• 

We can seriously talk tacos all day long, but is the conversation even valid if we are not talking Vampiro Tacos? Yeah, let’s dive into that dialogue about the cheesy goodness known as Vampiros! If you’ve never had one they are a cross between a quesadilla, taco, tostada, and it’s been on heavy rotation for lent. It starts with the cheese being grilled to a crisp, then a tortilla makes it’s way on top of the cheese…. It’s scraped off the griddle and the melty cheese side sits in the tortilla and the grilled cheese side is used as the base of your taco.

People make all types of toppings to compliment the charred cheese taco from carne asada, al pastor, nopales, and chile mushrooms. You can choose any topping you want, as long as you’re using quality Real California Milk Hispanic- style Cheese in your Vampiro you’ve got the real deal in your hands. Plus I love the fact that when I buy cheese with the Real California Milk seal, I’m buying authentic quality ingredients sustainably sourced from dairy families.

• 

Today I’m making Calabacita Vampiro Tacos, because you can’t go wrong with zucchini, onion, tomato and cheese! Make sure you let the tortilla harden a little bit from the cheese grease for a delicious bite. I guarantee you will be making vampiros till the tortillas run out and way beyond lent. Enjoy!

Calabacita Vampiro Tacos Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large zucchini, diced

½ large onion, sliced

1 large tomato, diced

1 corn on the cob, shaved kernels

A pinch of oregano

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 cups Real California Oaxaca cheese, grated

8 small corn tortillas

Guacamole

Salsa

Real California Queso fresco

• 

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium high flame.

Add in zucchini and onion. Mix to coat in olive oil. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add in tomato, corn, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from flame and set to the side.

Heat a comal or griddle over a medium high flame.

Add 1/4 cup of Real California Queso Oaxaca to the griddle and allow it to melt.

Heat a tortilla on the side of the griddle that is not occupied with cheese. Once the cheese is melted place the heated tortilla on top.

Let the cheese continue to cook for a few minutes or until crisp, then flip the tortilla cheese side up.

Allow the tortilla to fry slightly in the grease the cheese leaves behind on the griddle.

Remove the tortilla from the griddle and fill with a few heaping tablespoons of the calabacita mixture.

Top with salsa, guacamole and crumbled Real California queso fresco.

Take a bite out of it like a REAL VAMPIRO!

For more delicious recipe inspiration hop on over to the Real California Milk website. They have an entire section dedicated to the lent season. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Real California Milk. The recipe and thoughts are 100% my own.

Español:

Podemos hablar seriamente de tacos todo el día, pero ¿es válida la conversación si no estamos hablando de Vampiro Tacos? Sí, ¡vamos a sumergirnos en ese diálogo sobre la bondad cursi conocida como Vampiros! Si nunca has tenido uno, son un cruce entre una quesadilla, taco, tostada, y ha estado en rotación pesada para la cuaresma. Comienza con el queso a la parrilla hasta obtener un crujiente, luego una tortilla lo hace sobre el queso…. Se raspa de la plancha y el lado del queso derretido se encuentra en la tortilla y el lado del queso a la parrilla se usa como base de su taco.

La gente hace todo tipo de coberturas para complementar el taco de queso carbonizado de carne asada, al pastor, nopales y hongos de chile. Puede elegir cualquier aderezo que desee, siempre y cuando esté utilizando queso de calidad al estilo hispano Real California Milk en su Vampiro, tiene el verdadero negocio en sus manos. Además, me encanta el hecho de que cuando compro queso con el sello Real California Milk, estoy comprando ingredientes auténticos de calidad que provienen de manera sostenible de familias lecheras.

Hoy estoy haciendo Tacos De Calabacita Vampiro, ¡porque no te puedes equivocar con calabacín, cebolla, tomate y queso! Asegúrese de dejar que la tortilla se endurezca un poco de la grasa del queso para un delicioso bocado. Te garantizo que estarás haciendo vampiros hasta que las tortillas se agoten y mucho más allá de la cuaresma. ¡Disfrutar!

Calabacita Vampiro Tacos Ingredientes:

2 cucharadas de aceite de oliva
2 calabacines grandes, cortados en cubitos
1/2 cebolla grande, en rodajas
1 tomate grande, cortado en cubitos
1 maíz en la mazorca, granos afeitados
Una pizca de orégano
1/2 cucharadita de ajo en polvo
1 cucharadita de sal
1/2 cucharadita de pimienta negra
2 tazas de queso Real California Oaxaca, rallado
8 tortillas pequeñas de maíz
Guacamole
Salsa
Real California Queso fresco

Indicaciones:

Calentar el aceite de oliva en una sartén grande a fuego medio alto.

Agregue el calabacín y la cebolla. Mezclar para cubrir en aceite de oliva. Cocine durante 5 minutos.

Agregue tomate, maíz, orégano, ajo en polvo, sal y pimienta negra. Saltea durante 5 minutos adicionales. Luego retire de la llama y coloque a un lado.

Calentar un comal o plancha sobre una llama media alta.

Agregue 1/4 de taza de Real California Queso Oaxaca a la plancha y deje que se derrita.

Calentar una tortilla en el lado de la plancha que no esté ocupada con queso. Una vez derretido el queso coloca la tortilla caliente encima.

Deje que el queso continúe cocinándose durante unos minutos o hasta que esté crujiente, luego voltee el queso de tortilla hacia arriba.

Deje que la tortilla se fríe ligeramente en la grasa que el queso deja en la plancha.

Retire la tortilla de la plancha y llénela con unas cucharadas colmadas de la mezcla de calabacita.

Cubra con salsa, guacamole y queso fresco Real California desmenuzado.

¡Dale un mordisco como un VAMPIRO REAL!

Are you the type that makes a list of the food you need for the week with a set schedule of planned meals or do you just grab basics and then get imaginative with what you have on hand? I used to be the type that stuck to a planned list and scheduled meals. These days I feel like I am thinking outside the box and falling more into the latter. I was excited to learn that Northgate Market now offers ‘Pronto Curbside’ in both Norwalk and La Habra locations which makes life so much more convenient.  The way I see it, I’m one less person in the market making it safer for the working associates, and customers, and I’m still able to stock up on all my favorite items.

(more…)

It’s funny because even though I’m a Mom, I never think of myself on Mother’s day or how I will be celebrated.  Instead I think of my beautiful Mother whom I absolutely adore.  I try and shower her with gifts and I always plan a meal for her.  The thing is, she’s a vegetarian. Creating a dessert is the easy part of the planning for the day.  It’s the main meal that I always have to mull over.  She especially loves Mexican food (go figure,) and trying to make something slightly different than the basic vegetarian staples (enchiladas, chilaquiles, chile rellenos) is always an exercise.

Last week I was in Orlando, Florida, working on a job and found myself in this ultra swanky hotel.  At around 4:30 in the afternoon my tummy was rumbling so I made my way down to the restaurant only to find out dinner service did not start till 6p.m.  Well honey, there was no way I could hold off that long.  The all knowing maître d’ told me there was a great bar further down the hall and they served yummy appetizers and food that would keep my stomach in happy company.  I walked down the hall and found a large group of people hanging out having drinks and noshing.  I squeezed my way between two stools lined up against the bar and caught the cashiers attention.  We locked eyes and I said “I’ll have the tacos, and some sparkling water.” Next thing I knew the most gorgeous tacos were plated in front of me. They were served on a slightly puffy tortilla and jammed with shredded beef, leafy greens and a combo of avocado and  chile cream sauce.  I was either starving or those were the best tacos I had had in a LONG time because I nearly inhaled them.

Yesterday I was shopping at Walmart and ran into a package of tortillas that looked just like the tortillas I had in Orlando.  I examined the package (La Tortilla Factory) more closely and thought this was the casing to those delicious tacos.  I instantly thought I want to make some for my Mom…. I want her to try these tortillas.  I know, I’ll make her tacos for Mother’s day with almost everything those tacos had, minus the meat, and I will substitute it with baby bella mushrooms instead.  She is going to be one happy MOMMA camper. Happy Mother’s Day to all the lovely hard working Mothers.  It’s your day.

Ingredients for tacos de hongos:

• 4 – tablespoons butter
• 1 – onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 – 8 oz box of baby bella mushroom (rinsed and cut into 4’s)
• 3 – heaping tablespoons Mayonesa with lime (I used McCormick)
• 1 – ripe avocado
• 1 – small can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 1 – package yellow corn tortillas (I used  La Tortilla Factory- hand made style)
• leafy green lettuce
• crumbled queso fresco

Directions:

1. In a large frying pan over a medium flame add 2 tablespoons of butter, and allow it to melt coating the pan.
2. Add onions to pan and saute for about 20 minutes, or until onions are all browned and caramelized, mixing often. 
3. Remove onions from pan and set in a dish.
4. In the same frying pan over a medium high flame add in remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, allow to melt.
5. Add chopped mushrooms to butter and saute for 10 minutes. Mixing often 
6. Remove mushrooms from pan and set to the side.
7. Let’s make the sauces: In a small bowl add in 1 tablespoon of mayonesa and avocado. Mash avocado and mayo together until creamy.
8. In a separate bowl add 2 tablespoons mayo, and 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from chipotle peppers. Mix until well combined.
9. Heat tortillas over open flame until slightly charred on each side.
10. Fill the center with a teaspoon of caramelized onions and a about 6 mushroom pieces. Then top with leafy greens, queso freso, avocado cream, and adobo cream. 
11. Enjoy!

Here is a photo of my Mom and me. I love that we both have serious afro’s happening.  The luck of having curly hair.