Election night on taco Tuesday! (Trader Joe's carne asada tacos with homemade pickled radishes)

Well friends, we have made it!  Election day is finally here!  I was worried somehow this day would never come and we would be subjected to this crap for even longer!  I am a history mass communication major with a politics habit and love civics, elections, laws and all that good stuff.  I work in the field on the local level.  I usually watch coverage of politics like it is my job.  I usually listen to NPR on the way to work.  All of these activities ceased this election cycle.

We have become entirely too polarized as a nation.  Each side has their own news channel, paper in major cities and state of the union.  Senators from both sides of the aisle no longer share meals or drinks together.  It is just a sad state of affairs.  But, I voted!  And I voted early.  I hope you did, even if it wasn't for who I want.  We are so lucky to get the privilige of peacefully electing our leaders!

Anyway, this is a food blog, so let's move on to something we can all agree on...tacos!  We recently got a Trader Joes in my metropolitan area and everyone is hooked. Including me.  I picked up some carne asada from there when my sister and I braved it when it first opened and I decided to use it in tacos.  I was impressed, although it was a tad salty.  That may have been exascerbated by the picked veggies.  But who cares, they were so good.  Not only the radishes, bit the garlic and jalapeno too. Some carrot slices in there would be delightful as well (makes mental note).  Full recipe to follow the montage!

Just look at all the color!  They almost look like Christmas tacos!

Oh I miss all the daylight we gave up this weekend!

Cut your jalapenos a little bit larger than usual.  This allows for using them on the taco too!

Throw them and the radishes and other agents and let the pickling begin!

I did not realize how much meat this was going to be!  But I love the look of the marination.

I also made cebollitas.  You can see my recipe here.

I did not like how the marinade kind of leaked out.  I wanted to get a char.  I guess I should have grilled, or let it sit a bit longer. 

Here are some yummy toppings.  I love grating my own cheese!

Plate them with those toppings, pickled veggies and some avocado.

Oh no, how could I forget the cebollitas!?

Carne Asada tacos with picked radishes:

Corn tortillas, warmed to package directions

1 package, Trader Joe's Carne Asada or other carne asada.

toppings:

diced tomatoes

diced avocado

shredded cheese

1 recipe cebollitas

Pickled veggies, see below

Heat olive oil on a grill pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat.  In the meantime, remove meat from package and let sit to dry out.  Place on grill pana nd cook on each side for 5-7 minutes until cooked to your liking.

Pickled Radishes for Tacos (borrowed from the Sea Salt)

Ingredients

Makes a large mason jar full

about 1.5 lbs radishes

1 cup vinegar

2 Tbsp kosher salt

2 Tbsp sugar

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup loosely packed, chopped cilantro

1/2 seeded jalapeno, cut into chunks

2 to three cloves of garlic, cut into chunks

In a small pot, bring vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil to dissolve. Add red pepper flakes and set aside to cool.Trim radishes and slice thin. Fill mason jar with radishes, cilantro garlic and jalapeno, layering to evenly distribute. Pour over cooled pickling liquid. Seal and refrigerate. Wait 2-24 hours to let flavors do their thing before using.

Assemble tacos and enjoy!

Happy Cooking! (And voting!)

Missy