Taco Tuesday

There have been quite a few taco recipes in my queue lately, so I decided to make some this week. First up was my variation of a recipe I saw posted on SeriousEats a few weeks ago, for roasted corn and zucchini tacos. I found the combination of just corn and zucchini interesting, so I decided to give it a whirl.

I did things a little differently, though, and I roased the zucchini and corn kernels on a baking sheet in the oven, along with some red onion. Before putting them in the oven, though, I tossed them in some seasoning to give them exta flavor. I also topped the tacos with some cheese, salsa verde, and avocado. It was quick and easy, which was just what we needed, since we recently aquired a new kitten!

Trying to get a new kitten acclimated to our house, while also conditioning our cat to be tolerant of the kitten, training for a marathon, and finishing up wedding planning and getting married should leave us quite busy this summer. At least I have some ideas for quick and easy dinners to fall back on!

Roasted Zucchini, Corn, and Onion Tacos inspired by this SeriousEats recipe
– Makes 6 tacos –

Ingredients:
6 corn or flour tortillas (I used flour)
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 zucchini, sliced into quarter moons
1/2 red onion, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp Adobo
1/4 tsp taco seasoning (I used chipotle flavored)
1/2 avocado, diced
2 Tbsp salsa of your choice (I used verde)
1/4 cup shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, combine zucchini, corn, and onion. Drizzle olive oil and spices over vegetables, and use a spoon to mix, making sure everything is evenly coated
3. Spread the vegetables onto a greased baking sheet, and roast for about 25 minutes
4. Top each tortilla with about a spoonful of the veggie mixture, followed by some cheese, salsa, and avocado

Omelet Burger, also known as a Ramly

Last week, SeriousEats’ A Hamburger a Day had a post on Ramly Burgers, which is essentially an egg-wrapped hamburger from Malaysia (as the post’s byline describes). While I knew nothing about Ramly burgers or Malaysian street food before seeing the post, after reading it I was intrigued by the idea of a burger wrapped omelet, and knew someone that would love to try it.

My fiancé had his first egg and burger experience in London a few years ago, and can rarely pass it up if he sees it on the menu while we’re out. I myself have never had an egg on a burger, and actually until recently thought it was just plain weird. Knowing that he’d love the idea of an egg burger, I was able to rope him into doing most of the work – all part of my master plan! I figured we’d make our usual burgers, and then when it came time to omelet it, I would just wing it.

Considering I had no master plan and our skillet really isn’t big enough to get a large, thin omelet (see notes below if you find yourself in a similar predicament), this turned out quite well! Served alongside a grilled ear of corn and some simple salad, this was the perfect way to enjoy yet another beautiful day. Oh, and eating outside with a beer in hand didn’t hurt either.

Omlete aka Ramly Burger
– makes 2 burgers –

Ingredients:
4 eggs
2 Tbsp water
1/4 lb. beef chuck (I used a 90:20 ratio)
1 jalapeno, diced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup shredded cheese
2 hamburger buns

Directions:
1. Heat grill to medium-high heat
2. While grill is warming up, using your hands combine hamburger meat, diced jalapenos, and seasoning. Once well combined, form two even patties
3. Cook patties on either side 5-6 minutes, cooking to your likeness (this left them about medium)
4. Meanwhile, whisk four eggs and a water together. Grease a large skillet and warm over medium-high heat. Pour half of the egg mixture into the skillet, making sure to move the pan so as to not have the egg stick to the pan.
5. Once it’s been heated for about 3-4 minutes, add the burger to the middle, and gently fold the sides over the burger.* Cook 2 minutes. Flip, and cook additional 2 minutes.
6. Repeat with remaining egg mixture and second patty.

*My skillet wasn’t large enough, so I wasn’t able to fully fold the egg over the hamburger. Don’t fret if you can’t either, it’s still delicious. But if you can, more power to you!

Food Blogging – Why the hate?!

Recently, one of my favorite food blogs that really offers a little bit of everything, SeriousEats, posted not one, but TWO articles relating to the serious distain of other food blogs out there, dedicated to us novice foodies, known better as “Foodiots.”

It all started with an article entitled The Foodiots, posted by The Observer. It simply stated that the New Yorker’s culture has changed; instead of talking sex and politics, people talk food. What’s so wrong with that?

A response to the aforementioned article by ChowHound founder Jim Leff, certainly left a sour taste in my mouth. And not the kind you get from a good Sour Patch Kid. In his response, he noted that Foodiots are “giddily obsessive food crazies who’ve made chewing the very center of their existences,” and like a Trekkie, should “get a life.”

A mere two days later, Eater.com’s Editors posted that they would pay any novice Food blogger a meager $25 to stop writing about food. Really? They honestly thought that $25 would get someone to stop doing something they enjoy? A hobby, if you will? That’s just a little insulting.

So here’s my question – why the hate?!

I can only surmise one thing here; we’re doing a good job. We’ve got our friends interested in what WE’RE cooking, because it seems realistic and tangible as something they too can delve into in the kitchen. And, being our close friends, they take stock in what we have to say in reviews and opinions on different types of foods, restaurants, etc. Are the more general blogs getting nervous? Do they fear their loosing readers to “foodiots”?!

If this is the case, I think they’re worrying prematurely. Yes, I blog about food. I tweet about food. And I have friends that blog about it as well. This doesn’t mean I even consider myself a “Foodie.” I’m just someone that loves reading, writing, eating, and all things food. More importantly, though, guess what? My Google Reader is still chock full of “big name” food blogs that I don’t ever plan on removing from my list.

I think for those that have been in the blogging game for awhile, feel threatened that it’s becoming much more common-place. It’s how most trends and things of that nature start out. But it seems quite juvenile. It reminds me of high school, when someone would start listening to a band, and months later everyone else would be into them as well. You were torn between being proud for knowing about them first, but also a bit jealous that now they were popular in a more mainstream sense. In the end, I think the proud feeling overwhelmed the jealousy. Veteran food bloggers should feel that way too.

So, I guess that still leaves the floor open for those veteran food bloggers. Why such distain for the newbies? What have we done wrong? We’re humans – we’re conditioned to love and embrace food. Some of us love it more than others, and shouldn’t we unite as a collective group, to share that love with others?

Let’s just remember one thing here – life is far too short to be serious.