For Southern California gal Victoria Murray, the very thought of tacos brings joy. “I can eat them every day. I love the simplicity of using fresh ingredients,” says Murray, owner of Soul Child, a holistic wellness program that incorporates nutritional cooking, meditation and yoga. “There’s a sexiness to this dish, which you create by using your hands to chop the ingredients and then use your hands again to eat.”
Cooking together is a great way for couples to connect, she says. “Go the extra mile and put on Latino music as you cook and pour some red wine,” she says.
Murray recommends serving this meal with corn tortillas that have been charred for a few seconds over an open flame, like on your stovetop. “Serve with a side of your favorite tortilla chips — I recommend Vista Hermosa Totopos corn tortilla chips — to scoop up the street corn salad and wash it all down with a yuzu margarita,” she says.
Interested in cooking with Murray or having her cook for you? Visit soulchild.life. She also offers gift cards, which make a great Valentine’s Day gift.
Tacos for Two with Salsa, Guacamole, Street Corn Salad and Churro Cheesecake Bites with Yuzu Margarita
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño
4 limes
Salt and pepper
2 avocados
1 lb skirt steak or boneless chicken thigh
Avocado oil
Corn tortillas
2 ears of corn or 1 small package frozen corn
1/2 c Cotija cheese
1/4 c mayonnaise
Chili powder
Salsa
In a food processor add 3 Roma tomatoes, quartered, ¼ red onion, 3 tbsp cilantro with stems, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp finely diced jalapeño (leave seeds in if you like it spicy), juice of ½ lime, ½
tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper and pulse until mixture comes together and reaches desired consistency. Adjust lime, salt and jalapeño to desired taste.
Guacamole
Chop ¼ cup red onion into a fine dice, add a pinch of salt and juice of ½ lime and stir together. Slice avocados in half and remove pits. Scoop out avocado and add to onion-lime mixture. Add another pinch of salt and the other half of lime juice and mash together to combine. Mix until desired consistency. Chop 2 tbsp of cilantro and add 1 diced Roma tomato. Incorporate with avocado and taste, adding more salt or lime if needed.
Steak or Chicken
Remove meat from package and pat dry. Coat lightly with avocado oil, salt and pepper. Using a nonstick pan, heat on medium-high heat, then add protein and sear on either side until internal temperature is 135° F, medium-rare for steak or 160° F for chicken. Remove from pan and let rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.
Make a tasty taco by charging your corn tortillas over an open flame, medium-low heat, on both sides for about 30 seconds. Then add some steak or chicken and top with salsa and guacamole and dig in!
Street Corn Salad
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add ½ tablespoon of avocado oil. Once oil begins to shimmer, add package of corn and ¼ tsp of salt and stir. Heat until corn turns light brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from heat once corn is brown and let cool. In a medium-sized bowl, add Cotija cheese and mayonnaise, 2 tbsp of cilantro chopped with juice of 1 lime and ½ tsp of chili powder. Mix together with cooled corn. Taste and season with more salt, pepper or chili powder if needed.
Churro Cheesecake Bites
8 cinnamon graham cracker squares
1 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature
6 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 c heavy cream
For the crust: In a food processor combine graham crackers, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 3 tablespoons brown sugar and melted butter until texture is like wet sand. Add ¼ mixture into 4 cupcake liners inside of a cupcake tin and pack with the back of a spoon.
For the filling: In a bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla until smooth and no lumps exist. In a separate bowl with an electric mixer, whip heavy cream with 2 tablespoons sugar and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, fold 1/3 of whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until incorporated, then fold in the rest on the whipped cream until a light cream cheese mixture forms. Add filling equally among cupcakes and refrigerate for at least 3 ½ hours. When ready to serve, make topping with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Remove cheesecakes from the cupcake liners and top with cinnamon sugar.
Yuzu Margarita
Ice
Yuzu juice
Cointreau
Simple sugar (equal parts water and sugar combined, or prebought)
Silver tequila
Lime
Kosher salt
In a cocktail shaker, add ice with 1 oz each of yuzu, Cointreau and simple syrup with 1 ½ oz of silver tequila and shake together. Add to a glass with coarse salt (optionally add Tajin with salt for a kick) on the rim and pour over ice with a wedge of lime on the side.
