Life As Of Lately...

It's been far too long

So, here's my life, as of lately...

Homemade Salty Vanilla Bean-Dulce de Leche Iced Coffee with Coffee Ice Cubes.

This iced coffee recipe is oh-so-dreamy

Best investment I ever made... A cup that turns your drink into a slushie (boom)

Seared Steak Pizza with Red Onion Marmalade, Mozzarella, Crumbled Bleu Cheese,
Dried Cherries, Candied Hazelnuts, Filet Mignon, Baby Arugula, & Balsamic Reduction Drizzle 

"Haute" Hawaiian Pizza with Cilantro Pesto, Burrata & Parmesan Cheese, Shaved Red Onions,
Reconstituted Dried Pineapple in Candied Garlic Syrup, Serrano Ham, Baby Arugula, & Red Chili
Pepper Fleur de Sel

My Mountain Man's Birthday Dinner: Beer + Shrimp + Grits

Gourmet Deli Meats from our favorite little cafe in Atlanta, Star Provisions.

Beer + Fried Oysters

My best friend is gettin' marriedddd :)

Nashville Hot Chicken Fried Shrimp + Oyster Po'boy with Bread n' Butter Pickles and Buttermilk
Romaine Slaw on Honey Buttered Texas Toast

Midnight Snack... Fresh Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnuts (the only way to do it) 

the. yummiest. grilled. cheese. on. the. planet.  

shrimp po'boy + southern potato salad from star provisions. 

XOXO, Juliana

Vintage Cheddar + Slow Roasted Heirloom Tomato Jam Grilled Cheese Sandwich on "Toad in the Hole" Bread, Fried in Herbed Compound Butter

Vintage Cheddar + Slow Roasted Heirloom Tomato Jam Grilled Cheese Sandwich on
"Toad in the Hole" Bread, Fried in Herbed Compound Butter

So, rumor on the street is that April is "National Grilled Cheese Month". Okay, so maybe it's not a rumor, more like a scientific foodie fact. But, how did I not know this? Piece, Love, & Cooking is a blog that firmly believes in integrating sandwiches + grilled cheese into daily life. Yep, it's a serious commitment. This body over here, was built by grilled cheese, y'all. On another note, I had every intention of sharing my recipe for my over-the-top s'mores layer cake (like I promised)... but then, I made this uh-may-zingggg grilled cheese today and couldn't wait another minute, I just had to post it. My stance on melted, gooey, fried sandwiches is pretty simple. They all rock. I don't discriminate. I absolutely love crazy flavor combinations with sweet & savory ingredients, but I also adore a classic, perfectly executed grilled cheese with the best products you can buy. Fresh baked bread, thickly sliced, and fried in butter until crispy can't be wrong in my world. But then when you top it with tangy aged cheddar, nutty Parmesan cheese, & melty gruyere, well it can't be beat. As a kid, I lived off a diet of grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup on the side. It's a classic pairing that will never fade... kinda like PB&J's and Snooki & JWoww (too far?). So, I just knew I had to have a tomato element included... I started off with slow roasted tomatoes, and then finally arrived at the idea of making a homemade slow roasted heirloom tomato jam. This jam is the jam (too tacky?). But fo'reals, it is. It's chunky, like a marmalade, but smooth as can be, and utterly sweet & savory. This would be amazeballz on a burger, BLT, or a chicken parmesan sandwich (boom). My dreams are made of this jam... I would swim in a pool of it... slight exaggeration, but mostly true. What brings this grilled cheese over the top is the bread and how it's prepared. Did any of y'all love "toad in the hole" or "egg in the hole" when you were younger? I did, a whole lot. It's crispy bread, that is utterly buttery, with a runny egg oozing out of the middle (sign. me. up. stat). This makes it a perfect candidate for the bread component of a grilled cheese. And man, it was. Between the herbed butter, crispy bread, runny egg, sweet tomato jam, and three kinds o' cheese, there really isn't anything that can go wrong. Well, okay, maybe just one thing. You have to have everything ready before you start the cooking process. Get your Mise en Place ready (aka all of your components set up, so that it all runs smoothly). Seriously, Mise the heck outta y'alls Place (it can get more southern than that). Got it or do I gotta get all gangsta on you? No. Okay. GREAT. GRAND. WONDERFUL (<--all describing the grilled cheese, no worries)!! Enjoy :)

See? "Mise the heck outta y'alls Place". 

Crack that egg in the hole... 

Fry it up in some herbed compound butter... 

Cut the grilled cheese on the diagonal...

Watch that runny egg yolk ooze out...

And devour... immediately :)

For the Slow Roasted Heirloom Tomato Jam:

2 Dry Pints of Rainbow Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Sliced in Half

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, For Drizzling

Fresh Rosemary Sprigs

Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper, For Sprinkling

¼C Sweet Onions, Minced or Finely Diced

3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

¼C Red Wine Vinegar

¼C Chicken Stock or Water

¼C Sugar

1-2T Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

Generous Pinch of Coriander, Ground Ginger, & Saffron

¼t Red Pepper Flakes

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Buttered Cheese Spread:

¼C Vintage White Cheddar, Shredded (get the best cheddar you can find)

2T Gruyere Cheese, Shredded

1T Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

2T Unsalted Butter, Extremely Soft

For the Grilled Cheese Sandwiches:

Herbed Compound Butter or Unsalted Butter, Extremely Soft (has to be easily spreadable)

Sourdough Bread, Center Removed with a Cookie Cutter

Fresh Eggs (preferably a smaller egg, but just make sure it’s not extra large or jumbo)

Prepared Slow Roasted Heirloom Tomato Jam

Vintage or Aged White Cheddar, Shredded

Fleur de Sel & Fresh Cracked Pepper, To Taste

Directions:

1. For the Slow Roasted Heirloom Tomato Jam: Preheat the oven to 225 degrees and line a baking sheet with a Silpat. Place the sliced tomatoes onto the prepared tray and drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add on the sprigs of rosemary. Roast the tomatoes for 3-4 hours or until the juices have reduced and the tomatoes have shriveled. Combine all the ingredients, along with your slow roasted tomatoes, in a pan, bring to a boil, and then simmer, stirring often until the tomatoes have dissolved and the jam is thick & glossy, about 15-20 minutes (making sure to mash up the tomatoes to a smoother consistency). Season it with salt & pepper to taste. Set it aside or refrigerate until ready to serve on the sandwich.

2. For the Buttered Cheese Spread: In a small bowl, mix together the shredded cheddar, shredded gruyere, grated parmesan, softened butter, salt, and pepper. Mix together until everything is completely incorporated and smooth. This should be enough for one really cheesy grilled cheese or two regular grilled cheese sandwiches (so if you are making more than 1 or 2, then you need to double the amount).

3. Prepping the Grilled Cheese: Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Place a fine strainer over a custard cup, small ramekin or bowl. Crack one egg into it and let the egg sit, undisturbed, for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the strainer (with the egg still in it) and pour out any accumulated thin white from the cup. Carefully tip the egg into the cup. Repeat with the other eggs and another cup if making more than one grilled cheese (if you have two small strainers, you can do the two eggs simultaneously). Using a cookie cutter (any shape will do, but I liked a medium sized heart shaped cookie cutter), cut a hole from the center of one slice of sourdough bread. With another slice of bread (uncut), spread one side with some herbed butter, flip it over, and begin layering the sandwich. Smooth out a thick layer of the buttered cheese spread followed by a smear of homemade tomato jam and more grated cheddar cheese, while making sure to season each layer with some salt & pepper. Set this slice to the side while you begin frying the egg filled bread first.

4. Cooking the Grilled Cheese: Spread one side of the cut bread with some softened, herbed compound butter and place it buttered side down and fry the bread lightly for about 1 minute. After the initial cook time, drop a small amount of butter into the hole, let it foam slightly, and gently slip the egg into it. Season the egg with some salt & freshly cracked pepper. Cook the egg until it is lightly golden brown about 1-2 minutes. Flip the egg bread and cook for another minute. Gently remove this slice from the skillet and place onto a cutting board while you cook the other prepared slice. Increase the heat of the pan to medium-high heat and fry the other piece of bread (buttered side down) for 3-5 minutes, making sure that all of the cheese has melted and the filling is hot. Gently invert the rested "egg in the hole" bread on top of the bread with the melted cheese. Carefully press the sandwich together to ensure everything has adhered to each other. Continue cooking until the sandwich is well browned about a minute or so until it is perfectly crispy & melted.

5. Sprinkle the sandwich with some minced fresh herbs, cut in half, and enjoy immediately!!

“Momofuku Style” Gooey Butter Funfetti Layer Cake with Birthday Cake Milk Crumbs + Whipped Rainbow Chip Frosting

“Momofuku Style” Gooey Butter Funfetti Layer Cake with Birthday

 Cake Crumb, & Whipped Rainbow Chip Frosting

I've been nonexistent for a week, sorry guys!! But, I have an extra special, super delish recipe to share with y'all today. Since my birthday was last week and my Mountain Man's birthday was Monday, I decided I wanted to go all out for the birthday layer cakes this year. I've been itchin' to make a cake using the Momofuku layering method. If you don't have the cookbook, I sincerely urge you to run out and by Milk Bar's guide to desserts. All of her recipes and ideas are so creative, and I'm not the only one who thinks this, since it has gone viral over the last year. BUT, we couldn't just decide on one cake, so I made two... the first one, which I am sharing with you today, and a second one, which is inspired by one of our favorite summer treats, s'mores (except for the cake is like a cracked out, steroid ragin' version, which is obviously better). So I will post my recipe for that cake next (cough cough, hint hint: keep checking back because it's totally worth it). Now, before I start ranting + raving about how awesome this cake truly is, I want y'all to know, it's quite complicated and most certainly not intended for the faint of heart. The process will be long and gruesome, but you will love it so much that it won't matter that you spent days of baking + prepping for a dessert. Okay, so now onto the specifics... I didn't really use that many exact components from her birthday cake recipe. Instead of a classic funfetti cake, I couldn't help myself from wanting to use Gooey Butter Funfetti Cake. For every layer of cake, there is a generous goo layer on top. It's similar to a cheesecake in flavor, but acts like a dense filling. In other words, it is the money-maker in this joint. I mean, you don't even need all the other components because it's that delicious. The cake is broken up between thick layers of birthday cake milk crumbs and whipped rainbow chip frosting. I love love love these cake crumbs. They give the cake so much texture, as well as a great contrast of color + flavor. PS... always add more sprinkles, there can never be too many of those guys. The whipped frosting clouds are light & fluffy, but slightly tangy from the cream cheese or mascarpone that is folded into it. I just had to add homemade rainbow chips into the mix because they are the best (so don't skip that step, it's way too important). Now that you've gotten the play-by-play, I will urge each and every one of you to not do what I did. Where did I screw up? Well, I thought I was more talented than actually am because I tried to make the entire cake in one whole day. No no no no no. NO. Don't do it. It would be much better if you break up the components and completed a small task every day of the week. Take my word for it, it was practically a workout ("yeah, don't sign me up for cardio"style via Rebel Wilson) for this baker, and not gonna lie, I had a mental breakdown around 3AM in the morning and hysterically dry cried on the kitchen floor (like Kim Kardashian). But, the end result comes full circle when you begin to gently peel off the protective acetate sheets and finally see your masterpiece! It's so beautiful that you might actually consider not cutting into it at all. Don't worry though, all those thoughts will disappear into thin air when the gooey filling begins to ooze out and drip down the cake. Make this, please, just for me. My inner fat kid is still running off that sugar high from the last piece I enjoyed!! Enjoy :)

For the Gooey Butter Funfetti Cake Layers:

2 Boxes of Funfetti Cake Mix (preferably white in color, but yellow cake can be used)

2 Extra Large Eggs, Room Temperature

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter, Melted

4T Milk

Extra Rainbow Sprinkles (optional)

2 8oz Blocks of Cream Cheese, Room Temperature

4 Extra Large Eggs

32oz Confectioners’ Sugar, Sifted

2t Clear Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

For the Funfetti Milk Crumbs:

1C Sugar

3T Light Brown Sugar, Packed

1 ½C Cake Flour

1t Baking Powder

1t Salt

¼C + 2T Rainbow Sprinkles

½C Grapeseed Oil (canola + vegetable can be substituted here)

2T Clear Vanilla Extract

For the Whipped Rainbow Frosting:

5T AP Flour

1C Milk

1T Clear Vanilla Extract

2 Sticks of Salted Butter

1C Sugar

8oz Whipped Cream Cheese or Mascarpone, Softened

1 ½C Homemade Rainbow Chips (plus extra for decorating and garnishing)

Directions:

1. For the Gooey Butter Cake Layers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and then prepare your three cake pans by lining them with parchment paper and spraying them with Pam. (either 8 or 9inch pans will work here, as long as you have a 6inch cake ring). In a mixing bowl, mix together the cake mixes, eggs, melted butter, milk, and some extra sprinkles until combined. Separate the dough into thirds and press the dough into the prepared pans, making sure the cake is in an even layer. In another mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Pour this over the cake layers evenly. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, depending on your oven and pan size. You need to make sure that these are completely set in the middle or they will ooze and drip a lot when you go to eat the cake (which is not necessarily a bad thing, but not pretty for presentation). Remove the cake pans from the oven and let them cool completely to room temperature (on a cooling rack). Once they have cooled, you need to invert them out of the pan onto a silpat or cutting board. Next, spray your 6inch cake ring with Pam and use it to cut out the cake center (think of it like a large cookie cutter). Repeat with the other cakes, you should have three perfectly round and trimmed cakes (there will be a lot of leftover cake, which means you get to share it or snack on them while you’re decorating). After cutting them, you need to refrigerate them overnight or partially freeze them for a few hours, so that they will be firm in consistency and will hold their shape when assembling the cake.

2. For the Funfetti Milk Crumbs:Heat the oven to 300 degrees and line a baking sheet with a Silpat. In the bowl of a standing mixer, fit with the paddle attachment, combine the sugars, cake flour, baking powder, salt, and sprinkles. Mix on low speed until well combined. Add in the oil and vanilla extract and paddle again until small clusters have formed. Spread the clusters onto the prepared baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes (while making sure to continually check them and break them up occasionally). The milk crumbs might be soft to touch until they have completely cooled; they will harden as they sit.

3. For the Whipped Rainbow Chip Frosting: In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla. While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream. Once it has reached the consistency that you like, gently add in the mascarpone or whipped cream cheese, and beat it lightly to make sure that it is combined. It should be fluffy and light, but smooth. Gently beat or fold in the homemade rainbow chips until incorporated throughout the frosting.

4. Assembling the Cake:This cake could easily be assembled any which way you like, but I decided to make it based off of the famous technique used by Momofuku Milk Bar. This requires a 6inch cake ring, strips of acetate, and pastry frosting bags. Since you have already cut the three cake layers with the 6inch cake ring, those no longer need to be trimmed. But, you will need to prep the cake ring for perfect layering. Place the cake ring onto your serving plate and line it with the acetate. Put one of the layers of cake into the ring, making sure to keep the gooey butter topping facing upwards. Sprinkle about 1C of the prepared birthday cake milk crumbs over the gooey butter topping, make sure to gently press the crumbs into the gooey layer, so the layers will mesh together (or a little more or a little less of the milk crumbs, it doesn’t have to be exact). Either using a pastry frosting bag or a large rubber spatula, add a third of the frosting on top of the milk crumbs and smooth it out over the crumbs until they are all completely covered. Garnish the frosting with an even layer of sprinkles. Repeat this layering process until all the ingredients have been used (you should have 3 gooey butter cake layers, 3 layers of birthday cake milk crumbs, and 3 layers of whipped rainbow chip frosting). You can garnish the cake any way you like, but I just made a mound of more crumbs & extra sprinkles for our presentation. Transfer the tall, layered, assembled cake into the freezer and let it chill for 12 hours (keep the cake in the cake ring and lined with the acetate for the freezing process). At least 3 hours before you want to serve the cake, remove it from the freezer and pop it out of the ring and gently peel off the acetate liner. Let it defrost in the refrigerator for at least four hours. Slice the cake into wedges and serve immediately.

Coconut Crusted Fried Avocado Taco's with Creamy Cilantro Coleslaw, Spicy Taco Pickles, Crumbled Cotija Cheese, + Bang-Bang Sauce on Homemade Beet Infused Soft Tortillas

Coconut Crusted Fried Avocado Taco's with Creamy Cilantro Coleslaw, Spicy Taco Pickles,
Crumbled Cotija Cheese, + Bang-Bang Sauce on Homemade Beet Infused Soft Tortillas

First of all, sorry for not posting this week. I've been sick and my birthday was two days ago, so I just hadn't gotten to it yet. Second of all, and most importantly, this whole meal is vegetarian. That's breaking news around this joint. My inclination to put bacon in every recipe, including desserts, has honestly turned into a form of habit... some might call it an addiction; I prefer to say that I just have an unbreakable bond to that smoky-fatty-porky goodness. To sum it all up, I apparently share an affinity for bacon culture. Frankly, that might not exist, but I wholeheartedly believe it does. Okay, okay enough with the meat and onto the veggies. Have y'all ever had fried avocado? It somehow straddles the line between deliciously creamy and expertly crispy all at once. What a do-gooder that avocado is... or because I'm bitter, it's a suck up. Well, I got the sudden urge to finally make fried avocado with a slight twist, coconut fried avocado. Who doesn't like coconut shrimp? Tell me now because I want to go beat them up talk to them. The little bit of added sweetness is perfection, especially in a fully loaded taco. All of our tacos are completely packed, I am compelled to do it. So, I made some creamy cilantro coleslaw, a bang-bang sauce, & our new favorite condiment/topping... Taco Pickles. I saw the recipe for these pickles on Pinterest and just knew I had to try them, that day. And we did... and they are awesome. I slightly adapted ours to include a few extra special ingredients; they're lovable, I tell ya, lovable. Another key element to this meal were the homemade flour tortillas. For those of you shaking your heads, they aren't that hard to make and they taste wayyyyyy better. I infused ours with beets, making them delightfully pink (yes, I know I made pink tacos. I went there, you did too. Let's both get our heads out of the gutter, people... naughty jokes aside). Anyway, pink is the new brown butter, y'all. Okay, no that's not true, I'm still in a very committed relationship with brown butter and I don't see that changing any time soon. But these beet tacos with coconut fried avocado, they're the new vegetarian jam. All my life, I've been told "you eat with your eyes first", and this recipe is living proof of it. My Mountain Man moaned + groaned all the way through it and also proclaimed these to be "some of the best tacos I've ever eaten". Just a reminder... he's a meat-lovin'-rabid-carnivore and these, once again, are all vegetarian (no bacon fat included). I wanted to make sure y'all realized that. Besides that, we finished them with a little bit of pico de gallo, crumbled cotija cheese, & fresh cilantro. I've done enough describing, and hopefully, enough convincing, that some of you meat lovers will join in on the fun with us!! Enjoy :)

Look at all that color in one meal, it makes me smile :) 

Right there, that's some coconut fried avocado poking out.

So many toppings... 

And to go along with our tacos, I made some maduros (fried sweet plantains) + yellow rice. 

One, very delicious, vegetarian meal. 

For the Spicy “Taco Pickles”:

1C White Vinegar

½C Apple Cider Vinegar

½C Red or White Wine Vinegar (if you use the red vinegar, expect some pink color tinting)

1C Sugar

1 Peeled Jicama, Thinly Sliced or Julienned (cutting it into small cubes works as well)

8 Radishes, Thinly Sliced with a Mandolin

4 Carrots, Thinly Sliced with a Mandolin

4 Jalapenos or Serranos, Thinly Sliced with a Mandolin (if this is too spicy, use 2 peppers)

¼C Candied Jalapeno Slices (optional, but we liked the added sweetness & heat)

Half of a Small Red Onion, Very Thinly Sliced

4 Large Cloves of Garlic, Finely Chopped

1 Bunch of Fresh Cilantro, Finely Chopped

½t Dried Oregano

¼t Cumin & Coriander

Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Beet Infused Water:

1 ½C Water

2 Beets, Peeled & Roughly Chopped

For the Beet Infused Soft Tortillas:

2 ½C AP Flour

2 ½t Baking Powder

1t Sea Salt

½C + 2T Vegetable Shortening

1C Beet Infused Water, Hot (if the dough is still too thick, add a touch more beet water)

For the Creamy Cilantro Coleslaw:

2C Coleslaw Mix (or thinly shaved cabbage)

Half of a Small Red Onion, Very Thinly Sliced

2 Green Onions, Minced

Small Handful of Fresh Cilantro, Finely Minced (you can add as much as you want)

Fresh Lime Juice & Fresh Lime Zest, To Taste

2-3T Mayo (we wanted just enough mayo to lightly coat the slaw)

Pinch of Sugar, Salt, & Pepper

For the Bang-Bang Sauce:

½C Mayo

1T + 1t Asian Chili-Garlic Sauce

1T Honey or Sweet Chili Sauce

Pinch of Salt & Pepper, To Taste

For the Coconut Crusted Fried Avocado:

1-2 Avocados, Cut into Wedges (make sure they are ripe, but still somewhat firm)

Salt & Pepper, To Taste (plus extra for sprinkling after they have fried)

Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice (to lightly drizzle over the avocados)

1C AP Flour

1t Baking Powder

Water

2C Shredded, Sweetened Coconut

½C Panko Bread Crumbs

Canola Oil, For Frying

 

For the Taco's:

Homemade Beet Infused Flour Tortillas, Warm

Coconut Crusted Fried Avocado Wedges, Hot

Prepared Creamy Cilantro Coleslaw

Prepared Spicy Taco Pickles

Prepared Bang-Bang Sauce, For Drizzling

Crumbled Cotija Cheese, Pico de Gallo, & Fresh Cilantro (for garnishing)

Directions:

1. For the Spicy “Taco Pickles”: Cut up all your veggies into what ever shape you like. (I used my mandolin slicer and just made them into thin round pieces). Bring your sugar and vinegar to a slow boil and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved and then store in the fridge or freezer to bring it back to room temp. Once cool, add the liquid to your mix of veggies, jalapeño, cilantro and salt and combined. Store in a container in the fridge and eat your pickles over the next couple of weeks. One thing that I did is that I left the radishes and Jicama out of the pickling liquid until an hour or so before because I wanted to maintain their bright white color from the pink pickling liquid. This is completely up to you. It will all taste the same, so no worries!

2. For the Beet Infused Water: Puree the beet pieces with the water in a food processor until smooth and hot pink in color. Strain this mixture through a fine sieve to remove any pulp. Immediately pour this colored water into a small pot and heat it in order to make the homemade flour tortillas.

3. For the Beet Infused Flour Soft Tortillas: Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl and stir together. Add spoonfuls of the shortening, and then use a pastry cutter to combine the ingredients. Continue to cut the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Slowly pour in the hot beet infused water, stirring to bring the mixture together. Lightly knead the dough, 30-40 times, or until it becomes a cohesive ball of dough and is less sticky in texture. Cover with a tea towel and allow the dough to rest for at least an hour. Roll into ping-pong sized balls, place on a plate, cover with the tea towel, and allow it to rest again, for another 30 minutes. When you are ready to make them, heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat and roll out the balls of dough until they are very thin. Cook the tortillas in the preheated pan until they are soft, but slightly brown in spots. This should take about 30 seconds a side, just take your time and fiddle around with the appropriate heat for your pan. Keep the tortillas warm until you are ready to assemble them.

4. For the Creamy Cilantro Coleslaw: Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and toss together until completely coated. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and a little sugar. I like to do this right before serving in order to keep the coleslaw crisp and not soggy when I eat them.

5. For the Bang-Bang Sauce: Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and whisk until smooth (and season to your tastes). Refrigerate it until you are ready to use and also pour into a squeeze bottle for easy drizzling.

6. For the Coconut Crusted Fried Avocado: Cut the avocado into wedges, squeeze some fresh lime juice over them, and then sprinkle them with some salt & pepper. In a dish, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Let the batter stand for 15 minutes. In another dish, toss together the coconut and panko. Heat about 2 inches of oil to roughly 350 degrees or medium heat in a small skillet. Put the prepared avocado into the batter, and then dredge them in the coconut mixture, pressing it very gently to help the coconut adhere. Fry the avocado, in batches, in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain the avocado on a paper towel lined plate and season with salt & pepper. Immediately layer them onto the tortillas while they are still hot.

7. Assembling the Taco's: Place a fried avocado wedge into a warm beet tortilla, and then top them with creamy cilantro coleslaw, spicy taco pickles, and a drizzle of bang-bang sauce. Garnish with some crumbled Cotija cheese, pico de gallo, and fresh cilantro. Enjoy immediately!

source: homemade tortillas. taco pickles. coconut shrimp.