There’s nothing better than a grass-fed beef taco.  As I am a Mexican food fanatic, I can eat tacos anytime, but especially when they are this delicious, healthy, and made with fresh ingredients.

History of tortillas and tacos

Tortillas are believed to date back as far as 10,000 B.C. Mayan legend says that in ancient times a peasant created them for his king. In 1521 the acquisition of Mexico was taken by Spain, headed up by explorer Cortez. They were looking for fortune and opportunity and found a myriad of new foods such as squash, avocados, chocolate, beans, vanilla, peanuts, and corn.  Cortez was received warmly at first by Montezuma, the ruler of the Aztec civilization. But over time, many battles ensued and eventually Cortez overtook the capitol and claimed it as the property of Spain. Although they replaced many of the Aztec buildings and institutions with their own, the culture was never fully removed and many customs and traditions came through such as the eating of stone-ground corn cakes with many other foods.

One of the most integral part of the diet in Mexican eating is the tortilla, made from corn.  To remove the husk, corn kernels are cooked with lime and then ground on a stone slab with a grinding stone. The resulting dough (masa) can be formed into little round balls and then hand patted out into thin round cakes. The cake is then fried on both sides in a pan. This cake can also be wrapped in a corn husk (the tamale) which is filled with meat. This handmade wrapper is extremely versatile and its uses are endless.

Tortillas can be used for many foods such as enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, and tamales. Tortillas are often used as eating utensils, such as a plate as in a tostada or taco salad (even Mexican pizza). The tortilla has become popular in the United States and can be found in many places – and not just Mexican restaurants –  due in part to the increase of the Hispanic population.

Ingredients:

• 1 – 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef
• grated raw cheese, I use Organic Valley Raw Monterey Jack
• organic romaine lettuce, shredded or sliced
• organic onions, diced
• organic cilantro, stems removed
• non-irradiated, organic chili powder
• organic cumin
• organic paprika
• organic oregano
• sea salt
• non-irradiated pepper
• home-made pico de gallo (see recipe below)
• organic, sprouted corn tortillas (we used Ezekiel brand organic, sprouted corn tortillas – a traditionally prepared food)
• garnish with organic avocados (optional)

Directions:

1. Brown the ground beef in a stainless steel pan with onions (optional).
2. Begin adding in sea salt, pepper, and spices – chili powder, cumin, oregano, and paprika.You can add a bit of water to your mixture to help set in the spices.
3. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 20 – 30 minutes. Cook beef and onions until beef is browned and onions are sauteed.
4. About five minutes before the beef is done simmering, turn the oven on to warm and place your tortillas on a piece of foil to heat for 2 – 3 minutes. The longer you leave your tortillas in the oven, the more crispy they will become. Some people prefer them this way, I like mine softer.
5. When the tortillas are ready, take them out of the oven. Place on a plate and fill with ground beef. Top with cheese, cilantro, romaine, onions, and pico de gallo.

Recipe for pico de gallo:

• finely chopped organic tomatoes (3 – 4 medium sized)
• finely chopped organic onions (1 medium)
• diced organic green onions (one stalk, optional)
• organic cilantro, stems removed, chopped (your own preference of amount)
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• organic chili powder (to taste – some people like spicy, some prefer mild)

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, adjust amounts according to your own taste. Serve over tacos.

Besides pancakes, this is the hands-down favorite breakfast in our house.

When I ask my son if he wants French Toast for breakfast, I always get an enthusiastic response.

What makes it even better is that it is smothered in delicious, organic, whole milk yogurt made from raw milk, bananas, real butter, and an organic, blackberry, pure fruit spread.

You can put just about anything you want on this French Toast, this is just my son’s preference.

See below for the apple version (which I happen to like the best). This meal is so scrumptious, it almost seems like a dessert.

It’s kind of hard to believe it’s real, nutritious food!

Directions:

1. In a stainless steel pan, place some butter and allow it to melt and spread around the bottom of the pan.
2. While butter is melting, crack open your eggs in a bowl that is wide and flat, and scramble them. Add a pinch of sea salt.
3. Place bread slices into the bowl and soak up the eggs on both sides of the bread.
4. When your butter is melted, place bread into the pan. If your pan is large enough, you can fit more than one piece in at a time.
5. Cook your bread until both sides have firmed the eggs onto them or until a bit browned, if you prefer.
6. With a spatula, place your finished bread pieces onto a plate or plates. Spoon yogurt onto the middle of the bread.
7. Cut bananas into thin circle and place around the top of the bread so they are sticking in to the outer edges of the yogurt.
8. Spoon blackberry fruit spread on top of  the yogurt.
9. Finish with a few shakes of cinnamon (optional).
10. Serve to your hungry family or guests.

Here’s the apple version, which is the same as the above except instead of bananas and fruit spread, just use diced apples.

This recipe was also created by my husband. He’s great in the kitchen, and this is a fantastic way to get in more nutritious coconut oil. My son LOVES this popcorn and named it for it’s beautiful golden color from the grass-fed butter drizzled all over it. It is the most absolutely delicious popcorn I’ve EVER tasted.

Popcorn is one of those foods which people have eaten for millennia (now that’s traditional!), and there is a lot of ritual associated with its consumption.

It was grown originally in Mexico, then it spread to other regions in the east through India, China, and Sumatra years before the first European explorers came to the shores of North America.

In 1948 and 1950, explorers found popcorn ears 5,600 years old in New Mexico in the Bat Cave. The popcorn ears ranged in size from 1/2 inch to 2 inches long and are the oldest ears of popcorn of which we know.

In South and North America over 2,000 years ago,  Indians popped it over the open fire, making it one of the oldest snack foods we have.

In 1492, Christopher Columbus noticed West Indian natives corsages made of popcorn and also used popped corn to decorate ceremonial headdresses. In his memoirs Columbus reported that Native Americans also sold popcorn to his sailors.

Another European global explorer, Cortez, wrote in his diaries about how Aztecs used popped corn to decorate their ceremonial garb. It was symbolic of goodwill and peace. Aztecs created necklaces and other ornamental pieces for the god’s statues with the grain. The god Tialoc, god of rain, fertility, and maize (corn) was the most represented diety found.

Today we often eat it when we go to the movies or have friends over for movies at home. Look how far popcorn has come!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Your favorite organic, non-GMO corn for popping
• 2 – 3 tablespoons of organic, extra-virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 cup melted organic grass-fed butter (raw is a plus!)
• Sea salt (we use Kosher sea salt with minerals) to taste

Equipment:

• a medium-sized pot (we use stainless steel)
• a smaller pot to melt the butter

Directions:

1. Heat pan to medium and place coconut oil in the pan.
2. When the oil has melted, place about three kernels of corn into your pot and wait until they have all popped. Now your oil is hot enough and is ready for the rest of your popcorn.
3. Cover with a lid and wait for the popping sound. After you hear pauses in popping, and there is 10 seconds between pops, your corn is ready to come out of the pot.
4. Pour your popcorn into a medium to large bowl and pour the melted butter all over the top of your popcorn.
5. Sprinkle with salt to taste.
6. Shake bowl and mix popcorn if necessary with a wooden spoon to disperse butter and salt evenly.
7. Eat your popcorn!

Feeds 2 – 3 people or more

I made these cupcakes on Valentine’s Day this year for my son and his friends. The results were fantastic and everyone loved them.

It was the first time I had baked with coconut flour, and I realized how many possibilities there were from this wonderful, nutritious substance.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of organic coconut flour, sifted (I use Bob’s Red Mill)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon of aluminum-free baking soda

6 pasture-raised eggs

1/2 cup of real butter or organic, extra-virgin coconut oil (raw is a plus!)

1/2 cup of Lakanto

1 tablespoon of real vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine coconut flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium-sized bowl and set aside
3. Mix eggs, butter, Lakanto, and vanilla in a smaller bowl
4. Mix wet ingredients into the dry. Use a mixer to blend until you have a smooth consistency
5. Pour batter into muffin tins – grease with butter or use muffin cups
6. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes
7. Allow cupcakes to cool for about 20 minutes, then spread strawberry frosting on top

Strawberry frosting:

1/2 cup frozen organic strawberries (feel free to use fresh…when I made this recipe it was still the dead of winter here, so no fresh were available)

3 tablespoons of Lakanto (depending on your preference, you can add more or less)

1/2 cup of real, organic butter

I let the strawberries thaw out for an hour or so on the counter, then chopped them up into small chunks and set them aside in a bowl. Then I melted the butter in a pan, then added the Lakanto sugar (I did this to taste because one recipe I read advised adding 1/2 cup and that seemed like way too much). I stirred the Lakanto continuously with a wooden spoon until it melted. You can add more butter if you want your frosting to be really creamy. Then I poured the butter/Lakanto mixture into the bowl with the strawberries and mixed together by hand, then got out the mixer and blended it all until it was smoother (you’ll still have small chunks of strawberries, which is fine) and more like the consistency of whipped cream.

This makes 12 – 14 cupcakes (depending on how much batter you spoon into each muffin cup).

Then I let the kids spoon the frosting onto the cupcakes and decorate with raw, unsweetened coconut and some gluten-free sprinkles I had from the store. The frosting will be a bit runny, but it is soooo good! You could also use other fruits if desired such as blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.

As you can see, the kids were all smiles.

The final product was  a smash…Betty Crocker, eat your heart out!

This post is linked to in Kelly The Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesdays Carnival.

This is not your average salad! When my husband made this the other day, I was awed by how beautiful it was and full of color. I was even more delighted to find out that it is crunchy, sweet, savory, and satisfying. This salad combines the best of juicy chicken, blue cheese, nuts, tomatoes, and greens (with a few surprises!). This is a perfect meal for lunch or dinner. You will definitely be full when you are finished eating this, and your stomach will be happy!

This salad can be made for one or several people; if you are preparing it for more than just yourself, add more of everything to the recipe.

Chicken salad mixture:

• Baked or pan-cooked pasture-raised chicken (with skin on) pieces of your choice
• Homemade mayonnaise – use the amount preferred – some like more, some less
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper
• A few shakes dill weed

Cook chicken with coconut oil and salt and pepper (either oven or pan-cook). When cooked, set aside to cool for a few minutes in a bowl or on a plate. When sufficiently cooled, dice up into small pieces. Place diced chicken in bowl and mix together with mayo, salt, pepper, and dill. Set aside (you can put this in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat with greens and vegetables).

Then prepare the following:

• Fresh greens – good ideas are romaine, collard, chard, or mustard greens, escarole, spinach, radicchio, arugula, green, or red leaf lettuces. If you have a heads of lettuce or greens, chop them up. Otherwise, spring mixes can be used the way they come.
• Sliced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
• Sliced cucumbers
• Chopped scallions
• Raw nuts – almonds, cashews, walnuts (or a combination of those)
• Dried fruit – raisins, dates, and goji berries
• Blue cheese crumbles – we use Rogue Creamery raw blue cheese – to die for!
• Homemade salad dressing – we use olive oil and a bit of cold-pressed grapeseed oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper (note, oil to vinegar is 2 to 1 ratio and 90 percent red wine, 10 percent balsamic). Put all salad dressing ingredients in a bottle and shake well. You can make more dressing than needed for recipe and use for later as we do, to avoid having to prepare dressing for each meal. When you have used salad dressing, place in the refrigerator.

Dice up vegetables into small pieces. Cut up chunks of the blue cheese. Arrange greens on a plate or medium-sized to large bowl. Cover with chicken salad mixture, blue cheese crumbles, scallions, tomatoes, and sprinkle dried fruit and nuts on top. Pour desired amount of dressing onto salad. If you prefer dressing under chicken, pour after laying out your greens.

This post is part of Hartke is Online! Healthy Recipes/Natural Cures and Cheeseslave’s Real Food Wednesdays Carnivals. Please check out the other great recipes featured there.