Posts Tagged ‘baked’
“Unfried” Tortilla shells
June 20th, 2012 | 
Author: 
Okay now this is something you’re gonna have to admit, out loud and publicly. You can do it, I know you can.
How many of you secretly LOVE those deep fried taco bowls you get at Mexican restaurants? You know those sinfully crispy and delicious bowls that house salads or other awesome stuff.
Admit it.. you know you do. It’s okay, I won’t tell. I love them too even though they are sooooooooooooooo unhealthy! I mean you’re soaking bread in hot oil and deep frying it. Yeah… wait, I think another artery clogged.
But wait, let’s back up a second here. Can one of you ‘splain the logic behind putting something relatively healthy (salad with meat and cheese – no sour cream at restaurants is NOT healthy. It’s full fat) into a grease laden bowl? But honestly, I kinda don’t care cause that damn crispy salty bowl is soooooooo good 
Well tonight I wanted one however my thighs said “BAHAHAHAHA yeah right! You eat that and you’re wearing a Hefty Bag to work tomorrow!“ Bastards…
So since I listen to them (and my conscious) I decided to try making them crispy but by baking them.
Tonight I opted for a crispy tortilla shells; next time I’ll show you how to make the bowls. Trust me, you’ll want them too!
This is SUPER easy and so yummy and a bajillion times healthier for you without any flavor sacrifice.
| “Unfried” Tortilla shells |
|
- 4 10” round tortilla shells
- Cooking Spray
- Very slightly damp paper towel
- Preheat oven to 375 with the rack in the middle.
- Wrap the 4 tortilla shells in the slightly damp paper towel.
- Microwave for 15-30 seconds until steamed and soft/pliable.
- Spray each tortilla side with cooking spray.
- Pull out the rack slightly and carefully drape each tortilla over two bars in the rack.
- Bake at 375 for 6 minutes.
- Turn oven to broil.
- Broil for one minute or until golden brown and crispy.
- Using oven-safe tongs, carefully lift each shell up and lay them down on their sides directly on the rack.
- Broil for 1 minute to crisp that side.
- Flip over and broil up the other side.
So essentially we went from this:
Cold tortillas going into the oven
After 5 minutes and flipping them onto their side to broil, we got to this:
Look how crispy they are!
Fresh from the oven, they super crispy and healthy shells turned into this…
You may want to sit back a little bit as I will not be held responsible for when your jaw hits the table on how awesome this looks
Don’t you just want to bite the screen right now?!
As for how I made that, I’ll post that recipe later. It’s made up of an unfried tortilla shells, some of the Mexican shredded beef, spinach, cheese and fat free sour cream. TOTAL YUM!
Now what’s awesome is that you can essentially use any size tortilla from smaller ones (for say housing dips – just take a 10″ shell and a biscuit cutter to make 4-5″ rounds) to larger 12-14″ rounds.
Next time I’ll show you how to make unfried tortilla bowls. All the flavor without the guilt!
Posted in Appetizers, Beef, Mexican, Recipes, Tips and Tricks | 
Tags: baked, crispy, Low-Fat, Mexican, Tortilla Shells | 
5 Comments »
Oven Baked Potatoes
Um.. no.. that’s not baked. Zapped, Nuked, or heated maybe but definitely not baked. Like a gracious guest I kept my mouth shut and let her do her thing. I hate those people that throw their 2 cents in when it’s really not wanted. FORTUNATELY while we were eating she commented on how she can never get her potatoes to taste like restaurants. They are always just … bleh no matter how much butter/salt/sour cream that is thrown on it. Then she looked at me with that “help me” face and I said “I can show you how to do it if you want”. See some people take offense to stuff like this which is odd. I mean you’re asking for help but yet when you offer suggestions they look at you like you’re evil.Fine.. call me evil but I can eat least make one bad ass baked potato in the oven LOL
| Oven Baked Potatoes |
- 1 Large Potato (per person) – I prefer the restaurant style baking potatoes myself
- Olive Oil
- Sea Salt
- Preheat the oven to 400 and place the rack in the middle.
- Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. – this is optional. You can cook eat potato directly on the rack but I highly recommend placing a lined cookie sheet on the rack below to catch the drippings.
- Scrub each potato with cool water, not hot!
- Dry the potatoes thoroughly with a paper towel.
- Using a fork, pierce each potato a good 4-5 times ensuring you go deep. If you don’t do this, the tater will explode… trust me on this!
- Slather each tater with oil ensuring it’s coated evenly.
- Sprinkle with Sea Salt.
- Either lay on the lined cookie sheet or the rack.
- Cook for roughly 45 minutes to an hour depending on the size of the potato.*
*Note: if you bake it on the sheet, flip them about every 20 minutes. Baking on the rack directly, you don’t have to flip.
Insert a fork or wooden skewer into the potato. It should go all the way in. The skin should be crisp and the flesh soft.
Now, as you notice, not once did I say “Wrap the potato in foil”. Don’t do it. Period… EVER! It’s not going to harm it but if you wrap the potato in foil it ends up “steaming” the potato rather than baking it. It’ll taste good but it’s be really, really soft and the skin will be just blah.
So back to my story above. About oh I don’t know a few weeks later we all got together. This time I helped her make the meal which included the potatoes using the above method. She was absolutely thrilled by the outcome as well as her guests. Stuff like this… that’s what makes me happy
Sunrise Breakfast Taters
No, this time you’re craving something hearty, something with ‘oomph’ and depth. Something that easily satisfy you through breakfast and possibly thru to dinner (with a small snack in the afternoon). Kind of like right now for me… I’m craving REAL food. This whole being stuck on broth, jello and clear liquids while I recuperate bites! I want this and I want it now… *sigh*
What I like most about this recipe is that you use leftovers from the night before. This is a perfect way to use up left over baked potatoes (uncut). Now if you don’t have leftover ones, you’ll have to make baked potatoes first before you go to make this recipe.
| Sunrise Breakfast Taters |
- 2 large Baked Potatoes*
- 2 Tbl. butter
- 2 eggs
- 2 strips bacon, cooked and diced
- 2 Tlb. shredded cheese
- 1 Tlb fresh chives
- Sea Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Place the baked potato on its side carefully cut off the top third of the potato.
- Using a spoon, hollow out the middle of the potato to make a “bowl”, leaving the potato as thick or thin as you’d like.
- Place 1 Tbl of butter in the middle of each tater.
- Next, crack an egg into the bowl being carefully not to break the yolk.
- Top with bacon, cheese, chives, and then season with salt and pepper.
- Place on a cookie sheet or pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the egg whites are set. Serve immediately.
- Add a few splashes or hot sauce.
Now.. if you want to make some spinoff’s of this try the following:
| Chicken & Broccoli Stuffed | Spinach Mushroom Feta | Mexican Stuffed | Chili Stuffed |
Starting at step 4 above, add the butter. Next mix up the chicken, broccoli, salt & pepper. Add to the tater. Cover with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and center is hot. Top with chives. |
Starting at step 4 above, add the butter. Next mix up the spinach, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, salt & pepper. Add to the tater. Cover with the feta cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and center is hot. |
Hollow out the tater. Next mix up the taco meat, salsa and hot sauce. Add to the tater. Cover with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and center is hot. Top with sour cream, cilantro and crushed tortilla chips. |
Hollow out the tater. Add the chili and black beans to the tater. Cover with cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and center is hot. Top with sour cream, green onions and dash of hot sauce. Serve with a side of corn bread. |
The spin-offs of this are endless.
*note: If you’re using leftover baked potatoes, you’ll need to reheat them. The easiest method is to wrap each one in a damp paper towel and microwave for 1-3 minutes. There is no need to toss them in the oven to recrisp the skin as they will do this while you’re making the above recipe.
