Shrimp Tacos with Mango – Easy and refreshing…great for hot weather.

Traditional American Ground Beef Tacos

This meat has a surprise of bacon and you won’t be sorry.

Carnitas – The Beloved Pork Taco

Slow cooker pork butt which ends up being the most tender ever filling for your favorite taco.

Sweet Potato Taco Three Ways

Believe it or not, while unusual, these are really good.

Keto Fried Fish Tacos – If you’re grain free, this recipe is for you.

Steak Tacos
I used teres major, an affordable cut of steak with lots of sauces.

Pan Seared Salmon Taco with Mango Salsa

Taco Salad – Just in case this is what you really want.

And, a few bonus posts you might need.

Don’t forget my low carb tortillas.

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Hope you’re having a wonderful summer. I’m on my way to London in about five hours and didn’t want to leave you without something to cook this week. Don’t forget to take a look at the categories. There are over 1400 recipes here for all season, for all diets, so please enjoy.

The post All the Taco Recipes You’ll Ever Need appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I once wrote on instagram that bread and water with people is better than a feast alone. People feed our soul just as much as food feeds our body.

At that time I invited a new couple from church to dinner to start the new year and to make a genuine connection. The man now comes to my husband’s men’s group and it’s been a very important relationship of support for both of them.

The New Testament reminds us that the second commandment is to love others as ourselves. If we live on-line, if we never have people into our home, if we never serve people, we aren’t doing that.

It’s funny, because on another New Year’s day, I went to a new church and met a lady named Chris, who invited me to the church’s faith sharing group for women before I even entered as we met at the door.

It’s a book club for Catholic women and that first book on the cardinal virtues was life changing. I had forgotten how important a focus on these virtues is, prudence, temperance, fortitude and justice.

A Great Book to Embrace in the New Year

The Art of Living: Cardinal Virtues and the Freedom to Love by Edward Sri is a fantastic manual for connecting and living righteously and I highly recommend it.

That was in 2023 and several books later, I’m still part of the group. A handful of us go to lunch afterward and that’s where the relationships really take place. I often wonder about the ladies that have never joined us for lunch, because it’s at those lunches that I’ve learned their stories and truly have felt their love.

Maybe a goal for 2025 is fostering friendships. Start with some new year’s traditions.

New Year’s Food Traditions

• There are many food traditions for the new year all around the world. Here are a few:
• Pork: eaten as pigs root forward. 
• Black Eyed Peas: peas for pennies (prosperity). 
• Greens for Prosperity
• Cornbread for Gold 

Growing up in Pennsylvania, we always had pork and sauerkraut, as cabbage is considered one of the good luck foods. Here in the south, it’s all about the black eyed peas, greens and cornbread. 

 I decided to make carnitas (pork) with corn tortillas and our guests brought a delicious cabbage slaw.  Black eyed peas cowboy caviar was the perfect starter. We were covered with all the good luck foods in a non-traditional way. 

This dinner was so good that I think it will be our new year’s tradition from now on. 

What is Cowboy Caviar?

Typically cowboy caviar, also known as Texas caviar (sometimes Tennessee caviar) is a mixture of beans (maybe corn) onion, jalapeño, cilantro, oil, vinegar and meant to be eaten with tortilla chips as a dip. 

There are a hundred ways to make it and I chose to use black eyed peas and black beans. I skipped the corn because it’s winter and the only time I want to add corn is when I can grill it and cut it off the cob. Honestly, it’s not necessary, as we all thought this version cowboy caviar was just right. The four of us ate almost the entire bowl. 

Ingredients for Black Eyed Peas Cowboy Caviar

The main ingredients are black beans, black eyed peas, pickled red onion,  cilantro, lime juice. I added in a mixture of brightly colored bell peppers, because I just happened to have them left over from this pizza recipe. Avocado is an option and should be added right before serving. Salt is a must and you will need to taste for seasoning before serving. 

The secret to the brightness and flavor in the dip the pickled red onion and jalapenos. I am not a raw onion fan, but I do like pickled onion and thought that acid will give these beans what they need. I was right.

Pickled Red Onion in 30 minutes. 

I found a recipe from the Kitchn that was pretty easy to use.

• Slice red onion in half moons. Place in colander. 
• Pour two cups of boiling water over the onions. 
• Pour a cup of vinegar into jar. I used half cider vinegar, half balsamic.
• Add peppercorns, seasonings and a teaspoon of sugar. 
• Add onion. 
• Ready in 30 minutes. 

Make the pickled onion the night before so the flavors meld. The beans will not get mushy and will be absolutely delicious. I didn’t add any seasonings to the vinegar.

Tips for Black Eyed Peas Cowboy Caviar

• Make sure to rinse the beans in cold water to remove the sodium. 
• Make a day ahead for full flavor profile. 
• If you don’t use pickled onion, you will need to add vinegar to bring acid to the dish.
• Salt liberally. 
• Add avocado right before serving.

Playing around, in the summer, add some chopped tomato and grilled corn (off the cob). 

Print

Cowboy Caviar with Black Eyed Peas

A perfect starter for tacos, made with black beans, black eyed peas, pickled onion

Course Appetizer

Cuisine tex mex

Keyword black beans, black eyed peas, cowbow caviar

Prep Time 4 minutes minutes

Resting Time for Pickled Onion 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 can black beans
• 1 can black eyed peas
• 1 red bell pepper (or a mix of colors) small dice
• 3 tablespoons pickled onion small dice
• 1 jalapeno pepper or serrano
• 1 handful cilantro chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar, if needed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 avocado diced (optional)

Pickled Red Onion

• 1/2 red onion sliced into half moons
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar optional
• 1 tablespoon peppercorns or some black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic cut in half

Instructions

• Rinse beans in colander in cold water. Set aside.
• Dice peppers, onions in very small dice.
• Mix beans, peppers, onions.
• Toss with olive oil.
• The pickled onions may be enough vinegar. If not add a teaspoon or two.
• Add cilantro.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add avocado right before serving.

Pickled Onion

• Slice into thin half moons and place in colander.
• Pour boiling water over onion.
• Put vinegar in jar with sugar and peppercorns.
• Put onion in jar. Will be ready in 30 minutes. Dice fine for the bean dip.

The post Cowboy Caviar Recipe with Pickled Onion – New Year Tradition appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

For starters we need a great guacamole and this recipe cannot be improved upon. First, learn how to ripen and avocado, peel an avocado, and make table-side guacamole.

All About Avocados

• How to Ripen an Avocado
• Peel an Avocado
• Authentic Guacamole

One of the things that gets in the way is how tortillas. I’ve made this doable and easy with my tried and true keto tortillas. These have been a huge success in my kitchen for years and lay a great foundation for tacos and enchiladas.

Homemade Grain Free Tortillas for Keto Mexican Recipes

• Grain Free Spinach Tortillas
• Grain Free Tortillas with Chia Seedss

Basic ingredients include almond flour, egg, chia seeds and xanthan gum. The xanthan gum is what holds the tortillas together so you will have to have those.

Use Our Tortillas to Make Enchiladas

• Chicken Enchiladas

My Favorite Tacos

• Carnitas
• Ground Beef Taco Meat
• Carne Asada

Taco Salad and Slaw

• Taco Salad Dressing
• Taco Slaw
• Pico de Gallo
• Roasted Salsa Verde

Fish, Seafood Tacos

• Fish Tacos Fried with Pork Pankoi
• Grilled ish Tacos with Peach Salsa
• Pan Seared Salmon Taco

DIY Taco Seasoning

You can buy your favorite taco seasoning or make your own with our sugar free taco seasoning recipe.

Similar Recipes You May Love

• Cuban PIcadillo
• Ropa Vieja

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The post Easy Keto Mexican Recipes appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

I chose their flank steak (you could do this with skirt steak), and the key is knowing how to marinate carne asada.

When you marinate carne asada, you will be breaking down the meat with a combination of fat, salt and acid. The acid is mostly citrus in the form of orange and lime juice.

The spices include cumin and heat. I realized I didn’t have cumin. What I did have, however was some Trader Joe’s taco seasoning, which has cumin and other spices.

What is carne asada?

Carne asada means grilled meats, and is found in Mexican restaurants, often in tacos and burritos. Most often strips of meat cut on the bias against the grain and have been previously marinated or rubbed with spices.

What meat do you use for Carne Asada?

Typically, carne asada is made with flank steak or skirt steak, which does well marinated. I could have trimmed some of the fat off, but decided to leave it for more flavor.

How to Marinate Carne Asada

Most of the carne asada marinades include oil, lime, orange, garlic, cumin and cilantro. You will want to marinate carne asada for a minimum of four hours up to overnight.

I used the following ingredients for the marinade. I saved 1/3 of the marinade separately to pour over the carne asada once it is grilled.

• Olive Oil
• Lime Juice
• Coconut Aminos (can use soy sauce or Tamari)
• Orange Juice
• Orange Zest
• Garlic Cloves
• Taco Seasoning (can use cumin and chili powder)
• Cilantro
• Salt
• Pepper

This marinade proved to be simply wonderful.

How do you cook Carne Asada?

I marinated the flank steak for about 6 hours, and then put it on a very hot grill of 500 degrees F.

It took about 15 minutes, ten on the first side, and five on the second side. The internal temperature at the thickest part was 115 degrees f. and I knew that Doug would want it rare. A flank steak is thinner on the ends and that’s the part I would eat. After pouring on the reserved marinade, I allowed the steak to rest for 10 minutes. The steak was then cut across the grain in thin strips.

How do you eat Carne Asada?

The meat was so tasty, we ate it solo, but the leftovers will become tacos tomorrow, using my grain free tortillas and homemade guacamole.

Other Similar Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• Pork Carnitas
• Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
• How to Cook a Perfect New York Strip Steak
• How to Grill a Rib Eye Steak
• Ropa Viejo (Cuban Shredded Beef)
• Seven Ways to Grill Corn

Print

How to Marinate Carne Asada

Marinade Carne Asada for Tacos and More

Course Entree

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword carne asada

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Marinate Time 6 hours hours

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank steak
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 lime juiced
• 4 tablespoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 3 garlic cloves sliced
• 4 tablespoons taco seasoning see notes
• handful chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt hold if in taco seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

• Mix together all ingredients except flank steak.
• Reserve 1/3 of the marinade for the steak once its cooked.
• Put flank steak in baking dish or dish big enough to hold steak and marinade.
• Marinate at least four hours up to overnight.
• Heat grill to HOT. 500 degrees F.
• Sear on one side about ten minutes. Turn over for about five minutes, until steak reaches 115 degrees F. at the thickest part.
• Rest steak for ten minutes.
• Slice against the grain on the diagonal. Pour reserved marinade.

Notes

I used taco seasoning as it was convenient.

You can add cumin and chili powder instead.

The post How to Marinate Carne Asada appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

A visit to Puerto Vallarta before I knew Mr. Spinach Tiger with someone else I refer to as the surfer heel, if I can use a very old fashioned word, led me to a near death experience and an authentic lunch in the middle of nowhere in Mexico.

The Near Death Experience.

Our hotel had a secluded beach and a riptide someone forgot to tell me about. The surfer heel insisted we venture further out into the water from the shore and as usual he went ahead not looking back. He never noticed that I got caught in an undertow only a few feet from shore. The good looking outdoor bartender came to my rescue, got me out of the water and somehow my top, that came off in the rough waters, got back on. I was too frightened to care about that at the time and am grateful there were no cell phone cameras back then to embarrass me.

The guests were stunned. Not because of my wardrobe malfunction nor my near drowning, but that surfer heel didn’t even look back or take notice. Finally, he realized I wasn’t there and he came back to find himself at odds with all the guests. They shook their heads with disgust and wondered what a nice girl like me was doing with someone like him. This was the vacation that led to the demise of this relationship and that wasn’t the worst of it.

The Unsettling Beach in the Middle of Nowhere, Mexico

The next day, he insisted we rent a car and drive from the semi-safe tourist part of town to a smaller town where odd looking stray dogs run wild and tourists are no where to be found. While he was surfing, I had the pleasure of sitting on a very unsettling beach, scared to death that something worse than an undertow was going to come along. It was time to end this relationship and wait for a real man who put me first.

Mexican Lunch in the Middle of the Nowhere, Mexico
The food was surprisingly good and that’s when I tasted my first real guacamole, assembled from chunks of avocado with simple ingredients

Budro’s Tableside Guacamole

The next time I tasted anything as good was at Boudro’s Texas Bistro in San Antonio. I had dinner there with Mr. ST one Valentine’s week many years ago, comforted in the realization that I had waited for the right man.  They took a picture of us on the patio wrapped in blankets which Boudro’s provides its guests.  Romantic that he is, he framed the picture and has it on his desk.

He became just as smitten with the their famous tableside guacamole and recreated the recipe as soon as we got back home, adapting it to his own taste. The serrano pepper can be left out, but we love it. 

His guacamole is legendary, and there is none better anywhere here in Nashville. He’s very particular about it, and I enjoy watching him do his table side magic especially because it always takes us back to that night in San Antonio, serving as a reminder to me how different my life could have been with the wrong person. (Although I’m not sure about those sunglasses. I think they are long gone, but he thought he looked like Bono. I laughed too).

Table-side Presentation for Authentic Guacamole

Table-side guacamole is something you can do when your guests arrive, but give them a drink first. The entire assembly takes about five minutes.How to  Make Sure the Avocado is Ripe Enough, but not too Ripe

There is a little brown stem (button) on the tip of an avocado. If you flick it off, you will see either a brown spot (too ripe) or a green spot (ripe enough)

Peel Your Avocados. Did you know you can peel avocados. Let me show you here.

Chop your cilantro with this Tuo Cleaver, my new favorite kitchen tool.



Tableside Guacamole and a Beautiful Presentation

The key to a beautiful presentation is to have everything ready to chop freshly on the spot peel the avocados. This is much easier than you may think and I did a post on it.  Peeling the avocado makes it easier to cut into attractive slices for some dishes or nice chunks for this one. It might be a good idea to have your onion pre-cut, but dice the tomato fresh.

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So tell me, did you wait for Mr. or Mrs. Right? Did it take you as many dogs as it took me?

More Avocado Recipes from Spinach Tiger

• How to Peel an Avocado
• How to Ripen an Avocado
• Avocado Margarita
• Avocado Shrimp Salad
• Avocado Chicken Pasta
• Chocolate Avocado Smoothie (low carb)
• Baked Avocado Egg with Lime Hollandaise

Print

Authentic Guacamole and Tableside Presentation

Authentic Guacamole and how to do a nice tableside presentation.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• Note: To make enough guacamole: use 1 avocado per person and adjust ingredients accordingly.
• 4 avocados
• juice squeezed from 1/2 large orange
• juice squeezed from one lime
• sea salt black pepper
• 1/2 purple onion diced
• 1 small tomato diced
• handful of cilantro chopped
• 1 serrano pepper diced very finely (optional)

Instructions

• Assemble the following into a bowl:
• Peel avocados or carefully spoon out the flesh, keeping the avocado and intact as possible. Cut into large chunks.
• Squeeze the juices of orange and lime over avocado.
• Season with salt and pepper
• Add in chopped onion, tomato, cilantro
• Carefully mix together. You don’t want the avocado turned into mush.
• Season again with salt as needed, perhaps another squeeze of lime.
• Serve immediately.

Video

The post Authentic Tableside Guacamole appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Everyone likes their taco salad a little differently. I still like the old school taco meat salad, but the key for me is the right dressing that is creamy and adds flavor.

I’ve been making and eating taco salads since my early twenties. Prior to that I never even had a taco. When I moved to California right after college, I was walking distance to Taco Bell and at that time I was crazy about the Supreme Burrito and the Taco Salad. I’ve come a long way since then and so has the taco salad.

You can make it as simple as you want with just taco meat, lettuce and cheese or go all out with what I call the works, including olives, avocado and my best taco salad dressing. I personally skip the beans, but some of you love them, so feel free to add.

I was given this recipe from Andrea who has lots of yummy things on her instagram feed Nashville Made. She brought it to one of my Galentine’s parties.

When I took this to a party, people raved over the dressing and texted me the next week for the recipe.

What is the best dressing for taco salad?

This is so easy, because it’s a ratio of 1 to 1 to 1 and the components are sour cream, mayonnaise, and jarred salsa. I use the fire-roasted salsa from Trader Joe’s. You can use any jarred salsa you wish, but not one with a lot of texture. If your salsa is chunky, run it through the food processor first.

• Sour Cream
• Mayonnaise
• Fire Roasted Salsa (or regular, but add in some heat).
• NOTE: If you can’t find fire roasted salsa, add some of this sugar free taco seasoning.

Why this Recipe Works

The fire-roasted salsa give heat and acid. The sour cream adds the tang and the mayonnaise adds creaminess. If the dressing isn’t acidic enough, add a teaspoon of vinegar or some lime juice. Don’t use unsalted salsa. Add a teaspoon of taco seasoning if needed. Trader Joe’s Taco seasoning is very spicy, and a teaspoon would add a nice amount of flavor and heat.

You can make your own taco seasoning here.

Click Here for More Mexican Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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Taco Salad Ingredients

• Taco Meat or Meat of your choice
• Lettuce, chopped
• Black Olives
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Avocado
• Beans (optional)
• Tortilla Chips (skip if eating grain free, sub with crushed pork skins).
• Taco Salad Dressing
• Chopped Tomatoes or Pico De Gallo‘=

Use for Old School Tacos

Use my keto taco meat and grain free tortillas.

Use this best dressing for taco salad for these keto taco cups.

More Mayonnaise Dressings from Spinach Tiger

• Ranch Dressing
• Remoulade
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• Green Goddess Dressing
• Come Back Sauce

Print

Best Dressing for Taco Salad

A combination of mayo, sour cream and salsa for the perfect dressing for taco salads, tacos.

Course Salad and Salad Dressing

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword taco salad, taco salad dressing

Ingredients

Taco Salad Dressing

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup fire roasted salsa see notes
• lime wedge optional

Taco Salad

• 4 handfuls Crisp lettuce chopped
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• crushed tortilla chips
• 1 cup taco meat Recipe Here
• 1 avocado sliced
• lime wedges

Instructions

Taco Salad Dressing

• Combine all three ingredients. You can add taco seasoning if it needs it.
• You might also want to squeeze some lime into the dressing.

Taco Salad

• Arrange lettuce, meat, cheese, avocado, olives, tomato on plate and use dressing as much or as little as you like.

Notes

I  use Trader Joe’s fire roasted salsa, which has just the right kick. If you are using a jarred salsa that is not spicy, you might want to add some taco seasoning. 

The post Best Dressing for Taco Salad Recipe appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

If you are on a keto or grain free diet, you can now have fried fish tacos!

Pork Panko is made from pork skins and are zero carbs. Our Costco in now carrying Pork Panko at a good price. If you can’t find them, you can make your own use a food processor and grind pork rinds. 

I wondered if it would ever be possible to have fried fish again, since grains aren’t a regular part of my diet (outside of some sour dough here and there).

While you could crush your own, these are already perfectly made and more cost effective. They don’t have an overbearing oil flavor, are more neutral and perfect for oven-fried zucchini , chicken parm,  mayonannaise baked chicken, or shrimp scampi.

What makes a good Keto Fried fish taco and fish taco sauce?

Firstly, the fish should be good, but it has to have the right fish taco sauce and shredded cabbage. There are two ways to make an easy spicy creamy sauce. I usually will combine sour cream with mayonnaise, add lime juice and sriracha.  You could also use a fire-roasted salsa or a salsa verde to make a sauce for fish tacos. My favorite is even amounts of fire roasted salsa, sour cream and mayonnaise.

I use my grain free tortillas for these fish tacos.

Wild Alaskan Cod (make great fish tacos)

Cod is a delicious fish that is mild in flavor but has a firm enough flesh for frying. I used Alaskan wild cod in this recipe sent to me from Sitka Salmon Shares.

Here are the reasons Sitka Salmon Shares is worth joining.

Wild: Wild-caught from the pristine waters of Southeast Alaska

Community-based: Sourced from traditional fishing communities. Supported by a Midwest community of conscious consumers.

Premium: Harvested and hand-processed individually, flash-frozen at the peak of freshness to ensure the highest quality, guaranteed.

Sustainable: Harvested using hook-and-line methods to minimize negative ecological impact.

Traceable: The only fully-integrated Midwest CSF. 100% traceability from boat to doorstep.

Just: Owned by a collective of carefully selected small-scale family fishermen, all of whom

retain 20-30% more of the retail value or their harvest.

Convenient: Home delivered direct to your door, with recipes, newsletters, and more.

Conscious: Carbon offsets purchased and 1% of revenue donated back to the wild.

How You Can Get Wild Alaskan Seafood

I have received two boxes of fish in exchange for instagram posts and they are packed perfectly. Fish remains frozen, and you are notified in advance of delivery. This is such a joyful way to eat responsibly.

More Spinach Tiger dinners you will love.

Pan Seared Salmon Tacos with Mango Tomato Salsa

Keto Green Enchiladas 

Salmon Greek Salad with Lemony Dressing

Whole Grilled Snapper

Sole Menuiere

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Grain Free Panko Wild Alaskan Cod Fish Tacos, Keto Friendly, Gluten Free

Grain Free Pork Panko Keto Fried Fish Tacos with Alaskan Wild Cod.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 1 pound wild Alaskan cod or white fish of your choice
• 2 cups pork panko ORDER HERE
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour optional
• 2 eggs[
• salt
• pepper
• 
  
• Taco Sauce
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons salsa verde or 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 6 grain free tortillas RECIPE HERE

Instructions

• Place eggs, panko, and tapioca flour in 3 separate shallow medium bowls.
• Season fish with salt and pepper.
• Dredge fish in flour (you can skip this part if you don't want to use)
• Dip into egg, allowing excess to drip back into bowl
• Coat with pork panko (or panko).
• Heat 1/2 cup oil in frying pan. Cook in batches 3 minutes on each side.
• Transfer to paper towels.
• 
  

Make Taco Sauce

• Use equal amounts of sour cream, mayonnaise and one of the following. Sriracha, Salsa, or Salsa Verde. Stir until well-incorporated.
• Assemble Tacos
• Tortilla, red cabbage, cilantro, fish, sauce, avocado, lime.




The post Keto Fried Fish Tacos with Wild Alaskan Cod appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

What is Carnitas?

Carnitas means little meats. This carnitas is pork braised in broth for at least 3 hours, then pulled apart, crisped up and caramelized in the juices under the broiler or in the oven. I usually double this recipe and braise the meat in this 7 quart cast iron dutch oven.

You can only imagine how exciting the last part of the cooking is.

One of my favorite ways to eat pork tacos is with this red cabbage slaw.

I also love to have my carnitas with salsa verde, recipe found here.

We did this dinner for a recent birthday, because it’s a great crowd pleaser and doesn’t take a lot of time to put together. You can braise in a cast iron dutch oven, which is what I did, or make it in a slow cooker.

Pork Carnitas, Braised in Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven then Baked to Crispy

You will need to use the oven for the final twenty minutes, when the shredded pork cooks away in its juices and gets crispy on the ends. I was lucky enough to find a orange chipotle salt at Whole Foods, a new addition to their spices. It added that extra kick, but I didn’t include it in the recipe, because not everyone would have access to it.

My husband’s famous guacamole or sliced avocados are a must.

Perfect for a Cinco de Maya party, serve carnitas, which can be made ahead, even frozen.

Pair with Homemade Fresh Citrus Margaritas or strawberry lime basil sangria.

Sauces for Carnitas

Roasted Salsa Verde

Make a Corn Tomato Salad as a Side.

Grain Free, Gluten Free Tortillas

Enjoy these easy Carnitas and let me know how the recipe works out. It’s one of my  “go to” crowd pleasers.

Print

Easy Carnitas, Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven

Easy Carnitas with tortillas.

Course Entree

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword braised pork steak, carnitas, tacos

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 4 hours hours

Total Time 4 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder see notes
• sea salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion coarsely chopped
• 2 jalapeno seeded and ribs removed, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and sliced
• 1 orange cut in half
• 4 limes divided
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon chile powder
• 2-4 cups beef broth or water
• tortillas
• 2 red onions diced to serve with carnitas
• handful cilantro
• guacamole or sliced avocado

Instructions

• Trim excess fat from pork shoulder. Cut into 4 separate pieces.
• Salt liberally.
• Heat tablespoon of olive oil in dutch oven and brown pork pieces on all sides. Remove, set aside.
• Add onions, pepper to pan. Cook for two minutes. Add garlic. Cook for one minute.
• Add in juice of orange and orange pieces, juice of limes. I refrain from adding in lime pieces, as the lime can add bitterness.
• Add pork back in.
• Add in just enough water or broth to cover 2/3 of the meat. Add cinnamon Stick and chile powder.
• Cover and braise for 3 1/2 hours.
• Place in slow cooker on high for 4 hours, or low for 10 hours. (You may need to add in a little more water. Check hourly if you are using dutch oven.
• Remove from oven. Strain pork from broth., making sure to save broth. Pull pork into pieces. Strain the broth.
• Pull pork in pieces and place on large baking sheet. Pour about 1 cup of broth over pork. You want the crisp up the ends a little, but still keep pork tender.
• Bake in oven at 375 degrees F. for approximately twenty minutes until most of the broth is gone and the meat has crispy crackling edges.
• Serve with tortillas, chopped red onion, cilantro, sliced avocado, lime slices.
• You can freeze for up to three months.

Notes

I  have also used 5 pound carnitas with bone. 

The post Easy Carnitas, Slow Cooker or Dutch Oven appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Most of these are keto friendly, grain free.

Authentic Table-side Guacamole, made with red onion, lime, orange and plenty of avocado.

This is the the BEST ever guacamole, perfected by my husband, inspired by Boudro’s in San Antonio. We keep it a bit chunky.  You’ll never make gaucamole any other way.

You might also need to know how to ripen an avocado before you get started.

Low Carb Mexican Recipes are now possible with my easy grain free tortillas

There’s much to celebrate eating grain free, sugar free and still having your favorites. You will see a few amazing recipes for grain free tortillas, which give you endless possibilities. and lots of avocado, the healthy fat!

These Keto Tortillas are life changing if you’re doing a low-carb diet.

Grain Free Spinach Tortillas

This Tortilla Press is will help you make your own tortillas easily.



Keto Taco Cups, which can be made in any sized muffin tin, even mini tins for taco bites. The secret here is to use a few crushed corn chips to push that flavor we love for crunchy tacos.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

This is no sugar, easy with spices you probably have in your pantry.

Low Carb Mexican Recipes for Enchiladas

Once I was able to make grain free spinach tortillas, green chicken enchiladas was the first thing I made.

Keto Chicken Enchiladas.

Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa and Avocado

This is one of the most refreshing and flavorful taco, as mango and avocado are perfect duo.

Salmon Tacos with Mango Salsa served on grain free tortillas

You can see how festive and filling these are!

Keto Taco Salad – Skipping the beans and rice, this low-carb Mexican recipe with taco meat, lettuce, cheese  has plenty of flavor and texture from the homemade taco meat made with bacon. (recipe coming).

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The Meats for Low Carb Mexican Recipes

Taco meat made with ground beef, bacon and queso.  We like adding bacon to the mix with just a bit of queso.

We make this with our own homemade taco seasoning.

Pork Carnitas is one of my most popular recipes. Made in slow cooker or dutch oven, then crisped up in the oven, it’s one of our favorite party meals.

Ropa Viejo (Cuban shredded beef) and Picadillo (Puerto Rican ground beef)  dishes also make amazing tacos.

Roasted Salsa Verde made with tomatillos and just enough heat.

Pico de Gallo

Mexican Chicken Pasta that Your Kids will LOVE

This is not low carb, but it’s an idea I wanted to share with you for your family.

Cocktails from Spinach Tiger

Freshly Made Citrus Margarita

Avocado Margarita

This is creamy margarita with a kick. I first had this in a vegan restaurant. It was the best thing there!

This site has Amazon affiliate links which earn a small commission.

The post My Best Mexican Recipes with Low Carb Options appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

You are going to love these keto crunchy taco cups.  This is one of those recipes where I had an idea and it worked on the first try even better than imagined.

I think I was working out when I started thinking it was time to tell you how we make our amazing taco meat. Think bacon. As my mom, Retro Rose says, a taco has to have a crunchy shell. I personally think they also need to have that “corn” taste.

I have a great base low carb keto tortilla recipe here. This recipe adds 9 crushed tortilla corn chips to the recipe, and we love it. You can leave the chips out if you want to, but they only add 1.5 net carbs to each tortilla. Adding the chips stretches the recipe to 10 mini-taco bowls.

You can fill these keto taco cups with your favorite taco meat recipe or make little avocado bowls for that serious high-fat keto recipe. A breakfast bowl of scrambled eggs would be great fun, and you can use these unbaked in muffin tins  as a base for small quiche recipes. The creative possibilities for these are endless.

I use the same ingredients I used when making these tortillas, except for the chia seeds. You add those back in if you want to.

You will need these ingredients:

• almond flour
• coconut flour
• xanthan gum
• egg
• cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
• golden flax meal
• tortilla chips (or chia seeds)

It’s important that you do use the xanthan gum, or else they will fall apart.

You will need these kitchen tools:

• A tortilla press – this will give you perfect rounds for the muffin tins, although you could use a rolling pin in  pinch.
• Parchment paper to use with tortilla press.
• Food processor or kitchen aid mixer – to mix the dough.
• Muffin pan that makes 12.

I put in one tortilla chip per serving to give some crunch and flavor. If you cannot eat corn or any grains for some reason, put the chia seeds back in and skip the corn chips.

Options for Crunchy Taco Cups: Make Taco Shells or Soft Tacos

You can make these in a taco container like this one if you want a crunchy taco shell or you can heat flat on a griddle like this. Instead of putting into muffin tins, you will heat on a griddle.

Print

Crunchy Keto Taco Cups

Keto friendly crunchy taco cups for fun tacos. Good for meat or breakfast tacos.

Course Keto

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 10 tortilla chips see notes
• 1 cup almond flour 96 grams
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour 21 grams
• 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon golden flax meal
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 3 tablespoons water may need another teaspoon
• 2 teaspoons vinegar I use either apple cider or white balsamic
• 1 egg

Instructions

• Put tortilla chips in plastic bag and crush (or put in food processor).
• Mix together all dry ingredients in either food processor or Kitchen Aid mixer.
• Put egg, vinegar and water in cup. Mix and add to dry ingredients.
• Mix until a dough forms. Wrap in plastic and rest in refrigerator 30 minutes.
• You can skip this part, if time is short.
• Divide the dough into 10 equal parts, or about 29 grams each.
• I use a kitchen scale to weigh each dough ball to keep a uniform size.
• Flatten with tortilla press using parchment paper. If you don't have a press, you can roll.
• Press into muffin tins.
• Bake at 350 f. for 10 minutes.
• 
  You can heat these on top of stove in a frying pan a minute each side for a soft taco.

Notes

This recipe contains Amazon affiliate links.

The post Keto Crunchy Taco Cups appeared first on Spinach Tiger.