Roasted Potato Tacos --Leftover Extravaganza

We cooked a lot this weekend.  As a family that has kind of turned into one of our things.  Every once in a while though, we look in the fridge and wonder what the heck we are going to do with all the leftovers that are in there, and this Monday was one of those occasions.   I do love leftovers, they make life easier on harried busy weeks, but just like everyone, I sometimes forget what I have and they go to waste.

This recipe was my solution to the leftover situation this week.  We had potatoes leftover from a slow cooker dish I made, and we had made Chiles Rellenos Bake so we had the fixin's for tacos laying around.  My one problem was, we were a little short in the meat category.  Then I remembered a glorious dish that my husband used to get at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, I don't remember the exact name, but it equated to mashed potato enchiladas.

This meal came together pretty quickly thanks to the fact that practically everything was already cooked, the potatoes just needed a quick dice, a squirt of olive oil and a quick 15 minutes in the oven to warm them up and give them a little crust.  I cheated just a little by putting the refrigerator-cold potatoes in the microwave for about two minutes after dicing them up.  This saved some time by getting them warmed up before they went into the oven, otherwise the baking time would have been longer.  It was declared by one of the kids as the best weeknight meal I had made. . . ever!  (I'm going to just take that one with a grain of salt considering the audience)

6-8 Small or Baby Potatoes Baked or cooked
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Taco Seasoning

For Serving:
Tortillas
Sour Cream
Tomato
Lettuce
*Anything else you have laying around that could go on a taco.

1.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and spray a baking sheet or small oven safe pan of your choice, with non stick cooking spray.

2.   Take the potatoes and dice them, you are looking for pieces that are easily managed by a taco, I cut mine up into something like you would see in a bag of diced hashbrowns.  Put the diced potatoes into a bowl,.  If they are leftovers like mine and cold from the fridge, just toss them in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes.

3.  Once the potatoes are a little warmer, add your olive oil and taco seasoning to the bowl and toss or stir to distribute the taco seasoning onto all your little pieces of potato.

4.  Put the potatoes in the baking sheet or pan and put in the oven.  After 7-8 minutes remove the pan and stir the potatoes up a bit, turning them over, and put the pan back in the oven for about 7-8 more minutes.  Remove from oven and assemble your tacos.

Weeknight win!!!

Chocolate French toast

Sunday mornings at our house usually entail some type of "fancy"  breakfast.  It has become our routine.  Egg sandwiches and bacon, eggs in a basket, and pancakes often make the rotation, but every once in a while, when I find a good loaf of bread, french toast is where it is at.  I love French Toast and it is incredibly easy to make.  This recipe can easily be doubled to make a big batch.  Leftover breakfast food to reheat during busy school mornings can be absolute Heaven!

One quick note on Brioche and dunking your bread in the egg mixture.  Brioche is a very soft bread, so when in doubt dunk the bread for a little less time or you may end up with your bread falling apart on you.  

Chocolate Brioche French Toast

1 loaf (approx 14.11 ounces) of Chocolate Brioche, sliced into 3/4 inch slices if not already sliced.

3 eggs 

1/2 Cup Milk 

2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter 

Fruit i.e. raspberries or strawberries, powdered sugar or maple syrup for serving (optional)

1.  Turn your oven onto warm or its lowest setting, get out an ovenproof plate or serving dish. 

2.  In a pie plate or shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and the milk until the whites and yolks are thoroughly combined.

3.  Spray a griddle or large skillet with non stick spray, set over medium. heat, and add 1 Tbsp of your butter.

4.  Once the butter is melted.   Lightly dunk the bread slices into the egg mixture (I count to three then flip and count to two) and place them into the hot pan.  Cook for about 2 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and place onto your serving dish or plate and place that batch into the oven.  

5.  Melt another slab of butter if you need to and repeat with remaining bread slices until they are all cooked.  Serve with butter, fruit, powdered sugar, or syrup.

Spicy Cowboy Caviar Salad

It has been a great summer so far, and although we have had some realy scorcher days, and some super humid ones, like wet warm towel humid, we have had some spot on perfect days too.  Magical days where you just don't want to go inside, We've had lots of projects this summer that have kept us busy, but we've also been making an effort to eat at home and eat home cooked food too.  On busy workdays,  a salad like this, that can be paired up with a sandwich or something grilled can turn a potential boring meal into a complete meal. 

You could definitely add tomatoes to this salad if you want, we are coming into that time of year, however, if you are planning on eating this over a couple of days I would leave them out as the vinegar in the dressing tends to break them down and make them a little mushy.  

Cowboy Caviar Bean Salad

What You’ll Need:

For the Dressing: 

½ Cup Vinegar

½ Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

For the Salad:

1-Bell Pepper Diced

1-Small Red Onion Diced

1-2 Jalapenos (Optional-and seeds and ribs removed if you don’t want too much heat)

1 15 oz can Black Eyed Peas, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz Can Chick Peas

1 15 oz Can Kidney Beans

1 15 oz Can White and Yellow Corn (or about 1 cup of frozen or fresh sweet corn)

½ Cup Chopped Cilantro

½ Cup Chopped Green Onions

To make the dressing: 

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a small pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar.  Boil for a minute and then remove the pan from heat and allow to cool.

To make the salad:

Combine all the remaining ngredients in a large bowl except for the cilantro.  Add the cooled dressing and stir well to mix.  Refrigerate the salad for at least an hour before serving, add cilantro and mix before serving.  

Serve alongside your main course of choice, or eat with tortilla chips.