Healthy! Cheap! Turkey Tacos!

Messy Chef Brooklyn should really be posting this one as it's her specialty, but I'm on a roll tonight.

This is a once-a-week standard in the Messy Chef Brooklyn household, and will likely become a standard in the Messy Chef Boston household as well. It's easy and healthy. What's not to love?

Turkey Taco Tuesday

Ground turkey ~ 1 lb

Bell pepper (your choice of color. I personally hate the green ones).

Onion

Taco seasoning

Soft tacos

Salsa

Low/non fat plain greek yogurt

Cilantro (optional. cilantro, though, is my favorite vegetable*)

Cheese for topping

Saute the onions and peppers. If you are crazy, like we are, grill the onions and peppers.

Saute the ground turkey with the taco seasoning, breaking it up as it cooks. I usually don't add the full amount of water that's called for on the taco seasoning packet. I might add half the amount.

Assemble the tacos, topping with cheese, salsa, and yogurt.

* bonus points if you know which red sox player claims cilantro as his "favorite vegetable."

Thai Grilled Beefs

Ok, it's been over two years. Who is counting? What's tragic is that our dear readers have been without the messy chefs for two years. What we've been up to is not important. We've been busy cooking and buying real estate. But tonight, I bring you Thai Grilled Beef Salad.

It's amazing. And comes straight outta this month's (July/Aug 2011) Cook's Illustrated. I am already looking forward to tomorrow's leftovers.

Thai Grilled Beef Salad

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp cayenne

1 tbsp white rice

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp water

1/2 tsp sugar

1 flank or skirt steak

4 shallots, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups mint leaves, torn

1 1/2 cups cilantro

1 thai chile, stemmed and sliced in thin rounds

1 seedless cucumber, sliced 1/4 inch thick on bias cut

1. Heat paprika in cayenne in skilled over medium heat; cook, shaking pan for about a minute. Transfer to small bowl.
2. Return empty skilled to medium high heat and toast white rice, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes ... until golden brown. Transfer to small bowl and let cool for about 5 minutes.
3. Grind toasted rice with spice grinder, mini food processor, or mortar & pestle until it looks like a fine meal.
4. Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, water, sugar, and 1/4 tsp toasted paprika mixture in large bowl and set aside.
5. Get grill ready: for gas grills, turn on all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot (about 15 min). Leave primary burner on high, and turn off other burners.
6. Clean and oil cooking grate. Season the steak with salt and white pepper. Place steak over hot part of grill and cook until beginning to char. About 5-6 minutes (for flank steak). Flip steak and cook on second side until charred and center registers 125 degrees ... about 5 more minutes. Transfer to plate, tent loosely with foil, and rest for 5-10 minutes.
7. Slice meat against grain in 1/4 thick slices. Transfer steak to bowl with the liquid mixture.
8. Add shallots, mint, cilantro, chile, and half of rice powder, toss to combine. Transfer to platter lined with cucumbers.
9. Serve with rice, passing remaining rice powder and toasted paprika mixture

A few things that I'd like to add after making this:

- DO NOT SKIP the toasted rice. It totally makes the dish.

- I only mixed in half the mint and cilantro with the meat and sauce ... I left the other half to sprinkle on the steak after I put everything on the platter.

- The paprika/cayenne addition was nice, but I am not sure it needs a full 2 tsp. I think the next time I do this I will make with 1/2 tsp of each instead.