as i've gotten older, i've really settled into an everything in moderation attitude towards life. work, exercise, food. i seem to find myself at my best when i am most balanced. and that includes when i'm eating a balanced diet.

for me, that doesn't necessarily mean being meatless, but eating meat in moderation. but i still crave heartier dishes come dinner time. especially when it is chillier out.

so i'm celebrating tacos the vegetarian way. these roasted potatoes and mushrooms are so well seasoned and robust that you won't even notice these tacos are meatless. 

roasted mushroom & potato tacos

serves: 2

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 4 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced .5 inch thick. 8 oz tricolor potatoes, diced. 1 onion, sliced .5 inch thick. 3 tbs olive oil. 1.5 tsp salt. 1 tsp garlic powder. 1 tsp cumin. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper. 5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp paprika. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 dozen cherry tomatoes. 1 garlic clove, smashed. 1 lime, halved. 10 cilantro leaves. 4 flour tortillas. mexican blend cheese for serving. parchment paper. baking sheet. blender or food processor.

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper and combine the oil, mushrooms, potatoes and .75 of the onion. mix the veggies till they are all lightly coated with oil. season with 1 tsp of the salt, all the pepper, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika and cayenne. make sure everything is tossed and seasoned well. roast the veggies for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway though. make sure the potatoes are tender.

while your veggies are roasting, make your salsa. half your cherry tomatoes and add them to your blender or food processor. add in the remaining onion, the garlic, half the cilantro, the remaining salt, and the juice of half the lime. blend until everything is pretty smooth.

pour into a serving bowl.

in a medium pan, warm your tortillas over medium heat and keep them in a covered pot in the oven until you are ready to serve. finely chop up the remaining cilantro. when your veggies are ready, remove them from the baking sheet.

sprinkle them with the juice of the remaining half of lime. sprinkle with 2 tbs of cheese blend and some of the chopped cilantro.  place some filling in your tortilla and top with 2 tbs of tomato salsa. enjoy hot.

xo, a

roasted mushroom & potato tacos

serves: 2

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 4 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced .5 inch thick. 8 oz tricolor potatoes, diced. 1 onion, sliced .5 inch thick. 3 tbs olive oil. 1.5 tsp salt. 1 tsp garlic powder. 1 tsp cumin. .5 tsp fresh ground pepper. 5 tsp chili powder. .5 tsp paprika. .25 tsp cayenne pepper. 1 dozen cherry tomatoes. 1 garlic clove, smashed. 1 lime, halved. 10 cilantro leaves. 4 flour tortillas. mexican blend cheese for serving. parchment paper. baking sheet. blender or food processor. 

start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees f. line your baking sheet with parchment paper and combine the oil, mushrooms, potatoes and .75 of the onion. mix the veggies till they are all lightly coated with oil. season with 1 tsp of the salt, all the pepper, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika and cayenne. make sure everything is tossed and seasoned well. roast the veggies for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway though. make sure the potatoes are tender. while your veggies are roasting, make your salsa. half your cherry tomatoes and add them to your blender or food processor. add in the remaining onion, the garlic, half the cilantro, the remaining salt, and the juice of half the lime. blend until everything is pretty smooth. pour into a serving bowl. in a medium pan, warm your tortillas over medium heat and keep them in a covered pot in the oven until you are ready to serve. finely chop up the remaining cilantro. when your veggies are ready, remove them from the baking sheet. sprinkle them with the juice of the remaining half of lime. sprinkle with 2 tbs of cheese blend and some of the chopped cilantro. place some filling in your tortilla and top with 2 tbs of tomato salsa. enjoy hot. 

if i haven't already convinced you, summer is all about the grill. firing up the bbq gets you outside, saves you on dishes and really pumps up the flavor of your food.
and good summer corn is one of my favorite things to grill. after soaking, corn's husk makes the perfect barrier to cook but not burn the corn.
corn's only downside? you don't want to be picking it out of your teeth for the next twenty four. taking the extra step to remove the corn from the cob will save you, and your guests from the unpleasant task of gnawing the kernels off the cob and it gives you the chance to mix in some other great summer ingredients. 

grilled corn salad
serves: 4
prep time: 1 hour
cook time: 30 minutes
total time: 1.5 hours
ingredients: 4 ears sweet corn, husks on. 3 large spring onions. 1 small bunch radish. .5 c cilantro, roughly chopped. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tbs lemon juice. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 

in the sink or large pot of water, soak the corn for 1 hour.
when you are ready to grill, turn on the bbq to a medium high heat. if you have a charcoal grill, make sure to grill the veggies slightly off of the direct heat.
place the corn on the grill and cook, turning every 10 minutes until the husks are pretty well grilled and the corn is cooked through. 30-40 minutes. 

while the corn is grilling, combine radish, onions, olive oil, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt and pepper. toss them together well. when the corn is a almost done, grill the onions and radish just until they both have good grill marks. about 4 minutes a side. reserve the vinaigrette the veggies were soaking in. 

when the corn and the veggies are done, allow them to cool enough for you to handle. 

halve the cobs of corn and carefully, slice the kernels off the cob. 

roughly chop the spring onions and radish. in a medium bowl combine the corn, onions, radish and cilantro. drizzle with the remaining marinade, toss and serve cool or at room temp. 

xoxo
a

grilled corn salad
serves: 4
prep time: 1 hour
cook time: 30 minutes
total time: 1.5 hours
ingredients: 4 ears sweet corn, husks on. 3 large spring onions. 1 small bunch radish. .5 c cilantro, roughly chopped. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 tbs lemon juice. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper.
in the sink or large pot of water, soak the corn for 1 hour.
when you are ready to grill, turn on the bbq to a medium high heat. if you have a charcoal grill, make sure to grill the veggies slightly off of the direct heat.
place the corn on the grill and cook, turning every 10 minutes until the husks are pretty well grilled and the corn is cooked through. 30-40 minutes.
while the corn is grilling, combine radish, onions, olive oil, lemon juice, brown sugar, salt and pepper. toss them together well. when the corn is a almost done, grill the onions and radish just until they both have good grill marks. about 4 minutes a side. reserve the vinaigrette the veggies were soaking in.
when the corn and the veggies are done, allow them to cool enough for you to handle.
halve the cobs of corn and carefully, slice the kernels off the cob.
roughly chop the spring onions and radish. in a medium bowl combine the corn, onions, radish and cilantro. drizzle with the remaining marinade, toss and serve cool or at room temp.