Chicken Verde Tacos and Fresh Strawberry Margaritas

(it's tacos and margs month!)

Hi friends, and a sunny hello to everyone! Welcome new subscribers! Every Friday, you’ll receive bright and fresh California Cuisine recipes to inspire you, no matter where you live in the world. I’m so glad you’re here.

California is the most diverse state in the U.S. with no single ethnic majority, and the food here reflects that. There are lots of Asian, Middle Eastern, Latino, and Pacific Rim influences. It makes for a beautiful jumbly cohesion of flavors.

We are in the middle of Tacos and Margaritas month and whooo-eee! It’s been a delicious time so far with poke tacos and yuzu margaritas, plus quesabirria tacos and pineapple jalapeno margaritas.

Join me and Rebecca Blackwell next Thursday, May 22 as we make tacos and margaritas LIVE starting 4 pm Pacific/7 pm Eastern US time.

The link will be emailed to you!

Tacos

Tacos are originally from Mexico, where for centuries soft corn tortillas were filled with bits of seasoned cooked fish, organ meats, or vegetables, folded over, and eaten. Today, tacos are popular everywhere in the world, but especially in Southern California! Here, corn or flour tortillas are filled with just about anything and everything.

I love repurposing leftover meat and veggies by wrapping them in a tortilla. Drizzle with some salsa and it’s an easy-peasy dinner. Another bonus is you can eat them anywhere: standing up, sitting down, indoors, outdoors, and while watching a soccer game. Honestly, they are the easiest handheld meals!

Not that you need more convincing, but tacos are also great for kids and picky eaters. Set out all the ingredients in a “taco bar” and let them build their taco, filling it with the things they like best. Even though my kids are all in their 20s now (and none of them are picky eaters!), I still do this when we have tacos together. It makes for a relaxed, interactive dinner.

How to Set Up a Taco Bar

I got a message from a subscriber last week who told me they had never eaten a taco! It made me realize that not everyone knows what goes into a taco or how to set up a taco assembly line. The concept: place all the ingredients in serving dishes and in the order you will fill the tortilla, start at one end of the assembly line and work your way to the other end, filling your tortilla as you go.

I like to place the taco bar ingredients in order:

• Tortillas. Corn or flour, soft or crunchy, and different sizes.

• Animal or plant protein. Cooked and seasoned meat, poultry, or fish. Plant proteins can include tofu, quinoa, or beans.

• Toppings. Fresh chopped avocado, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, jalapenos, and sliced black olives. Shredded cheese and sour cream. Garnishes like guacamole, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges.

• Salsas and hot sauces. Mild, medium, or hot. Red (tomato and chile-based) or green (tomatillo-based). Lots of options here!

If this is a weeknight dinner, you probably won’t include all the above. But if you’re setting up a taco bar for a party, I say go all out. Everyone will love the choices!

This week’s taco recipe is what I call comfort food: chicken verde tacos inspired by my friend Isabel’s green enchiladas. Plus, a batch recipe for fresh strawberry margaritas. Recipes this time are just for paid subscribers, and I’d love for you to become one so you don’t miss out!

Podcast

If you love learning about real recipes created by real people (not AI-generated!), listen to the Betty Eatz Podcast! I interview famous and not-yet-famous foodies to get their take on how to spot a recipe worth making. They also share their background and journey in all things food. Have you heard these yet?

Photo courtesy of Georgia Freedman

Georgia Freedman is a longtime journalist, editor, foodie, and five-time cookbook author! Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, and Saveur. On this episode, she shares how to make dinnertime a pleasure and how she highlights that in Snacking Dinners.

Photo courtesy of Maggie Hoffman

Maggie Hoffman has served as managing editor of Serious Eats and as the senior editor and digital director of Epicurious. She’s also written for several food outlets including Food + Wine and Bon Appétit. Many of you know Maggie from her podcast and newsletter The Dinner Plan which is a resource for weeknight meal inspiration.

Photo courtesy of Rachel Ciordas

Rachel Ciordas of Next Level Gluten Free is a baker, cooking instructor, and mama specializing in gluten-free recipes and best practices. Rachel shares her insight into how to identify gluten-free recipes online that are going to work, how to eat GF while traveling, and what she’s realized through her gluten-free journey.

Ok, on to this week’s recipes!