Mamma Mungo's Tangy Greek Taco's

The first recipe that I am including is one I came up with for my family that was fast, easy to prepare, tasty as all get out, and low cost.  You can add the higher priced ingredients if you have the budget, and of course the taste changes with those items! This recipe can be done without the feta cheese, yogurt, and palmetto olives, and you can substitute those items with shredded cheddar, low fat or fat free sour cream, and black olives. 

You can buy an already cooked whole chicken at the Deli to save time, or boil a whole chicken to get the amount of chicken you need for the quantity you will be serving.  If you boil your own chicken, walla, you now have chicken stock for another meal!!!  I like to boil one when time permits and then I use the screw top plastic glad containers to pour the cooled stock into.  Then I pop them in the freezer! A quick thaw in the microwave and you have pure stock without all that salt and preservatives! 

OK, here's the recipe!

Greek Taco's created by Norine Mungo

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken, precooked or boiled, and shredded
• Tortilla's Flour or Corn
• Romain Lettuce
• Red Tomato's
• Onion
• Avocado
• Green Verde Sauce, Jarred, Canned, or homemade (recipe below)
• Sour Cream, light or fat free, OR, Plain Yogurt
• Feta Cheese, crumbled
• Palmetto Olives (Greek) pitted, OR, Black Olives
• Red, Wine or Garlic, Vinegar
• Seasoning for chicken, pkgd taco seasoning, OR, Cumin, Red Chili Powder, Powdered Chicken Bouillon, Black Pepper
• Water, mixed with above seasoning to cook the shredded chicken in

Now to put it together!

1. Shred the chicken, and place in a shallow pan, like a straight edge frying pan, add water to barely cover and the seasoning pkg or the cumin, red chili powder, powdered bouillon, and black pepper. Simmer this to reduce liquid and stir several times while preparing other ingredients.
2. Ribbon cut the Romain.
3. Slice the tomato's, avocado, and olives.
4. Dice the onion and place in a bowl with enough red vinegar to cover.
5. Stir the yogurt or sour cream to soften.
6. Open the jar, or can of Green Salsa Verde and place in a lightly covered microwave bowl and heat lightly, about 1 minute.
7. Crumble the feta if not bought that way.
8. Heat the tortilla's any way that you normally do. I like to put them in a microwave safe container with a lid, with a wet paper towel on bottom and one on top of the tortilla's.  Cover with lid and heat about 1 to 3 minutes. This is the most nutritious way to prepare them, but you can also do the frying pan with small bit of oil. 

Now assemble your feast!

Lay the tortilla out on the plate.  Layer the chicken mixture on one side with feta cheese and the marinated onions. On the other side, layer the lettuce, the avocado, the tomato slice and olive slices if you have them. Last, drizzle the heated Salsa Verde in the center and add a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.

You know what to do next!!!!!!

Oh, and that true Salsa Verde???  So easy to make on your own, but as for cost, it might be about the same, but take a little more time.  I personally like the flavor of the homemade better, and you can control the HEAT in the spice! Here you go, oh brave ones.  Remember, when you touch peppers, even if you wash your hands, you can still burn your eyes if you touch them afterward! Word to the wise, wash your hands well and use some lotion afterward! It helps!

• Green Tomatillo's found in the vegie aisle near the peppers!  I get about 2 lbs! They will have a funny little brown or green paper shell on them. Just remove it and make sure the tomatillo's are fresh without spots.
• 1 or more fresh jalapeno peppers. 
• 1 or more small cans of ortega chili peppers (they are mild) or if you really want to go all the way, get poblano  peppers, the ones they use for chili relleno, about 2 should do it.
• 16 oz of chicken stock.
• salt and pepper to taste.

Put the Salsa together!

1. Cut the tomatillo's into quarters and toss into sauce pot. Add just enough stock to barely cover the tomatillo's.  Start a slow simmer.
2. Slice open the poblano peppers, remove the seeds and the stems. Lay flat on a griddle or frying pan skin side down. Blister the skin to loosen it, and then remove it.  Now chop up the pepper and place into the sauce pot stirring to mix in.  Add stock if needed to keep it loose and moist as it cooks down. 
3. Carefully slice open the jalapeno. I suggest using those food safe gloves, clear plastic throw away ones to save yourself the burn later!  Remove stem top and seeds.  What ever seeds you leave in up's the heat!!!  Chop up finely and add to the sauce. Continue adding stock and reducing at a simmer till you have the consistency of a green salsa.  If you think it is just too loose or there is too much stock, you can always mix a little starch in a small cup with about a tablespoon or two of water, add to sauce and continue to reduce. 
4. At the end, add salt and pepper to taste, and I love to add Lime Juice if you have it.  Just a spritz!  

 You can keep the salsa in a twist top glad container in the fridge for about 1 week.  But you know, I never make it 1 week with that sauce in there.  There are omelet's that call out for it, and pork sandwiches that need to be dipped, and chips that hate red store bought salsa, and stacked enchilada's (that is another recipe) and pizza made from pita bread with hot sausage and Monterrey  Jack with salsa instead of pizza sauce.  I know, it's endless.

There you have it! You know what to do next!