice onto the pulled beef and serve with taco shells and my mango salsa…enjoy!

Ingredients for the Mango Salsa:

  • 2 lg mangoes chopped 1/4″ cubed – (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 avocado chopped 1/4″ cubed (1 cup)
  • 2 med/lg size tomato’s or 5 small tomato’s chopped 1/4″ cubed (1 cup)
  • 1/2 Vidalia onion (or yellow) FINELY chopped (1/2 cup)
  • 1 FINELY chopped jalapeno (2-3 tbsn)
  • juice from 1 lime
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
  • a dash of Siracha (optional)
  • S & P

Directions:

  1. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
  2. We really love to eats this salsa with blue chips too
  3. I have also served this salsa up on the tips of endive leaves, and or with a cooked shrimp on top of that ….yum!
  4. I must warn you this salsa is highly addictive……consume at your own risk! LOL

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TIP:  There is an easy way to get the pit out of a avocado which I have displayed in the pictures above.  After running the knife around the flesh of the avocado against the edges of the inside pit… put the knife down and twist the avocado halves and pull apart. Then stick the knife into the pit and do the same thing holding on to the knife with one hand and carefully twist the avocado pit and it will pop right out.  Then knock the pit off onto the board away from your hands.  This can be a little tricky the first time so I would advise that this would be for an adult to try.   Finally, Insert a large spoon and scoop the avocado along the edge of the avocado skin to remove avocado flesh.

Energy Smoothies 101 VIDEO

Energy Smoothies 101 Recipe and VIDEO

Making homemade smoothies is such an ideal way to get so many wonderful nutritients into one beverage and not compromise on taste! These gourmet energy smoothies are absolutely scrumptious! Who doesn’t love a smoothie and now with all the high tech appliances available out there just for puréeing vegetables into drinks you can’t go wrong. Those juicers can get a little pricey though and an average Waring blender can get the job done too! So don’t feel like you can’t join in if you’re a novice to all this and start making your own homemade gourmet energy smoothies if you haven’t spent the dough…no pun intended 🙂 Yes, you can make your own!

My energy smoothies 101 recipes and video start you off with some basics on how to create these delicious energy smoothies. I make it easy for you with a proven lists of ingredients that taste incredible and help your body to feel good too. Granted, there’s always that afternoon cup of joe that you can grab for a boost and let me tell you I do love my caffeinated beverages! Standing by my coffee pot in the morning in anticipation of pouring that first cup is how I begin my day. Then there’s mid-afternoon when we all seem to need that extra zing to keep us going and that’s when I usually go for my cup of tea which has sentimental reasons for me as well reminding me of my Grandmother and I having tea and crackers together when I was very little. BUT when I add an energy smoothie into my day I definitely feel the difference with more of a long lasting energy and good feeling surge!

Making these energy-power smoothies will give you that “feel good” energy surge and when we are feeling up it puts us in a good mood! There are studies that show an anti-inflammatory diet that is high in protein really does have an effect on our moods and increases our stamina… who doesn’t need that!

While doing some research on high protein and anti-inflammatory diets I was recently turned on to Muscle Milk. Muscle Milk is a product that a lot of athletes use because it’s great for after work out recovery. It’s also formulated for people who are lactose sensitive, it’s gluten free and they do carry a line of Muscle Milk Light too. Best of all, while offering up all that great protein it taste scrumptious in my first “tropical vanilla energy smoothie”! The vanilla Muscle Milk compliments the vanilla Greek yogurt making for a creamy tropical flavor. It’s truly a tropical vanilla flavor that’s luscious.

My second smoothie is called the “green zinger” because the spinach turns it green and the fresh grated ginger gives it that underlying needed zing. This may me one of the most unique and delicious smoothies I have come up with. Maybe it’s because I absolutely adore the taste of fresh ginger and honey together and if you haven’t had this combo yet please put it on your bucket list! Fresh grated ginger and honey with a little squeeze of lemon will send your tea through the roof in flavor…please try it 🙂

And last but not least is my third smoothie called “the berry-beta bomb” where the color alone is enough to make you smile. There is a small amount of beets in this smoothie which give you a unique source of that wonderful nutrient called betaine. Betaine is like a power nutrient that protects our cells from stress which help fight inflammation and at the same time caring more iron than even spinach…woo hoo I say who’s better that you! I have you baking the beets for a no fuss way to cook them. If you are not big on beets try the golden beets or chioggia striped beets which you can find at Whole Foods or our local Bishop Orchards because they are definitely milder in flavor and it’s important to have them in this smoothie.

When you make your homemade batch of smoothies don’t forget to freeze a small amount in containers. That’s take some of the work out of your next round and makes for refreshing little energy snacks in the afternoon. I take them right out of the freezer and eat them like an Italian ice. Make sure to watch my show on how to make these babies! Enjoy and stay healthy!

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INGREDIENTS FOR THE TROPICAL VANILLA SMOOTHIE W/ MUSCLE MILK:

  • 1 cup Muscle Milk
  • 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 1 cup frozen cut-up mangoes
  • 1 cup frozen cut-up peaches
  • 2/3 cup frozen cut-up bananas
  • 3 tbsp honey

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GREEN ZINGER SMOOTHIE:

  • 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 2 cups unsweetened apple juice
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup frozen cut-up mangoes
  • 1 cup frozen cup-up peaches
  • 2/3 cup frozen cut-up bananas
  • 1 heaping tbsp fresh zested ginger
  • 3 tbsp honey

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BERRY-BETA BOMB SMOOTHIE:

  • 1 1/2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice
  • 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves
  • 1/4 cup roasted beet – diced up (If you are not a big beet lover use lighter colored beets like golden beets, or Chioggia beets – the striped beets because they are more mellow in flavor
  • TO COOK BEETS: Cut stems off of beets 1/2″ up on stem from actual base of  beet, wash and dry the beets, place them in a small shallow baking dish like a pie plate, cover with foil snugly and bake for 1 hr. When beets are done, let them cool and then peel off skin with your fingers.
  • 2 cups frozen strawberries
  • 1 cup frozen cut-up peaches
  • 3 tbsp honey

DIRECTIONS FOR ALL SMOOTHIES:

  1. Place ingredients into blender and puree til smooth.
  2. You use frozen fruits in these energy smoothie 101 recipes but feel free to add crushed ice as well to add in volume and help keep them frosty.
  3. Keep in the frig if you are drinking right away or put into several small containers and freeze to have at a later time.
  4. If you do freeze them in containers just take out from freezer when ready and let it sit on the counter for 15 minutes and stir to drink or eat them right out of the frigerator scrapping with a spoon like an Italian ice! Enjoy!

(Note: Muscle Milk is not a paid sponsor at this time I just happen to really like the product 🙂

 

Mango-Banana Smoothie

Mango-Banana Smoothie

You just can’t beat smoothies, in my opinion!  They’re refreshing, delicious, filling and really good for you.  A Smoothie made with Greek yogurt and fruit are one my favorites particularly when it includes mangoes.  The fact that you can easily ripen mangoes on your counter in any season really makes me happy especially when it’s a brutal winter like this one …I can still feel somewhat tropical. Adding a jigger of RUM and a little umbrella could change it up into a “mango-banana smoothie cocktail” giving you an authentic tropical warming feeling! Enjoy.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe mango diced up  (2 cups)
  • 1/2 banana sliced
  • 1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1 3/4 cup crushed ice
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • juice from 1/2 fresh lime
  • 1/4 cup agave nectar

Directions:

  1. If you only have large chunky ice see “TIP” below.
  2. Cut off the bottom of the mango to give you a flat edge to work with…so you can sit the mango up right.
  3. Then peel the skin of the mango kind of like an apple.
  4. Once all the skin is off cut the down the sides of the stone pit as shown in the photos.
  5. Keep cutting the mango flesh until you are left with the pit (doesn’t have to be neat)
  6. Cut the mango into chunks
  7. Slice the banana
  8. Add the mango, banana and the rest of the ingredients on the list into the blender and purée.

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Tiphone pictures 936IP:  If you only have a bag of large chunky ice on hand and need it crushed slide the ice chunks into a large Ziplock Baggie, fold a dish towel around it and hit it with your meat mallet and voilà.

 

Best Mango-Avocado Salsa Ever

Best Mango-Avocado Salsa Ever

This truly is the most amazing salsa ever!  In fact I found salsa difficult to photograph so I took many pictures of the finished salsa worried that you won’t be able to tell how delicious it is just by looking at the pictures.  Gotta love those sweet and hot flavors together and just knowing that it is all so good for you makes it even better, if that’s possible.   I make this for friends when they come over it’s the first thing gone.   There really is nothing like refreshing mango-avocado salsa in the hot summer months but why should we have to wait until then when we can enjoy ripe mangoes in the winter too!  When I go to the market to buy mangoes this time of year they are usually not quite ripe enough to eat right away.  It’s one of those things where you need to plan a few days ahead so you have time to leave them on your counter to fully ripen.   It’s definitely worth the 2-3 day wait for the mango to soften slightly and the juicy flesh to turn a deep golden color and taste as sweet as honey.  Be sure not to let them get too soft….better to be slightly soft then mushy because that lovely golden flesh starts to turn brown.

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Ingredients:

  • 2 lg mangoes chopped 1/4″ cubed
  • 1 avocado chopped 1/4″ cubed
  • 2 med/lg size tomato’s or 5 small tomato’s chopped 1/4″ cubed
  • 1/2 vidalia onion (or yellow) FINELY chopped
  • 1 FINELY chopped jalapeno
  • juice from 1 lime
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
  • a dash of Siracha (optional)
  • S & P

Directions:

  1. Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
  2. We really love to eats this salsa with blue chips.
  3. I have also served this salsa up on the tips of endive leaves, and or with a cooked shrimp on top of that ….yum!
  4. I must warn you this salsa is highly addictive……consume at your own risk! LOL

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TIP:  There is an easy way to get the pit out of a avocado which I have displayed in the pictures above.  After running the knife around the flesh of the avocado against the edges of the inside pit… put the knife down and twist the avocado halves and pull apart. Then stick the knife into the pit and do the same thing holding on to the knife with one hand and carefully twist the avocado pit and it will pop right out.  Then knock the pit off onto the board away from your hands.  This can be a little tricky the first time so I would advise that this would be for an adult to try.   Finally, Insert a large spoon and scoop the avocado along the edge of the avocado skin to remove avocado flesh.