Veggie Tacos and Birthday Extravaganza

Yesterday, my family came over to our place for my mom's Birthday Extravaganza. The menu was:

Veggie Taco Filling
Beef Taco Filling
Flour Tortillas (from Rosa's Tortilla Factory), Grated Cheese, Chopped tomato, Avocado
Spanish Rice
Refried Beans
Queso
Salsa
Chips
Angel Food Cake with Strawberries and Whipped Cream and Dulce de Leche

My sister made the Beef Taco Filling and Refried Beans. Brian made the Spanish Rice and Queso, and I made the the Veggie Taco Filling and Dessert.

I came up with the Veggie Taco recipe when I lived with my parents. My mom would buy tons of vegetables that we would never get around to cooking before they went bad. One day I took what was in the crisper - some carrots, zucchini, onion, corn and spinach and tossed it into a skillet with some taco seasoning, chuck it in a tortilla, and voila! Veggie Tacos!

Veggie Tacos

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2-4 tablespoons extra
1 clove Garlic
1 small onion (3/4 cup) – chopped
1/2 cup carrots - chopped
1 bell pepper – chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 medium zucchini – chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon coriander
3 cups fresh spinach
Salt to taste

In a large pan over medium heat, sauté garlic and onion in 1/4 cup olive oil until just starting to soften (about 2 minutes).

Add bell pepper, carrots, and zucchini. Saute until just starting to soften (about 4 minutes).

Add corn, cumin, chili powder, and coriander. Stir well. As vegetables are cooking, add more oil if it is starting look dry.

Cook uncovered until all vegetables are cooked through (about 10 minutes), stirring periodically.

Stir in spinach and salt to taste. Cover and cook until spinach cooks down (about 2-4 minutes).

Serve in tortillas with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped avocado and tomato.

Brian's Spanish Rice made so much, I'll talk about that when have the leftovers!

Okay, so I cheated on the cake. I did not make it. I have never made an angel food cake from scratch, because it takes so many egg whites. I also realized that I don't have a pan to make it in, so I just picked one up at Tom Thumb.

I topped the store-bought cake with strawberries and whipped cream and dulce de leche. I made the dulce de leche from a recipe from Daisy Cooks!. I didn't cover it with foil, so it ended up lumpier with more sugar crystals than I wanted. Basically, you pour sweetened condensed milk into a dish (I used a square baking pan) , put it into a larger dish (I used a 13x9" baking pan). Boil water in a kettle, and pour water into the larger dish about halfway up (basically making a water bath). Cover loosely with foil. Put in a 350 degree and cook until it turns into dulce de leche. (about 45 minutes).

I sliced up the 2 pints of strawberries and tossed them with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 Tablespoon Bouchant.

Everything was great, and another great part - Leftovers! (That will be the next post)