Food Experiment (week 1)

Ok, so i'm a pretty busy lady. I work a full time job (which requires me to leave at 6:50 am and keeps me away from home until almost 5:30 every night :( ), i have two little men that constantly keep me on the run, and a house that always needs cleaning or some type of project done. But, i'm also a HUGE food lover! I would love to be able to have a home cooked meal from scratch on the table every night, but lets face it...that rarely happens. So i decided to try to take on 2 new recipes a week. To fit into my lifestyle, these recipes have to be easy, fast, semi-healthy and most importantly...TASTE GREAT! This has been my first week of new meals, and the two i've made are definate keepers, so i thought i'd share them with you all. I've become a bit of a blog stalker, and both of these recipes came from the same womans blog. I included the url under the meal title if you want to check out her site. I have made a few changes to the origional recipes to make them even easier than they already were... If you choose to give them a try, i hope you enjoy them as much as i did!


EASY TRI-TIP TACOS W/ CORN RELISH
http://www.justcookalready.com/2010/09/grilled-steak-tacos-with-corn-relish.html
Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds TRI-TIP
(Tri-tip marinate)
1 Tablespoon chipotle chile powder
¼ Teaspoon salt
¼ Teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 Cup water
2-3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
(Corn Relish)
6 Green onions, chopped
1 16 OZ can corn, drained
¼ Cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Teaspoon finely grated lime peel
1 Tablespoon lime juice
Salt and Pepper to taste

8 corn tortillas

Preparation:
Put Tri-Tip in plastic bag, add water, olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, and chile powder. Shake well. Let meat marinate at least 30 minutes (I usually do it the night before to let the meat soak up more flavor). Empty Tri-Tip and marinate into a Crock Pot (do not add any other liquids) and cook for at least 2 hours. When meat is done, it will be shredded and VERY tender!

When the Tri-Tip is about finished, empty the corn into a large skillet. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and let cook on medium/high heat for about 8 minutes or until the corn is slightly charred. Add chopped green onion and let cook for about 3 more minutes. Remove skillet from heat, add cilantro, lime juice, grated lime peel and salt/pepper to taste. Mix well.

Pile Tri-Tip and corn relish onto a corn tortilla and ENJOY!


TACO STEW
http://www.justcookalready.com/2010/09/taco-soup.html

Ingredients:
1 (16oz) can of corn, do not drain
1 (16oz) can of kidney beans, do not drain
1 (28oz) can of crushed tomatoes
1 medium white onion (chopped)
3/4 pound of ground beef or turkey
1 cup of water
1 pack of taco seasoning
1 ½ tablespoons hot sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional toppings:
Tortilla chips
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Brown the ground beef or turkey with the onion. When browned, add taco seasoning and water
2. Add the corn, kidney beans, and crushed tomatoes
3. Simmer on medium/low heat uncovered for 30-45 minutes.
4. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese, Serve with tortilla chips