Flavorful, Fresh & Fast: Dorado Tacos and Cemitas

Looking for a meal that meets the following criteria?

1) Extremely delicious
2) Extremely fresh & flavorful
3) Extremely reasonable
4) Extremely friendly & welcoming staff
5) Extremely earth friendly

I've got the perfect recommendation for you - Dorado Tacos and Cemitas! I've been to Dorado a number of times and everything I've tried has been fantastic. From summer dining outside:

Ensenanda Tacos

To warm and comforting dinner inside:

Two taco plate with rice, beans, and roasted jalapeno

Steak Cemita, Ensenada Tacos, chips, guacamole,
 and watermelon agua fresca.

I know they have taco and cemita in their name, but you shouldn't skip over the quesadillas. Packed with the perfect balance of filling & cheese, they are crispy and wonderful.  And pickled vegetables and spicy tortilla chips are a spicy kick to the taste buds.

A few weeks ago, I enjoyed a delicious brunch with the Boston Brunchers crew at Dorado Tacos & Cemitas in Brookline. The hubby and I were quick to comment and snagged seats for this month's Mexican brunch. Thanks to Dorado for opening early for the brunchers - we had a wonderful time! The hubby and I paid for our brunch - and it was money extremely well spent.

We've been to Dorado once before for brunch, and this was a great opportunity to try it again. We had a strategy this time. The sunny day + big windows + hot and spicy food = South of the Border temperatures! So we decided to skip the hot drinks and go with something iced along with our brunch. During the summer, the featured agua fresca was watermelon lime. It was so good that I recreated it at home (I made a huge pitcher and finished it in two days.  For the winter they have switched to the equally refreshing cucumber lime agua fresca.

Homemade Watermelon-Lime Honey Agua Fresca

The hubby decided to order a loaded breakfast quesadilla filled with eggs, cheese, spicy portobella mushrooms, and rice and beans. No side dishes needed - it was all inside.

Breakfast quesadilla with eggs, spicy portabella mushroom, black beans, and rice

I love side dishes, so I opted for the huevos rancheros. Two corn tortillas topped with sunny side up eggs, salsa ranchera, queso fresco and a generous sprinkling of scallions and cilantro. To bump up the spice even more, I ordered the patatas bravas on the side. Crispy, salty outside and smooth and creamy inside they are completely addictive.

Huevos rancheros with patatas bravas

So don't miss out on this neighborhood gem. In addition to their affordable menu prices, they also offer standing weekly specials like all-you-can eat chili Mondays, $1.99 fish taco Tuesdays, and more! Weekend brunch runs from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.  If the promise of freshly made food with fresh ingredients isn't enough of a draw, A 2 taco plate or 2-filling quesadilla plate will set you back just $6.25 + tax on a regular day. Add on a beer, wine, or Mexican soda and you'll have a filling meal for under $10. Check out the full menu over on their website.

When He Fends for Himself: Snack Dinner II

It's back to back weeks of "When He Fends for Himself". How exciting. This week I'm bringing back the dinner concept that swept that nation. That's right, it's Snack Dinner II!!! I feel it is my responsibility to present to you a makeshift dinner for when you are in a pinch. As a disclaimer I must mention that this snack dinner was planned.

I knew a couple of days in advance that I was going to be home alone and decided on a course of action. I wanted to center my meal around a recent stand-by, yogurt and granola. The challenge I faced was in filling in around it. I thought about popcorn, fruit, or ice cream for potential sides but didn't make up my mind until I went to the store. On the way to get the popcorn, I walked down the chip aisle and remembered one of my favorite snacks. It had to be a part of Snack Dinner II! So, instead of popcorn I went with Terra's SWEETS and BEETS. Because it rhymes, and because it tastes so good, I am unable to control the volume of my voice when saying "sweets and beets". Therefore, it always comes out as SWEETS and BEETS. Once I had the bag in hand, I went through the fruit section but was uninspired, gave up, and decided to head towards the register. On the way, I noticed a display of mini Ben and Jerry's containers and decided that would be the perfect dessert. I had my three course dinner decided on and headed home.

Once at home I decided to start with the SWEETS and BEETS, wait a little bit and then have the yogurt and granola, then wait a little bit longer and finish with the ice cream. Unfortunately, it didn't end up going as planned. I opened the SWEETS and BEETS and went to town on them. If the wifey was home and had tried to grab some for herself I would have probably taken a bite out of her hand. Before I knew it I had ate the whole bag! Six servings worth.....ugh. Because of this, I was actually kind of full. I took a comfortable seat on the couch (the couch always makes a cameo on "When He Fends for Himself") and ended up getting in a little bit of nap.

When I came too, I decided to continue on with Snack Dinner II because I had promised wifey a post worthy dinner. (Insert joke here). I dragged myself up and started to do my only prep of the evening - mixing the yogurt and granola. I like to put the granola in the bowl first so that the yogurt can be easily mixed in on top of it. Since wifey had just made granola the day before I wanted to use it for the second course. However, it wasn't where we normally keep the granola in our pantry. I looked in all the shelves, checked the counters, and even tried the refrigerator. I like to say that she was hiding the granola from me, but she'll say that it was my super hero personality "Captain Oblivious" making an appearance. It turns out, the granola was on the dining room table. Before we left for work in the morning she told me where it was, but by dinner time I had just forgotten. Whoops.

Anyway, I instead went with the pumpkin and flax seed granola I normally get from the bulk aisle at Whole Foods. It is pretty tasty and I usually mix it with plain Stonyfield yogurt. I was still a little full, but knew I had a job to do. Once the second course was finished I went back to the couch and decided there would not be a third course. There was no room for the tiny Ben and Jerry's anywhere in my stomach. Snack Dinner had defeated me. To top it off, when I went to pick up the wife at the train station my stomach began to hurt. I think maybe I had a little too much SWEETS and BEETS. Thankfully, it didn't last long and it didn't ruin my night.

All-in-all, I think it was a successful snack dinner. The purpose of snack dinner, in my mind, is to not go hungry while expending as little energy as possible. This I accomplished in spades. While this was a manufactured snack dinner, I want it to be a guide for when you're home alone, lazy, and afraid of wasting away. It is OK to eat a bag of potato chips for dinner every once in a while. If all you have is canned olives and a granola bar at home, by all means eat them! No one is there to stop you. Our market research shows us there's a high probability you are an "adult." Go for it! You'll be glad you did, I promise.

Healthy Snack Wednesdays: Granola

We're getting down to the wire for the office weight loss challenge! There are 3 weigh-ins left in the competition.  I won't be taking home the grand prize (the current leader has lost 5% of their body weight!). However I'm happy to report that I'm down 3 pounds from the start of the competition, a healthy rate of weight loss. I've been making an effort to take the 4 flights of stairs up to my office and getting out for a walk at lunchtime. Starting a whole new fitness routine isn't in the schedule, so I've been adding in activity where I can. While school and work are getting busier, it's been harder to squeeze in snack making. So this week I'll share an easy recipe for granola.

Granola packs a nutritional punch - healthy oats, nuts, and dried fruit. But you have to be careful, sometimes the store bought granola contains a lot of calories and fat.  Making it at home is something I have been meaning to try for a while. I wanted a healthy and tasty recipe.  There are a lot of great resources at BU for healthy eating, so I started my recipe search on the Sargent Choice website. I wish that Sargent Choice was around when I was an undergrad at BU! They offer healthy dining options on campus - both in the dining halls and in the student union. They also offer healthy eating resources for students, faculty, and staff.

On the 'What's Cooking' page, I found a recipe for a granola and yogurt parfait and decided to put my spin on the granola. My granola included oats, roasted unsalted pepitas, sliced almonds, and dried cherries. I also added a dash of salt (I like the contrast of a little salty granola with sweet yogurt). The preparation was easy, but you will need a scale to measure the ingredients. Also, I found that mine cooked in much less time than the recipe called for. You'll have to watch the oven to make sure your granola doesn't burn - it can get overcooked in an instant. I'll be mixing this into my favorite yogurts for healthy snacking the rest of the week.

Sargent Choice Granola (minus the parfait)

Adapted from Sargent Choice

5 ounces rolled oats

1/2 teaspoon whole wheat flour

1/4 cup roasted, unsalted pepitas

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I think I added a full teaspoon)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 ounces maple syrup (Grade B)

1/2 ounce honey

1 1/2 teaspoon orange infused olive oil

1/4 teaspoon vanilla (as I typed this, I realized I forgot to include it)

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup dried cherries

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper

In a large bowl mix oats, pepitas, almonds, cinnamon and salt

In a separate bowl, whisk together syrup, honey, olive oil, vanilla, and water

Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula

Pour the granola mixture onto the baking sheet and spread evenly

Bake, checking every 20 minutes and stirring to ensure even cooking

Mine was done after 40 minutes

Cool completely

Mix with dried fruit

Store in an airtight containers

Summary:
Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes - 2 hours

Mixing bowls, whisk, spatula, baking sheet, parchment paper