Veggie Tacos and Spanish Rice

Veggie tacos for a Meatless Monday sounded perfect, however with my focus lately on why should I buy what I can make at home, I had to take the challenge of making my own flour tortillas. I found a link on a blog called Pennies on a Platter that sounded easy enough to make; no special ingredients or tortilla press required and so I gave it a shot.

In the bowl of my food processor, I put 3 cups of flour along with two teaspoons baking powder and a heaping teaspoon of salt. I pulsed the dry ingredients a few times to combine and then I added 5 tablespoons of shortening (cut into cubes) and pulsed until the mixture was crumbly. With the machine running I slowly added in almost a full cup of warm water until the dough held together into a ball. I kneaded the dough by running the processor for another 30 seconds. I turned the dough out onto my floured countertop and divided it into twelve equal portions and rolled each one into a golf-ball-sized ball. I covered them all with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest for 10 minutes. With my rolling pin, I rolled one of the dough balls into an 8-inch circle and put it in my heated cast iron skillet for about 15-20 seconds before flipping it over for another 15-20 seconds on the other side. As each tortilla was cooked, I put them on a plate covered with a kitchen towel to keep them warm. I was absolutely amazed at how easy it was to make flour tortillas. I'm sure I'll be tempted by other recipes on Pennies on a Platter.

Here is my first platter of homemade tortillas.



I used these homemade tortillas to make tacos. I sauteed a sliced onion, two sliced green peppers and a handful of sliced mushrooms, simply seasoned with salt and pepper. The sauteed vegetables went into the tortillas, topped with Monterey Jack cheese and a spoonful of homemade quacamole.

The guacamole was simply mashed avocado with minced garlic, lime juice and seasoned with salt and pepper.

Our side dish was Spanish Rice which was simple white rice in water to which I added some tomato sauce, ground cumin, garlic powder and salt and pepper and cooked in the usual way.