Kelley Cleary Coffeen is a cookbook author, food consultant and media personality whose speciality is Mexican-style foods and beverages.
If you are a taco fan, "300 Best Taco Recipes" will give you the
license to experiment with combinations you've never thought of
before.--Irene Watson "Reader Views" (4/13/2011 12:00:00 AM)
Tacos make easy and inexpensive meals for the upcoming warm weather
when you won't want to spend a lot of time in a hot kitchen. Last
weekend, I decided to make tacos. I reasoned that if I was going to
fix one taco meal, I might as well fix three. After all,
store-bought tortillas come in large packages. For inspiration, I
turned to Kelley Cleary Coffeen's new book, 300 Best Taco Recipes.
She was raised on the Mexican border in Southern California, and if
the book is any indication, she knows her tacos. The recipes range
from homemade tortillas to dessert tacos, and there are a number of
recipes for very good sauces, salsas and cocktails to accompany the
meals. During my taco fest, I made a very simple recipe from the
book for grilled chicken and vegetables, and for another meal, an
equally simple "Spicy Tuna Tacos with Creamy Wasabi Sauce." The
dish filled a tortilla with pieces of grilled tuna steak, chopped
Romaine lettuce and a sauce with wasabi and sour cream. For both
entrees, Coffeen recommends using 6-inch soft corn tortillas with a
couple of tablespoons of filling in each. The tacos are filling,
and two are more than enough for one serving. For Sunday brunch
tacos, I ventured away from the book and sauteed a chopped onion,
four cloves of garlic, a jalapeno pepper and three small tomatoes
with two crumbled and browned chorizo sausages. I spread the
pan-warmed 6-inch corn tortillas with no-fat plain Greek yogurt,
added the sausage mixture and topped each taco with a scrambled egg
and grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese. In the past, I've had a
preference for flour tortillas, but after this weekend, I've
shifted my allegiance to soft corn. They taste a great like the
ones I remember from the taquerias in the Southwest.--Warren
Johnston "Valley News" (5/25/2011 12:00:00 AM)
After more than forty years of eating the same old sandwiches, I
was ready for a change. When I saw that Kelley Cleary Coffeen had
out a new cookbook, 300 Best Taco Recipes: From tantalizing tacos
to authentic tortillas, sauces, cocktails and salsas, I thought
that I might have found my solution. It didn't take much to
convince my family to join me for a March Break Taco extravaganza
in our kitchen. For the next two weeks, we ate a new variety of
taco almost every day. When my daughter had her birthday party,
guess what we served? Tacos of course. They were a hit. This
cookbook has a dish for almost every type of eater including
vegetarians, gluten and lactose intolerant people. We chose to use
flour tortillas for all our dishes, though corn tortillas are
suggested many times, as well, recipes are included so that you can
make both type of tortillas on your own. If you prefer not to use
the wrap, most dishes would work well served on a bed of greens.
The introductory section of the book includes a history of tacos,
followed by a details discussion of many of the ingredients and
equipment used in making tacos, both authentic Mexican as well as
American versions. The list of Ten Tips for Perfect Tacos was very
helpful, including tip number 6 -- Don't Overstuff. I'm still
working at properly identifying my chiles. A few times I bought
sweet chiles thinking I was getting some heat. I do wish that Ms.
Coffeen has included a colour picture to help with identification.
Grocery store staff may be helpful, but they don't all know their
chiles, as I found out. The remainder of the book is divided by
main ingredient: Chicken and Turkey, Beef, Pork and Lamb, Fish and
Seafood, Vegetarian, Salsas, Relishes and Sauces, Dessert Tacos,
and Cocktails. Each recipe includes all the information you need to
make that dish. Most also include tips regarding the dish such as
how to speed up preparation by purchasing a pre-cooked chicken,
buying extra meat and after cooking store it in pre-measured
amounts in the freezer. I found that these recipes are quite
forgiving, in that you can easily substitute ingredients if you are
unable to find the one requested. We did use some store bought
salsa as it was winter here and fresh tomatoes were quite
expensive. The fresh made salsa was much superior in every way;
taste, texture, aroma, everything. As I mentioned, we used store
bought flour tortillas with each recipe, and they were wonderful. I
don't deep fry, so we didn't try any of those recipes, though I
will admit, many of them sounded delicious. If your only exposure
to tacos has been those spicy ground beef, topped with shredded
lettuce, bland salsa and shredded cheddar cheese that are available
at fast food venues and from those boxed kits, then you are in for
a tasty adventure. For the most part, these recipes are quick and
easy to make and you'll have dinner on the table in no time. Don't
be surprised when there are no leftovers.--Healther Pearson "Books
and Quilts" (4/7/2011 12:00:00 AM)
Find a taco for every day of the week in 300 Best Taco Recipes:
From Tantalizing Tacos to Authentic Tortillas, Sauces, Cocktails
and Salsas by Kelley Cleary Coffeen. From authentic Mexican to
Americanized tacos, try everything from shrimp tacos to pollo verde
tacos.-- "Carolina Parent Magazine" (5/1/2011 12:00:00 AM)
Have a gal pal with a birthday in her midst? Or do you have another
occasion to throw a party-showers, engagement parties, stagettes,
bon voyages? Why not make it a theme party where the hostess keeps
the spoils of your potluck? Today's suggested theme surrounds the
general concept of making it a fiesta night. Divide and conquer
among your party attendees and the let the maiden of honour have a
great night with plenty to remember it by. First things first, we
need a fabulous taco recipe to feed the gang. Assign one member of
your party's party to pick up Kelley Cleary Coffeen's delicioso
cookbook '300 Best Taco Recipes'. For the record, if you found the
number as staggering as I did, it's not actually 300 taco recipes,
but pretty damn close. There's a couple dozen salsa and cocktail
recipes thrown into the mix of tacos stuffed with everything from
steak and shrimp to berries and beef. Every recipe combines an
interesting blend of ingredients to give this dinnertime staple
legs -- you could easily serve up tacos on a weekly basis and NEVER
get bored.-- "Canadian Gift Guide canadiangiftguide.wordpress.com"
(5/10/2011 12:00:00 AM)
I love taco recipes so 300 Best Taco Recipes: From Tantalizing
Tacos to Authentic Tortillas, Sauces, Cocktails and Salsas is my
kind of cookbook. The author, Kelley Cleary Coffeen has developed
the most extensive collection of taco recipes, as well as perfect
pairings for salsas, relishes and beverages. This is a great
cookbook for anyone who loves Mexican recipes and Mexican food. It
is also a great cookbook for Moms. Kids will love many of these
recipes. They are a great way to sneak vegetables into them and
have them happy to eat them. 300 Best Taco Recipes also includes
recipes for authentic flour and corn tortillas, roasted and grilled
meats and poultry, refried beans plus a hundred different
vegetables, cheeses, salsas and other sauces. Kelley even includes
recipes for cocktails that are the perfect accompaniment, such as a
pink Cadillac margarita, a Mojito de Mexico, tequila grand and
mesilla sangria. Everything needed to make outstanding taco meals
can be found in this one comprehensive cookbook. It's like having a
taco bible! Kelley Cleary Coffeen's recipes are truly fun, simple,
delicious and economical. If you like Mexican food, especially taco
recipes and tortillas, I think this cookbook would be a very good
buy.--Karen Ciancio "CookingNook.com" (4/7/2011 12:00:00 AM)
Inside the more than 375 pages of this incredible cookbook you will
find some of the most mouthwatering taco recipes anywhere! 300 Best
Tacos Recipes includes the categories of Chicken and Turkey, Beef,
Pork and Lamb, Fish and Seafood, Vegetarian, Salsas, Relishes and
Sauces, Dessert Tacos and Cocktails. Everything you need for a
delicious taco feast! I love the Homemade Tortilla recipes at the
beginning of the book. Corn tortillas or flour tortillas, you can
make your own for an authentic taco taste. One of the best tips for
a prefect taco -- don't overstuff! You want to enjoy all the
flavors and keep it easy to eat! My shopping list is filled with
the ingredients I need to have a terrific taco feast! There is a
Taco taste sensation for everyone in the massive amount of recipes.
Fresh Salsas too and we can't forget our vegetarian friends. There
are recipes for you too! Meal and appetizer tacos are quick to
make. You can keep the tacos light with the use of low calorie
fresh ingredients. Mexican cuisine is a very popular cuisine of
North America. Salsa is a condiment which outsells ketchup in many
areas. Tacos can be cost effective and are a great meal idea in a
touch economy. Tacos can be made for other Ethnic cuisines. I like
to make a Taco Bar for serving. Everyone can make their own taco
combination. It happens to be one of my family's favorite meals.
With the wealth of scrumptious recipes in 300 Best Taco Recipes, I
can plan a different taco taste for my next taco meal.-- "One 2 Try
one2try.net" (5/5/2011 12:00:00 AM)
Mouth-watering photos and fun, economical, and easy-to-make recipes
turn the humble taco into a gourmet meal. And the recipes for
salsas, guacamole, refried beans, and flour and corn tortillas mean
you can whip up a fiesta from scratch. The variety of tacos is
amazing and tempting: surf and turf tacos with beef and shrimp,
roasted chicken with tomatillo avocado salsa, southern pulled-pork
tacos with honey mustard glaze, mahi mahi tacos with citrus salsa,
and dessert tacos such as apple caramel streusel flautas. Ole!--Liz
Grogan "Good Times Magazine" (4/7/2011 12:00:00 AM)
Since I've been in the kitchen more lately, I've started to acquire
more cookbooks to help spark some creativity. I recently received
the 300 Best Taco Recipes Cookbook and I've had a blast trying out
some of the taco recipes. The Chicken Fajita Tacos were a huge hit
and it has been the most popular page on my blog for the last
couple of days. As you probably already know from the title, this
cookbook contains 300 of the best taco recipes from tantalizing
tacos to making your own tortillas, sauces and salsas. Although I
haven't tried making my own tortillas yet, I'm excited to give it a
try. I love eating fresh tortillas when dining out at Mexican
Restaurants. I love that most of these taco recipes can be made in
minutes with minimal ingredients. Many of the recipes are also low
in fat and calories which is a HUGE plus for me! If it's good and
low in calories -- that's my kind of food. While flipping through
the cookbook, I was a little disappointed that it didn't have more
pictures. I'm a visual person and love to look at pictures of food.
If the picture looks good, you can guarantee that I'm going to try
making it. The sixteen pictures the cookbook does include look
extremely appetizing.-- "Simply Being Mommy" (4/18/2011 12:00:00
AM)
The upside to this book: good database collection of tacos at a
reasonable price.-- "Dean Tudor's Gothic Epicures" (4/26/2011
12:00:00 AM)
This book really thinks outside the box and lets you use corn and
flour tortillas in creative new (and fun) ways! The recipes aren't
complicated, and most can be whipped up in about 30 minutes. I also
like the fact that most of the tacos use healthy cooking techniques
like grilling and feature lots of fresh produce and lean protein.
There are some splurge-worthy recipes mixed in for sure, but I
appreciate that most of the recipes fit perfectly into a healthy
lifestyle.-- "The Weekend Gourmet" (7/10/2011 12:00:00 AM)
Who doesn't love tacos? ... Coffeen offers up taco recipes made
with chicken and turkey, beef, pork and lamb, fish and seafood,
vegetarian ingredients, and even dessert tacos. Her creativity is
endless... In addition, Coffeen gives readers the basics of making
homemade tortillas and...unpacks ingredients for readers, like
tomatillos and jicama that may be unfamiliar to non-Mexican cooks.
And she offers up a basic lexicon of Mexican food definitions[, ] a
wide range of salsa, relish, and sauce recipes [and] 21 recipes for
cocktails.... Coffeen not only offers us authentic, flavorful
Mexican dishes, she gives us truly creative variations. She's
telling her readers that as long as you use fresh, delicious
ingredients, anything can become a taco. We agree and, at
realfoodtraveler, we're going to spend a lot of time exploring that
idea with 300 Best Taco Recipes.-- "Realfoodtraveler.com" (7/1/2011
12:00:00 AM)
300 Best Taco Recipes by Kelley Cleary Coffeen presents easy ways
to make the best food on the planet. Tex-Mex is easily one of the
yummiest ways to fill your belly and Coffeen gives you a reason to
eat it every day of your life. She begins by explaining the many
ways to make homemade tortillas, a necessity to any kitchen.
Easy-to-follow instructions makes even the most wary of cooks feel
like they have lived in a Mexican kitchen all their lives. Her
useful information about the different kinds of peppers and the
proper ways to handle them is a skill anyone working with hot food
items needs to know, else you might end up with peppers in places
you wish you had not. Coffeen includes recipes that will make your
mouth water and cause your taste buds to itch with excitement.
Grilled Chicken Breast Tacos with a Chipotle Ranch Sauce, Spiced
Fish Tacos in Lettuce Wraps, and even dessert tacos like
Banana-Caramel Tacos will make you hungry just reading the recipes.
The convenient part about the recipes is that most of the
ingredients are staple items in your pantry. Monterrey jack cheese,
rice and chicken make up the Crisp Chicken and Rice Tacos with
Roasted Tomato Salsa. This creative reviewer/cook took the author's
advice and added my favorite fresh veggies to the recipe. Chopped
stoplight bell peppers with onions right on top of steaming rice
will add a zing to any of the tacos in this book. The recipe made
so much that I was eating tacos for days. It was the best week of
my life. 300 Best Taco Recipes provides tacos for every taste from
beef to chicken to fish to lamb, even salsa recipes and vegetarian
choices. With easy-to-follow instructions and simple ingredients,
you are sure to love each and every taco bite.--Anna Grace Owen
"BuddyHollywood.com" (4/20/2011 12:00:00 AM)
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