Life is Better With Tacos

As a child growing up in Northern Maine, I never had even the slightest clue about tacos. I grew up on tons of potatoes, wild game, stews, plenty of comfort foods. Taco night was a great, rare thrill, and it consisted of the boxed kits from Old El Paso. You know, those crispy u-shaped taco shells that were fairly brittle and you had to bake them for a bit before eating, stuffed with taco-seasoned ground beef, cheese, and shredded lettuce.

When I first arrived in Texas, I was incessantly laughed at for never having heard of a breakfast taco. And on a flour tortilla? Didn't know those existed! (I hadn't heard of a Frito pie, either).

I've come a long way, baby.

Tacos have become my favorite food in the world.

I love how there are endless possibilities of fillings, garnishes, and sauces. Every taco is unique and special in it's own way! 

Back in my meat-eating days, one of my favorite tacos was the fish taco. Apparently there are some regional differences on how they are prepared - one being with fried fish with a creamy mayonnaise based sauce. The way I liked them, though, was grilled fish topped with crunchy, creamy, tangy coleslaw. I recently had a craving for that flavor, so went on to recreate a vegetarian version to satisfy my desire to have coleslaw in a taco.

 

Most slaw recipes have a mayonnaise based sauce. I prefer to have a vinegar based sauce, but didn't think that would go too well with the tacos I had in mind. That's how I came up with this recipe - and let me tell you, it was delicious!

 

Creamy Avocado Coleslaw

 

1/2 small head cabbage

1/2 c packed carrot shreds or 2 carrots

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned

1 T minced red onion

small handful cilantro

 

1 small avocado

juice of 1 lemon

1-2 t maple syrup or agave or honey

salt and pepper to taste

 

In the food processor, with the s-blade, process the avocado, lemon juice, maple syrup. Taste, then add s&p to your liking. Remove the s-blade and replace with your shredder. Shred the cabbage (and whole carrots if using) right into the dressing. Remove the lid and add onions and peppers. Pour into serving bowl and stir till dressing completely coats the slaw. I didn't have cilantro on hand for the picture, but it is off-the-hook.

Beans and sweet potatoes are the best combo ever. For this taco, I used pinto beans seasoned with a little chipotle powder and salt, sweet potatoes that I cooked in a large cast iron skillet with a touch of olive oil for that beautiful GBD that I love so much. Then I heaped on some of the Creamy Avocado Slaw and topped with some roasted tomatillo Serrano salsa. Oh, my my. YUM.

More taco pictures.....just ideas that you can take and adjust to your liking....here are some canned organic refried black beans, avocados and salsa. I love this so much I didn't even bother heating up the beans - they came straight from the can. LOL!

 

Some notes on tacos:

1. I urge you to (if you don't already) eat corn tortillas. One corn tortilla is HALF the calories of one flour tortilla. And there is so much info out there about the negative side effects that gluten has on your body.

2. If you still have meat eaters in the house, make them fajitas with some chicken breast - you can sautee green and red peppers, onions, mushrooms, squash, etc. etc, and make your own tacos with that. AND your family will have a nice heap of veggies for theirs.

3. Leftovers make good tacos, and they are easy to eat.

4. One of my most common meals on the go is a plain old avocado taco - it's quick, delicious, and healthy.

5. I strongly urge you to NOT heat your tortillas in the microwave. Heat up a pan (pref cast iron or other heavy bottomed skillet) and warm your tortillas on there. If you are lucky and have a gas stove, get out some tongs, turn your burner on med heat, and heat them directly on the fire (my method). But don't walk away - keep a good eye on them! It doesn't take long and yields the best flavor. This may take a little practice but it's well worth it.

 

What are your favorite tacos? Ideas? Inspirations?