Tis the season, friends: Tonight I had a holiday event right smack-dab in the middle of my normal cookout time, and to start the smoker either before or after said event would have been folly. Either the food would have burned to a crisp or still be cooking as I type this – neither of which is a suitable option!
So I placed my cookout goodies on hold for the week and got on with the business of making tacos instead as soon as I got home from the party. I put a pot of rice in the rice cooker along with a packet of saffron seasoning, and while it cooked, I heated up a package of Gardein “beef” tips in one pan and some refried beans in a pot. Next, I put four flour tortillas in a foil packet and baked them at 375 for about 10 minutes, leaving them in the oven after the fact.
We really made this meal for only one reason: Yesterday at the farmers’ market, LeeLee and I stopped by our good friends over at No. 1 Sons for a sauerkraut resupply mission. We never leave empty-handed, and on this particular day we decided to branch out and try something new: Molotov Kraut! Spicy and tangy, we knew it would go with just about anything we served up. And thus came the idea for tonight’s dinner! Who wouldn’t love a heaping helping of kraut on their tacos?
When the rice was ready, so were the beef tips and refried beans, so we loaded everything into our tortillas, topped them with lettuce, tomato, olives, cheese, homemade salsa, and, yes, lots of sauerkraut! Then we dug in and nearly made ourselves sick from eating so much. But we couldn’t stop ourselves – it was all just so good!
And we’ve still got plenty of fillings left for lunch tomorrow. Yes, yes, the beef tips are gone. But the beans, rice, tortillas, and add-ons remain! I can hardly wait.
:)