Friday Night Tacos: We all deserve it… at least twice

Sometimes I think – make that sometimes I know – I take on too much but I just can’t help myself. Between my full time job, freelance work, volunteer work and food blog (not to mention my husband and our girls) – I hardly have time to sleep.  But even though it can be a bit overwhelming at times, I really do love it all. This week has been especially busy. Steve and I have been working incredibly hard to finish the new Heaven Can Wait Animal Sanctuary website, order all new merchandise and promote their biggest fundraiser of the year, Gimme Shelter (please buy tickets!!). Steve has been especially critical in making sure that the website is fully functioning by May 2, even if that meant dragging his computer down to the living room so that he wouldn’t miss a playoff game with his beloved Lakers. I love that man. He is one of the most dedicated, hardest working people I know.

Meanwhile, I have been stalking everyone I know to either buy tickets to the event or donate something. The life of a philanthropist is nothing short of glamorous….

My whirlwind of a life continues so I am going to keep this one short and simple today. Before I started this “official” blog I was sending email to friends and family with recipes to test the water. One week I posted a recipe for Black Bean Tacos and not surprisingly they received rave reviews. They are crunchy, salty, limey and melty (uh oh, this description is slowly turning into a taco bell commercial). They are a great meal to whip up if you are short on time, entertaining or maybe a little tired from an insanely busy week and just want something delicious and homemade. They only require a few ingredients and since the weather has been fabulous I highly recommend eating these outside with a cold beer!  If the weather is bad, inside with a cold beer is pretty good too.

All you need is a can of black beans, corn tortillas, cole slaw mix, cilantro, green onions, lime juice, cumin and olive oil…. and of course, salt.

The original recipe called for feta cheese but unfortunately feta reminds me of eating deodorant (I promise that one day soon I will try and get over that) so I substituted Monterey jack and I loved the smooth creamy flavor it gave the tacos. If you want to skip the cheese completely I recommend using avocado instead (or in addition to!). It really rounds out the flavor of the tacos and you’ll never miss the cheese. And I must warn you…. these babies are fried in a tiny bit of olive oil – but don’t be afraid. The mess is minimal and the results are out of this world! Important side note: when you begin to fry these, set up a little assembly line: cole slaw mix, beans, plate with towel (to absorb excess oil), and skillet. It will make the process much easier.

For those of you who have tried this recipe and would really like something new check out Diggin’ Food and make the Roasted Asparagus and Pomegranate syrup. Yum!

Crispy Cole Slaw Tacos – Adapted from Bon Appetit
Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 20 minutes or so. Depends on how many you can get in your pan. I did 2 at a time.

For the bean mixture:
1 – 15oz. canned of black beans drained
1 teaspoon cumin
1 or 2 garlic cloves, chopped

For the slaw:
2 cups cole slaw mix (red and napa cabbage, shredded carrots)
handful of Cilantro chopped
2 green onions sliced thinly
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil

Extras:
1/2 cup Monterey Jack Cheese
Fresh Avocado
4-6 corn tortillas

Mash the beans, cumin and garlic in a bowl and set aside.

In a bowl mixed the lime juice and olive oil. Toss in the cabbage mix, cilantro and green onions until coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon bean mixture and cheese onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with slaw and avocado and salt the hot shell with salt (this is crucial.)

Enjoy!