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Sunday, December 30, 2012

Homemade Crunchwrap Recipe

My guilty pleasure is Taco Bell, something my husband and I have in common. Homemade tacos are divine but such delicacies as the Mexican Pizza and The Chalupa can't be denied. We rarely indulge in this massacre of traditional foods. Tonight my husband wanted to indulge. He said he wanted a crunchwrap. As soon as he said it, I couldn't agree more. Crunchwraps are pretty fantastic.

I decided we couldn't go out... we're broke until Friday. So my solution was to make homemade crunchwraps. I had ground chuck, burrito shells, lettuce, black olives, refried beans, queso dip and onions. But what about the flat crispy shell that puts the crunch in crunchwrap? I ended up using hard taco shells split in half.

Fry up your meat like you would for tacos, along with half a cup of diced onions. I then ran my meat through my ninja chopper, to create an even texture and to mimic taco bell even better.

Spread a thin layer of refried beans onto a tortilla, creating about a four inch circle. Top with your meat, queso cheese, them your halved hard taco shell. Then spread on a layer of sour cream, your black olives (we used the pre chopped) and lettuce.

Folding the crunchwraps was easier than I expected. Simply fold one side in and continue folding over in a circular motion. You'll end up with a hexagon.

Flip your freshly folded crunchwraps over and let them rest for a minute. Now they wont try to unfold on you! Spray your pan or griddle with non stick cooking spray and allow them to cook over medium heat for four minutes on each side.

What you have now is a fantastic homemade crunchwrap. I hope you enjoy these copycat crunchwraps as much as my family did! Another great dish from my kitchen to your table!

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Creamy Crunchy Crab Cakes

My husband loves seafood. Shrimp, crab, lobster, crawfish, clams, you name it. Chances are if its swimming around in the ocean, he wants to eat it. One of the saddest days for him was when our daughter was diagnosed with a shellfish allergy, and a whitefish allergy. Well two months ago she went for a follow up appointment to get her epi pen prescription re filled. We've never had to use one (thank goodness! ) but they do expire after a while. While we were there her doctor decided to test her again, and my daughter came back allergy free. The look on my husband's face after being told our daughter had outgrown her allergies was priceless. We had fish for dinner that very night.

He occasionally asks me for things that surprise me. We had a package of imitation crab meat sitting in the freezer, awaiting inspiration to strike me when he asked me if I could make crab cakes out of it. I said sure why not? Then instantly regretted it. I had never made crab cakes before, and had nothing any of the recipes I found online called for except crab and onion. So what did I do?

Got creative of course! I said I would make crab cakes so I would, even if I had to stretch the definition of crab cake a little bit. So I rummaged through my cupboards and fridge and came up with:

1 package imitation crab meat, chopped
1 eight oz brick of cream cheese, warmed in the microwave for 60 seconds
10 green onions, chopped
1 egg
1/2 a teaspoon old bay seasoning
2 cups puffed rice cereal, separated

Mix the first five ingredients with 1 cup of puffed rice. Let your mixture set in the refrigerator for five minutes. Scoop out a tablespoon at a time and press into the remaining puffed rice, to coat. This is a messy procedure so if you don't want dirty hands, wear some food safe gloves. Drop your cakes into 375° oil and fry until golden brown, about two minutes on each side. Drain off excess grease and enjoy with some Tartar sauce or cocktail sauce. Both only require three ingredients.

TARTAR SAUCE

1cup Mayo
2 tablespoons sweet relish
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix all ingredients well.

COCKTAIL SAUCE

1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons grated horseradish
1/2 cup lemon juice

Mix all ingredients well.

And there you have it! Another easy and delicious dish from my kitchen to your table!