Korean Tacos w/ Killer Asian Slaw

Recipe No. 4
Korean Tacos w/ Killer Asian Slaw

Serving Size for this Recipe: 10-12 people
Average Cost: $25 (you'll be buying some ingredients that will become essentials in your pantry- so part of the cost will pay out in the long term)


Okay- okay already, you want me to tell you a new amazing take on the taco? Well, its not so new- it's been done- but not like this.  This is my spin on Korean street food- the Korean Taco, or Korean BBQ Taco.  Street vendors in all major cities are picking up on the concept that people LOve LOVe LOVE spices and bold flavors!  This dish will deliver.  Put it on the menu for your next get-together!

Now like I said; there are going to be some ingredients to buy that you are going to use a little of, and may not have in your pantry already- but once you get them, you can start finding the dishes to make that USE them (so don't freak out)

You're going to need flour tortillas (usually the small variety are called "fajita size")
The players for the steak are-

2-3 lbs of Skirt Steak (or Flank Steak)
(1) 20 oz bottle of Dr. Pepper - YES THE SODA!
2 tbsp of Hoisin Sauce
2 tsp of Sesame Oil
3 tbsp of Soy Sauce
1 tbsp of Fresh Garlic
2 Green Onions or Scallions (chopped)
1 tbsp of red chili flakes
2 tsp of fresh cracked black pepper
1 lime (the juice)

The Slaw is super easy, but killer flavor and a nice crisp/bright counter point to the richness of the steak-

1 head of shredded iceberg lettuce
1 or 2(depending on size) heads of Napa Cabbage
2 Large Carrots
1 cup of fresh Cilantro
1 tbsp of Hoisin Sauce
1/2 a cup of Rice Vinegar
2 tsp of sugar
2 tsp of salt

Alright- mix all the ingredients for the steak marinade together and pour half in a heavy duty zip tight storage bag, and the other half into an air tight container. Chop the steak into thin strips about 2 inches long but thin as you can get them with a kitchen knife.  Marinate in the fridge for 3 hours at least- over night is better!

The day of your meal-

wrap your tortillas in a clean kitchen towel and place them in a baking dish w/ a lid into the microwave for 1 minute and let them sit till you're ready to eat.
Next-
Get all your veggies and shred them into a zip tight bag, add the other ingredients right into the bag and give it a good shake! make sure to taste it and add salt if needed.  Put the bag in the fridge until service happens!
Then-
take your steak out and get cooking! get a grill plate or skillet out and on medium high heat- remove the meat from the bag and begin to cook- this will go fast, since the meat is cut small and thin.  You're looking for a nice sear on the meat and good caramelization from all the sugar in the soda.  The marinade you reserved in the air tight container can go into a pot and brought up to a simmer (once the meat is cooked- put it in this delicious sauce to keep it warm while serving- just use a slotted spoon or tongs to serve with). You're ready to eat! Lets Rock!

I hope you'll take this recipe and rock it out- Enjoy!

Third Time's a Charm?

Critique No. 5
Restaurant:

Maxwell's Downtown Grill

301 SE Douglas

Lee's Summit, MO 64063

(816) 347-9177

Cuisine: American/Grill

Max. Seating Occupancy: 134

Price Point Average: Lunch- $6.99, Dinner- $8.99 and Up

I recently went out for lunch with some friends and co-workers. Someone recommended Maxwell's Downtown Grill, and since I hadn't eaten there before I was game for it. I had been to the business that previously occupied the space at 301 SE Douglas- a place called Beauchamp's on the Rail (a "BBQ" restaurant). The tale of my adventure to Beauchamp's is fun little story; It involves a cold day, a tow truck, a supposed to be surprise party and bad mac n' cheese (ask me sometime, and I'll tell you). Now... I knew that the owner of Maxwell's also owned two Italian restaurants in the area and I'd visited the one in Lee's Summit with marginal satisfaction, but as they say "third time's a charm". With high hopes and an empty stomach we walked into what looked to be the same restaurant with a new sign out front- but I moved on. The landscape was pretty empty when we arrived- just one other group of 4 or 5. We sat ourselves, and soon after a waitress came and took our drink orders. The menu was full of things you might see on a normal sit down grill kinda place, a club sandwich, some reference to black and bleu (oh so clever), there were a cast of soups and salads and so on. Nothing spectacular. I decided to take my culinary fate into my own hands and selected "BUILD YOUR OWN BURGER". Thank you, thank you. There were several items you could choose from, I opted for Provolone, Bacon, and Avocado. This came with lettuce, tomato, onion already. With a choice of classic fries, sweet potato fries or pomme frites (spelled incorrectly on the menu... its supposed to be pommes frites- but this isn't Belgium so I'll let..it..slide?) I went with the frites, for $6.99 it seemed like quite a deal. After some chit chatting-Out comes the food!

Now before we continue, just know- that this isn't all going to be negative...but the majority of it is. Anywho- First of all, these were not Pommes frites, they were regular french fries, with garlic, and parsley on them. Pommes Frites are super crunchy on the outside with a soft texture on the inside. Don't get me wrong- I ate all of them, just calling it like I see it- Not Pommes Frites. Next- Take me to BurgerTown! Oh, it looked sooo good, cheese was nice and melted with the crispy bacon and all the ooooooo I'm drooling now. So I stacked up some onion and tomato, some K & M (that's ketchup and mustard to you) and dove in.
My brain starts dancing...what am I tasting in Order of Taste???

Nice toasted bun- CHECK

Freshness from the Tomato and Onion- CHECK

Slightly salty provolone- CHECK

Crispy Bacon, so smokey and good- CHECK

HAULT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bland, unseasoned avocado! NOOO! we were doing so good. :(

back to the brain dance, taste order...
Burger cooked to medium, nice char, juicy and delicious- CHECK CHECK CHECK! This was some good tasting burger!

and finally, one more layer of toasted bun with the tang of the K & M- CHECK.

What did I Learn on this mouth journey? Let me tell you, I learned that one rotten apple, ruins the whole burger. The avocado killed it for me. Every bite was dulled down to utter blahness by it. If the chef had thought about seasoning the avocado (because come on now, it needs some salt and pepper)- I would have been smiling all the way home. But no.

Well- I ate it and it was filling, but I was left feeling empty from what could have been achieved at Maxwell's. We sat there after eating waiting to get our check for mmmm.....15 minutes- which seemed like hours, as the restaurant started filling up. Finally we departed the downtown grill and it was back to business as usual. Please take away THIS very important tip from my visit to Maxwell's - Flavor comes in layers, so season each layer properly and don't get carried away with calling your food something- it isn't.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5

Please visit this locally owned business and see if you agree!

Spicy Coconut Pork Tenderloin

Recipe No. 2
Spicy Coconut Pork Tenderloin

Serving size for this recipe: 6-8 people

Average cost: $25 or less


Summertime makes me think about grilling. Taking whatever I want to eat and putting it into a vessel that is made to impart flavors that are smokey and delicious. This is a recipe that I am excited about making for friends to enjoy at a party, hanging around the pool- relaxing. Lets get started!

To prep the tenderloin for marinating- remove any silver skin that may be left on it and then you should be good to go. Go ahead and pre-heat your oven for 325 and get your grill going. I prefer to use charcoal on this just because of the great smoky flavor you get. Now, besides the star- The Tenderloin- these are the other ingredients you'll need:
5 cloves of fresh garlic
1 1/2 cans of coconut milk
1 poblano chile
1 lime
½ a white onion
1 small tomato
1 ½ cups of fresh chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp of Cumin
1/4 Tsp of Cayenne Pepper
A good amount of flour tortillas (enough for 8 people)
3 cups of Oaxaca cheese (substitute Monterrey Jack if unavailable)

Now, place your poblano chile on the grill to char the skin, then place the chile in a bowl- cover with plastic and let it set for 2 minutes (this will help when you’re removing the waxy outer skin of the chile) then remove the stem, seeds and inner ribs. Dice it up and set it back in the bowl. Next you're going to chop 1 cup of the cilantro, mince the onion, and garlic - combine with the pablano, cumin, cayenne and stir in the coconut milk, salt and pepper - this completes your marinade.

Okay- take a deep breath, you made it through the marinade!!! Now back to business.

With a fork, make 8-10 punctures up and down the tenderloin (this will help the marinade get in for maximum flavor.) Place the tenderloin in a large zip tight bag, add the marinade and let this sit in the fridge for at least an hour (overnight would be amazing!) when you're grill is smokin' hot- remove from the fridge let it sit for 10 minutes out to come up to temperature. Place on your grill sear all sides, this should take 7 minutes at most. Then move it to a baking sheet- cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes at 325 degrees.
While that's going- let's make some salsa. Take your tomato and dice it as fine as you like. then chop the remaining cilantro, add fresh lime juice, a pinch of cayenne, and salt & pepper and you're done!

Once your pork has cooked and rested(at least 10 minutes) slice it into equal portions for your guest. I recommend that you fill your tortillas with the pork, sprinkle on some Oaxaca cheese and fresh salsa.

You're going to taste the smokiness from the grill on that pork- the coolness of the coconut should come through with a little kick from the cayenne and garlic, some great flavor and texture from the cheese and salsa to round it out.

You see- summertime is a state of mind. Put out some cold drinks, great food and add some good friends/family and you're guaranteed a good time. Enjoy!