Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Taco II (Vegetarian)



Delicious Tacos, simple, vegetarian and yummy! I didn't load up on the toppings because this is the recipe the lovely lady at the Latin Market has instructed me with.

I took some liberties and made a "red rice" using a long grain rice, tomato paste, green pepper and corn.

Rice
1 1/2 cups long grain rice, rinsed until the water runs clear and drained 


2 tbsp oil - Olive oil is a good healthy choice
1 tsp butter or ghee (optional)

1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 tbsp tomato paste or 2 tbsp precooked tomato based sauce - like a pizza sauce

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup frozen corn (optional)

2 cups hot boiled water


Heat the oil in a pot and once it's sizzling add your drained rice, fry it around until all the grains are coated with oil.  Add your tomato paste too at this point to cook off the raw flavour. If you're using pizza sauce add it later after the liquid. 

Add your green pepper, liquid, salt and corn, let it all come to a boil. Add the butter if desired and cover. Simmer to the lowest setting for 20 minutes.

Black beans: 

It's always nice to cook your beans from scratch, and it's super simple. Start the night before by washing the dry beans in a large bowl just to remove any dirt, if there are any stones or foreign objects among the beans be mindful to remove them.

Cover with plenty of water and let them soak overnight. 

The next day add the beans and half the soaking water to a pot, cover with plenty of fresh water and bring to a boil. Simmer until almost tender then season the water with salt and cook until beans are tender and creamy but not falling apart.

Cool the beans in their boiling liquid and then store in the fridge in the liquid for a couple of days or drain from liquid and freeze in a ziplock bag until ready to use. It's very convenient to have on hand when you can add handfuls to different recipes.

Taco:

To assemble tacos simply heat your corn tortilla for a couple of seconds in a dry pan set to medium high heat.
Top with rice, black beans and your authentic Salsa (I picked up one from a latin market, there are many varieties to choose from but I opted for more of the smokey ones)

Top with chopped red onion and more corn, and serve with lime and cilantro.
Delicious! 




No comments: