Taco Spaghetti Squash

This is a fantastic meal idea that we borrowed from a friend of ours and tweaked a bit.

Ingredients:
1 spaghetti squash
1/2 pound ground beef
1 chopped onion
2 tbsp taco seasoning
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
2 tomatoes, chopped
olives - for topping
sour cream - for topping
salsa - for topping
guacamole/avocado - for topping

Directions:
1. Cut the squash in half, scooping out the seeds.
2. Place cut-side down on an aluminum foil covered cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about an hour. Bake until the squash is tender and cam be shredded with a fork, but not so much that it is mushy.
3. Brown the ground beef and onion in a medium skillet, draining off the fat if you desire.
4. Remove the squash from the oven and shred with a fork.
5. Stir in the taco seasoning, the shredded squash, and 1/2 of the cheddar cheese with the ground beef/onion mixture.
6. After it is mixed, put it into a greased 2 quart casserole dish and top with the other 1/2 of the cheddar cheese and bake uncovered at 350 for about 20 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and serve over a bed of lettuce and top with tomatoes, olives, sour cream, guacamole or avocados, and salsa if desired.

Here's the link to my friend Rachel's blog that has the original recipe she made.

Steakhouse Southwestern Steak with Guacamole

So, what do you do when you have some nice steaks ready to grill and it starts raining outside? Well, you make them inside. Here's a very simple way to make some excellent steaks inside in the oven (no, not baked steaks) with a nice guacamole to serve with it.

Steak Ingredients:
4 well marbled steaks 1" to 1 1/2" thick (Rib-Eye, NY Strip, etc)
Olive oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Blackened Seasoning
Cayenne Pepper

Steak Directions:
Take the steaks and put them on a greased broiler pan.
2. Brush on or rub in the olive oil on both sides.
3. Season the steaks as you desire. I like the combination of flavors as listed above. Use what you like.
4. Put the broiler rack as close to the broiler as you can so when you put the steaks in, they are 1/2" or less from the top broiler. I put my broiler pan on top of a second one to get it close enough.
5. Broil 1" steak on high for 4 minutes for a medium steak. More time for more well done, less time for rare. Also, take into account the thickness of the steak. More time for thicker ones, less time for thinner ones. Keep the oven door cracked open a bit when broiling as it will smoke.
6. When the first side is done, flip the steaks, touch up the oil and seasoning if you wish, and cook for 4 more minutes.
7. Take out the steak and let rest for 5-10 minutes before cutting.


Guacamole Ingredients:
4 whole, ripe Avocados
2 tbsp medium sweet onion or 1 medium scallion, diced very small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp of lime juice

Guacamole Directions:
1. Peel and pit the avocados and put them in a large mixing bowl.
2. Smash up with a fork.
3. Add in the rest of the ingredients.
4. Mix well.

Serve the steak with Guacamole on top and you have a wonderful meal.

This recipe is based on one from Dana Carpenders 501 LC Recipe book.

Beef Fajitas

A simple beef fajita meal that doesn't take much to prepare, but is very tasty.

Ingredients:

For Marinade:
1/2 cup chicken broth or lite beer
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 small onion, sliced thinly
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic

Rest of Ingredients:
2 lbs of skirt steak or any other steak you want to use.
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced thick
1 green pepper, sliced

Toppings:
Guacamole (We love Wholly Guacamole)
Salsa (Mrs. Renfro's is wonderful and most varieties have no sugar added)
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese

Directions:
1. Mix together marinade ingredients.
2. Put steak in a big zip lock bag and marinade in the fridge for a few hours. The tougher the steak, the longer you should let it marinade.
3. When ready to cook, remove steak from bag, saving a few tbsp of the marinade.
4. In a large skillet, heat the oil.
5. Add in steak, peppers, and onion when the oil is hot.
6. When the meat is done and the veggies are tender, add in the reserved marinade.
7. Serve on tortilla or plate and top with the guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and cheese

This recipe was based on one from Dana Carpenders 501 LC Recipes

Note that the tougher the steak, the longer to let it marinade.