tacos Archives | Winstead Wandering

Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Sriracha Lime Slaw

August 7, 2017 by Abby

Skip the oil and make Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Sriracha Lime Slaw instead! You’ll get the crunch you love without all the grease and calories.

Skip the oil and make Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Sriracha Lime Slaw instead! You'll get the crunch you love without all the grease and calories.

I have a tried and true crispy fish taco recipe that we love. It calls for frying the fish in a fluffy batter that is pretty much irresistible, even to J, who has mixed feelings when it comes to fish. Those fish tacos are perfect for special occasions, but since we don’t make it a habit of having fried food for dinner, I don’t make them often. I knew we needed a go-to crispy baked fish tacos recipe, but I also knew it would have to be pretty awesome to compete with the fried version we love.

This particular recipe has been cooking for a while. I tried a couple variations, all designed to maximize crispiness, but this is by far the best. I’m a sucker for panko bread crumbs, and I love a good spicy mayonnaise. The fish bakes up plenty crispy, but the cabbage takes it all the way. Ditch the messy oil and the extra calories and make Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Sriracha Lime Slaw instead.

Skip the oil and make Crispy Baked Fish Tacos with Sriracha Lime Slaw instead! You'll get the crunch you love without all the grease and calories.

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Easy Taco Casserole

June 20, 2016 by Abby

Double the recipe next time it’s taco night and use the leftovers to make this easy taco casserole. It’s cheesy, filling, and can be on the table in under 30 minutes.

Is Taco Tuesday a thing at your house? It is at ours. We always have leftover taco meat because I plan it that way. Isn’t leftovers the best part of Taco Tuesday, anyway? You can make nachos, Mexican pizzas or, now, this easy taco casserole.

It isn’t hard to see why this recipe is so appealing. It takes all your favorite Mexican flavors and layers them in the comforting familiarity of a casserole. The refried beans are filling and inexpensive, especially if you make your own. The salsa and sour cream mixed together form a light, creamy sauce, and the cheese gets perfectly melted and oozy. Tortilla chip crumbs add just the right amount of crunch- and the perfect way to use up the rest of the bag.

This easy taco casserole might call for essentially the same ingredients as regular tacos, but I promise, when you make it, no one will complain about eating leftovers.

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Crispy Fish Tacos with Cajun Mayo

April 27, 2016 by Abby

White fish is lightly battered, fried until crispy, and served with a slightly-spicy sauce for crispy fish tacos with Cajun mayo.

I haven’t always been a fan of seafood. I was super picky growing up and, even though I lived in the Pacific Northwest, I didn’t even try salmon until I was an adult. Gradually, though, my taste bud horizons expanded and I discovered the deliciousness of fish and shellfish.

Now, these fish tacos are a staple on our monthly menu plans. I realize fried fish isn’t too healthy, but we rarely fry anything at home and, and when it comes to breading and hot oil, I’d say we get the most bang for our frying buck by making these crispy fish tacos.

The batter puffs up and creates the perfect golden crunch around the tender, flaky fish. The Cajun mayo is light and provides just the right hint of heat. You could serve your tacos with lettuce or shredded cheese or salsa, but to be honest, we love to just let these two star ingredients shine.

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Easy Weeknight Chicken Tacos

October 12, 2015 by Abby

Tender chicken, tossed with the perfect blend of Mexican spices and served on a warm tortilla with fresh salsa and cool, homemade ranch.

We eat tacos nearly once a week at my house. We hold our Taco Tuesdays near and dear. There’s just no beating the convenience, the tastiness, or the crowd-pleasing factor of ground beef smileys (that’s a Friends reference, y’all).

But can I share a secret? I’m not a huge beef lover. I love tacos, and I enjoy a well-made hamburger every once in a while, but chicken is my jam. For months, each time I made regular tacos, I’d long for chicken.

I don’t really know why it took me so long to get around to making these. Mostly, I think, it was because I imagined the process would be laborious and not quite worth the effort. Part of the reason beef tacos are so popular is because they’re so easy. I thought making them with chicken would suck all the convenience out of the situation.

Turns out I was wrong. The chicken took even less hands-on time to prepare than ground beef or turkey. The quick salsa came together quickly and was the perfect snack to munch on while finishing the meal. And since I’ve been putting this homemade buttermilk ranch dressing on everything since I discovered it a couple months back, I decided to use it here, too.

The result is moist, flavorful chicken, shredded and with your favorite taco fixings. The salsa and ranch recipes are ones I’ve shared before here on the blog, but I’m including the recipes here for convenience’s sake. You can top your tacos with whatever you prefer, but I can’t recommend this recipe highly enough.

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mexican pizza {a taco bell copycat recipe}

March 5, 2015 by Abby

Confession: I’ve never had a Taco Bell Mexican Pizza. Now that I make this fresh version at home, I’ll never need to.

The recipe calls for refried beans- I make mine using this recipe– and taco meat, but I often make mine with just beans and my husband’s with meat only.

Just as with regular tacos, this recipe can be adapted to fit the preferences or dietary needs of just about anybody; in fact, it practically begs for it.

Mexican Pizzas
adapted from here
(recipe makes 4 pizzas; quantities as needed)

8 6-inch tortillas
1 – 1 1/2 cups (1 can) refried beans (you may want more if you’re omitting the meat)
1/2 pound taco meat (prepare your ground beef or turkey as you normally do for tacos)
1/2 cup taco sauce (salsa works, too)
1 cup shredded cheese
cooking spray or 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil

Additional optional toppings:
-diced tomato
-shredded lettuce
-sour cream
-diced avocado

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown your tortillas on both sides in a saucepan, either in hot oil or by spraying both sides with cooking spray. Spray a cookie sheet lined with foil.

On the foil, layer beans and meat on top of a browned tortilla. Cover with a second tortilla and spread that one with taco sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Repeat until you’ve built four pizzas.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes.

What fast food favorite do you make at home?