BeeGee Tacos

Summer has been so busy thus far that I've got a small overflow of recipes to share but haven't had a chance to do it.  Since I've been looking for ways to use my CSA and garden greens, I've been searching out some new recipes.  Beans-and Greens Tacos with cotija cheese filled both my need to use greens and the ever present need for a taco (or taco related food). 

You will need 1-2 red onions, depending on how much you like.  I had a really big one so I used a small part of it to make pica de gallo (we'll get to that in a minute) and the rest I sliced up for the tacos.

You saute the onions for about 6 min, or until soft and then add 5 cloves of garlic sliced thin.  Cook for one more minute (burnt garlic is no fun at all so you always throw that in a little later).

The recipe calls for 1lb of Swiss chard, stems and ribs removed.  We used 1/2 lb chard and 1/2 lb spinach.

This may look like a ton of greens but once you get them all in the pan they wilt down. A LOT.

Along with the greens you add a cup of rinsed cannellini beans and a 1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper and cook until greens are wilted and beans are cooked through, about 4 min.

I made a nice bowl of fresh pica de gallo to go with the tacos.  Personally I think the beans and greens alone would be a little boring but this was a great addition.  Just chop equal parts tomato, cilantro and red onion.  Season with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime. Yum.

So you take a stack of corn tortillas out to the grill and brush them lightly with oil and hold over the flame until warmed through (or you can wrap them in foil and warm in a 350 oven).  We had some leftover chicken and pork in the fridge so we got that out too.  I ate mine meatless and was totally satisfied.

Pile on the beans and greens, top with pica and a touch of cotija cheese (recipe called for goat cheese but I'm not a fan).

I though this salty, crumbly cheese was a lovely detail to this fab vegetarian taco.

How good does that look?  I could totally go for a couple of those right about now!

Beans-and-Greens Tacos (a variation of a Martha Stewart recipe)

3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

1-2 red onions, sliced into 1/4/inch thick rounds

5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 lb Swiss chard (or 1 lb spinach or combo) washed and coarsely chopped. 

1 cup canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken stock

Salt and fresh ground pepper

8 white corn tortillas

1/3 cup crumbled cotija cheese (or goat cheese)

Pica de Gallo or fresh cilantro for topping

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook onions until soft, about 6 min.  Add garlic, cook one min.  Stir in greens, beans, and stock.  Cook until greens are wilted and beans are warmed through.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pile on to warmed corn tortillas with pica and cheese and enjoy!

 Warning: If your tortillas are too crisp you may have to eat them "open faced"!

Bulking Up

Well, bulking up can mean a couple of things.  I was referring to fiber.  Turns out, fiber is not just for old people.  Having enough fiber in your diet can lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes.  It assists in weight loss in that it keeps you feeling full longer because your body can't digest it (the whole thing is weird, I know, but there are a lot of smart people out there who study these things and know what they are talking about).  Here's the kicker,  women should shoot for over 20 grams per day and men should shoot for over 30.  Pay attention for a couple of days and I'll bet you're not quite meeting those goals.  The reason I bring this up is because Nelsy found this fabulous fibrous chard mix at the grocery store and I thought I should tell you about it. 

As far as I'm concerned the more variety in the veggie department the better.  It seems that myself and other members of this household have a strong aversion to kale (unless blended into a smoothie of course) so we welcome an alternative to the usual spinach. 

Just look how pretty it is.  I think I might add this to the garden this year and eat it more often.

It's not quite as pretty once its cooked (steamed with a little garlic and vegetable or chicken broth).  We had it along side pan seared haddock and salmon and rice.  Phoebe was not convinced that this is as good as spinach but hey, you can't win them all.  I had seconds if you must know.

Don't like it? Throw it in a smoothie! Talk about your fiber.  This is what I had with my coffee this morning.  You can see the bits of apple skins (more fiber).  I said it before and I'll say it again~ these taste WAY better than they look. I did a little looking around and found that two of my favorite foods have a ton of fiber.  Black beans have 15g per cup, and avocados have 10g (that's for the whole fruit but eating a half of an avocado on a salad is pretty easy to do).  Others to keep in mind are apples and pears (with skins), lentils, artichoke hearts and broccoli.  Of course there are many others but these came up as high on the bulk list.  So lets all eat some fiber and then I'll share my less heart healthy recipe for chicken with mustard marscapone marsala sauce.