Hiya friends! This post is sponsored by Madhava, but as always, all opinions and recipes are my own! I’m super excited about this collaboration and hope you’ll enjoy it, too!
Taco Tuesdays have become quite a thing in our house – and for good reason! A meal with a clean, simple and delicious recipe that features colorful ingredients without much fuss is my favorite. And while I’ve shared our homemade taco seasoning before, lately we’ve been stepping up our game and having some fun with fillings and toppings, without sacrificing simplicity.
Enter: Surf and Turf tacos. Instead of using traditional ground beef, we substituted sirloin steak and shrimp with epic marinades. If you’ve been following my latest cooking escapades you know that grilling inside with a pan is something I’ve been struggling with – but the key to making perfectly cooked protein on our indoor grill pan is, without a doubt, a high quality marinade with high quality and clean ingredients. When in doubt, I always prefer to make my own marinades from scratch, but finding said clean ingredients is not quite as easy as you might think!
Just like with beauty and personal care products, food labels are pretty deceiving. The mention of “clean” on a label doesn’t necessary mean the ingredients inside are actually clean! In the food industry, environmental and industrial contaminants aren’t listed on labels and don’t have to be reported – even in organic foods. I know. It makes no sense! As a result, my strategy for both what I put on my body and what I put IN my body is to find and support brands that are doing the work for me by prioritizing safety and purity. For this recipe, I’m so excited to partner one of those brands: Madhava.
I’m a sucker for a personal story, so let me briefly share theirs: Madhava is a privately owned food company located in Boulder, Colorado and was originally founded as a farm and honey operation! They now have honey, agave, sweeteners, oils and vinegars. The brand was established in the 1970s and has focused on delivering pure, clean and high quality organic and natural foods ever since.
Madhava’s mission is to get clean ingredients and pantry staples to tables across the country, as they redefine standards of purity and they pride themselves on being completely transparent with consumers.
I mean, if that’s not the most Purely Nora thing ever, I don’t know what is! What makes Madhava different for me and why I get so freaking excited about this brand is that their testing, sourcing and minimal processing ensures products with both exceptional flavor that result in food that is obsessively clean. How do I know this? Their products are continuously (this is key!) tested by The Clean Label Project to verify that they are free of over 130 environmental and industrial contaminants – including heavy metals (yuck), pesticides (double yuck) and insecticides (no thank you!). Once the CLP tests products, their findings are shared on their website.
Let’s use olive oil as an example. Did you know that a lot of olive oils aren’t actually made with olives? Seriously, around 70% of commercially sold extra virgin olive oil is fraudulent, meaning it’s supplemented with cheap filler oils (like canola, sunflower and soybean), mislabeled or deceptively marketed. You can read more about how to spot shady oils here. Madhava Olive Oil is different. It’s single sourced from the clean soil and pristine growing conditions of Tunisia and packed in Sicily by a 5th generation Sicilian olive oil master who tastes and tests each lot to ensure quality and authenticity. Each lot! Madhava olive oil is also USDA organic, Non-GMO Project certified and ICEA certified in Italy.
And, while I know that it’s what’s in the bottles that matters most, I live in a small space and aesthetics are important to me. Madhava’s branding lives up to their clean and simple tag line. It is crisp, ever-so-chic and countertop friendly (and ya girl does not let much grace her white countertops, let me tell you). Plus you can find Madhava on Amazon, at Whole Foods and so many other stores – national and local! Simple to buy, simple to use.
Okay, now back to the tacos! Making a marinade is actually super simple when you stick to ingredients you already know and love. I’m using Madhava’s Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil for both marinades plus the Organic Light Agave for the shrimp and the Organic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena for the steak. Olive oil is a key marinade component because it 1) helps the meat not stick to the grill (my worst nightmare) and 2) pulls the fat soluble flavors of the herbs and into the meat, which results in a more robust flavor. I like to use balsamic with red meat because it adds a rich tangy flavor you can’t get anywhere else! Balsamic Vinegar is also an acid, so it helps break down and tenderize the meat and acts as an anti-oxidant, to counteract any free radicals produced when cooking meat at high temps, a necessary part of grilling. Agave adds a bit of sweetness to the shrimp and really rounds out the garlic-cilantro-lime blend!
Last but not least, since I’m makin’ tacos I figured why not add a cocktail! I’m typically a tequila soda fan, but wanted to try something new and use the opportunity to learn more about Mexican culture. So, the cocktail is called a Mezcalita, and it’s made with Mezcal, a spirit with a rich history in Mexico (read more about that here). Madhava’s agave is a great choice when making an authentic Mezcalita because it’s grown and harvested in partnership with non-GMO and organic blue agave farmers in Jalisco, Mexico who share Madhava’s values of doing good for people and the earth.
I have to say, I am beyond thrilled to be working with a company like Madhava because they truly embody the ideals I look for when supporting brands. Plus, working with them has been so much fun! This project really got my clean juices flowing and allowed me to be completely creative in the kitchen. And to top it all off, C said this was our best Taco Tuesday yet!
I’m so excited to share these recipes with you, and hope you’ll use them for your very own Taco Tuesday, too!
Alright, now let’s get cooking!
Skirt Steak Tacos
An easy weeknight meal with a clean and simple marinade featuring Madhava olive oil and balsamic vinegar
- Quart+ Silicone Bag
- Grill Pan
- 1 lb Skirt Steak, cut into 1 inch pieces
For The Marinade
- 1/3 cup Madhava Balsamic Vinegar
- 1/3 cup Madhava Olive Oil
- 1/3 cup Coconut Aminos
- 1 tsp Coconut Sugar
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
Combine marinade ingredients in a bag – I prefer to use reusable silicone! Note that the liquid should cover the steak, and you can use more than 1/3 of a cup of each liquid as long as they are equal portions!
Slice meat into 1 inch cubes. The amount is flexible, I usually do around a 1/2 pound per person. Add the cubed steak and refrigerate for several hours – one at minimum, several if you have time and up to 8 total.
Once the steak has marinated, remove it from the fridge and pre-heat your seasoned and/or well oiled grill pan. I do medium heat for at least 8-12 minutes, until the pan is well heated all the way through.
Line a plate with a paper towel. Add the cubed steak to the paper towel so it soaks up any excess marinade. This step is really important and helps prevent a smoky grill pan!
Place the steak, evenly spaced, on the grill pan for around 3-4 minutes and then flip for another 3-4. You can adjusting the timing based on thickness and how you like your meat.
Remove from the pan to a plate or bowl for serving!
For tacos, add the steak and whatever toppings you prefer – I like tomatoes, radishes and jalapeno for color and crunch!
Shrimp Tacos
A colorful spin on a classic citrus shrimp taco, featuring Madhava olive oil and agave
- Quart+ Silicone Bag
- Medium Frying Pan – I prefer non-toxic ceramic!
- 1/2 lb Cleaned small shrimp, around 12 shrimp (size and amount flexible depending on how many people you want to feed!)
For The Marinade
- 1/2 cup Madhava Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp Madhava Agave
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice (or juice from 1/2 a lime)
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 handful Cilantro, whole or chopped
Combine marinade ingredients in a bag – I prefer to use reusable silicone!
Add the shrimp and store in the fridge for around 30 minutes. Since we’re using an acidic ingredient (like citrus) it will eventually break down the shrimp and make it mushy so do not over-marinate!
Shrimp are much more versatile than meat – I like to use a non-stick ceramic pan but if you have you have a grill pan you can use it! If using the grill pan, make sure to place shrimp on a plate with a towel to remove excess marinade prior to grilling. Otherwise, you can add the entire mixture to a medium-hot pan and cook about 2 minutes a side (depending on size). You’ll know they’re done when they are pinky white!
Add to tacos or over a salad with whatever toppings you prefer – I like cabbage, avocado, cilantro and lime for color, crunch and creaminess!
Spicy Citrus Mezcalita
A smoky, spicy and a little sweet, this cocktail is a fun twist on a classic Margarita and features Madhava agave
- 1 spash Madhava Agave
- 1/2 Lime, peeled and rougly chopped
- 1/4 Grapefruit, peeled and rougly chopped
- 4-5 slices Jalapeño
- 1 shot Mezcal
- 7 oz Club Soda
- Ice
FOR THE RIM
- Flaked Salt (optional)
- 1 dash paprika (optional)
- Crumbled Jalapeno Chips (optional)
Muddle agave, lime, grapefruit and jalapeño
Add the club soda and Mezcal, and stir (or shake, if preferred). If not doing a rim, pour over or add ice.
Garnish with extra fruit wedges and/or jalapeño slices.
FOR THE RIM – optional
Smash a handful of jalapeño chips until fine – combine with flaked salt and a dash of paprika and place on a small plate.
Press a lime wedge around the rim of the glass and turn it upside down over the chip mixture, turning it and rolling it on the sides to fully cover the rim.
If add ice and pour the Mezcal mixture over. I don't strain mine because I love the flavor of the muddled mix!