Recipe first published on February 17th, 2012. Last updated on October 20th, 2015.
If you follow me on instagram, you probably already know that Mack and I are currently soaking up all things fall in Illinois (M is at home working, so I promised him I’d make a pie upon return). Coming home always brings with it a bit more nostalgia, especially during fall. The feel of the crisp air, watching the leaves change, and being curled up in my youth bed (which is a three-quarters antique four-post bed that creeks amazingly loud with every move). And so I’ve let my nostalgia spill over to the blog by sharing these tacos (and another recipe on Thursday). Both are a couple of my favorite recipes from the archives that have been updated with new information and new photos.
Since Mack was born, M and I talk a lot about where we see ourselves settling down for the long haul. We’ve made it a goal to hopefully decide by the time Mack is in first grade, which gives us some time. I’ve always had my heart set on Colorado. The Rockies have always felt like my mountains, it feels like home. It sounds funny to say, I love the Sierras, but they don’t have the same feel. Before recently, I’ve always felt like Northern California is another stop on our journey and while that very well may be true, it’s starting to feel more and more like home. There’s a solid community here and I’ve met some amazing people.
One of those people (Emma!) came to my house a couple weeks back just to hang out and cook. She brought produce and (very much needed) adult conversation. She hung out while I made these sweet potatoes and then we made tacos (because if given the option, I’ll always make tacos). These squash tacos are a slight variation on the ones we made that day because I’ve come to realize, delicata may me the best squash for tacos.
Recipe originally posted on August 8th, 2012. Last updated August 16th, 2015.
On occasion I daydream about the most random things. Somtimes I take to daydreaming about owning a traveling food truck and venturing out across the United States. (I also suppose I have Sarah and Melissa to thank for starting me down this path as they both graciously offered up their driveways as parking spots for me). While the food truck isn’t really a reality (nor would I want to incur the cost of a traveling truck), it’s still fun to daydream.
I dream of crispy, wood-fire pizzas (this truck makes that possible), fresh spring rolls using ingredients from whatever state I happen to be in, delicious curries (because sometimes I crave curry), freshly baked cinnamon rolls (I need something not healthy) and tacos, like every day.
Even though I won’t have a food truck anytime soon so you can try these delicious vegetarian tacos first hand, I made you more tacos (because you can never have enough taco recipes.)
This time I just packed them full of cumin-spiced roasted vegetables and called them good. No grains, no beans, just summer veg goodness. Don’t freak out at the long ingredient list, it’s mainly because I used whatever I had in my kitchen. If you used zucchini and sweet corn you would still have one heck of a delicious taco.
Oh and let us not forget the avocado (really essential to any excellent vegetarian taco.)
Pairings for Vegetarian Tacos
While I recommend you can add beans to these tacos, I actually love to get my protein from the side dishes. I almost always have a rice/bean combo on the side and let the vegetables stand on their own. These summer vegetarian tacos are a good kitchen-sink recipe for when you don’t know what to make but have a bounty of produce.
Appetizer: Chips and Salsa! I love this Roasted Salsa Verde (and old recipe, but a good one!) Or, you could try your hand at a fermented salsa.
Preheat oven to 400˚. Prepare all the veggies as described and toss with olive oil, minced garlic, salt, and cumin. Roast until tender and lightly browning, 20 to 25 minutes.
While veggies are roasting, whip together avocado, greek yogurt, cilantro, and lime juice either by hand or in a blender.
To assemble tacos, warm up tortillas over an open flame or on a heated griddle. Assemble with roasted veggies, avocado cream, and a sprinkle of feta.
Notes
If you want a bit of protein, black beans or chickpeas would make an excellent addition to this meal!
I’ve made it no secret that I love Mexican food. So much so, in fact, that the night I went into labor with Mack, I was making enchiladas (I probably should have been at the hospital but since I wasn’t sure, I made dinner instead.) I love the flavor combinations and it’s a cuisine that so easily lends itself to the vegetarian side of things.
In terms of tacos, I could come up with a new variation for each day (365 days of tacos- sounds like a cookbook idea right there, ha!) I have my favorites (like these sweet potato/guac ones– years later and I still love them) but that doesn’t stop me from experimenting. I think it’s easy to overlook roasted red peppers as a main ingredient but they can be so handy (and really delicious- especially when you roast/grill them yourself!) This red pepper relish is great for these tacos but could easily be used in a myriad of ways. I’ve swapped out the cotija cheese for feta and used as a salad topping, stuffed this mixture in a quesadilla, and mixed with grains for lunch.
On top of the red pepper relish, I’ve decided to take the plunge with an idea that’s been in my head for some time. I know there are things on this site that seem easy to me but can easily seem daunting when just starting out and so, I’ve decided to start a video series that shows how-to’s on somewhat tricky items. I already have a video on on how to make corn tortillas with a press but I wanted to create a short, 60 second video on how to ‘roll’ out tortillas with a bowl and hand roller (do you have one of these in your kitchen- I use it more than my rolling pin!) So, without further ado, more corn tortillas: See the Recipe + Video.
Recipe originally posted on August 8th, 2012. Last updated August 16th, 2015.
