We love tacos here at Cooking Panda. Like, we love them. But if you are ever making any of our taco recipes and don't know what to drizzle on top, here are some of our favorite condiments that you should absolutely bookmark for upcoming Taco Tuesdays:
Creamy Things
All things avocado, crema, and non-dairy.
1. Copycat Chipotle Guacamole
Everyone knows that the best guac is chunky and simple, with just a few ingredients (really all you need is salt, lime and Tapatio, but you do you). If you want to go above and beyond, here's how to replicate the stuff from Chipotle.
2. Fully Loaded Guacamole
Sacrilege! We know! But it's so delicious, and sometimes you just have to go wild. We can't deny that the smoky, nutty and slightly sweet flavors bring something delectable and exciting to our favorite dish. You'll love this, even if you just add a couple of the ingredients.
3. Avocado Tomatillo Salsa
No cooking needed. Just throw everything in a food processor (or strong blender), and you'll have the perfect topping.
4. Avocado Crema
Avocado and yogurt for the win.
5. Zesty Chipotle Lime Crema
You can use sour cream, crema, Greek yogurt, cashew cream or even pureed (and watered down) avocado here. Anything goes.
6. Cilantro Lime Garlic Cashew Cream
No dairy, no problem. This stuff tastes just as good as crema, if not better. Plain cashew cream also makes an excellent base for cream-based sauces. Alternately, feel free to swap out the cashew cream for dairy crema or sour cream.
7. Rajas con Crema
Roasted poblanos (or other green chilies if you must) with caramelized onions and cream. Delicious! We recommend serving this with shrimp tacos, but it will go great with just about anything.
Salsa Things
If you must buy salsa from the store, don't be afraid to doctor it up a little. Add fresh lime juice, cilantro, and maybe a little diced jalapeno, and your guests will never know you didn't make it yourself. Here are some more tips on faking it.
But really, making the good stuff from scratch is really not that hard. Most of these recipes require little more than dicing everything or throwing it into a food processor. If you have the time and ingredients, you should totally make some of these:
8. Fresh Pico de Gallo
The classic. Chop a bunch of stuff up and mix it together.
9. Homemade Salsa Verde
Why buy it when the fresh stuff is so tasty and simple to make?
10. Classic Roasted Salsa
It's easier than you'd think – pretty much just broil your ingredients and pulse them in a food processor with minimal effort. Serve to your guests and tell them it took you a few hours to make. Hide said food processor and act tired.
11. Charred Tomato Salsa
If you want to keep it simple, you can simply char the tomatoes and smash them a little for an easy, satisfying taco topping. Pro tip: grilled fruit (pineapple, etc.) makes for an incredible topping.
12. Watermelon Pico De Gallo
It's pretty odd, but this salsa is delicious for the summer, served with chips or over grilled chicken or fish.
13. Mango Salsa
This sweet, chunky salsa is sensational with chicken or fish, or just on the side with chips.