Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

Summer came late to L.A. this year. After a gloomy August, which ended with the fires that sat on the edge of the city like the end of the world, September was unseasonably hot. It was the kind of weather that called for cool dishes. In the original recipe, these tacos are fried, but I skipped this step, making them one of the easiest, most refreshing dishes in my small collection. I like it, too, because I just put all the ingredients in the fridge, and I could whip up a taco in less than sixty seconds any time I liked. This is also a good dish for vegetarian friends.

Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw
adapted from Bon Appetit, February 2009

Ingredients:

- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 cups coleslaw mix
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Corn tortillas
- 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Bottled chipotle hot sauce or other hot sauce

Directions:

1) Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash.

2) Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

3) Scoop bean mixture, slaw mixture, and feta into a tortilla and drizzle with hot sauce.

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Mediterranean Salad with Prosciutto and Pomegranate

It’s not that I haven’t been cooking much this summer. It’s just that I haven’t been cooking anything creative. It’s hot, I’m busy, and I’ve been relying on chicken and grilled vegetables, my handy Trader Joe’s canned food for all sorts of cold pasta salads, and lots of fresh fruit—plums for 49¢ a pound just make me happy. But the other Sunday I was invited to a barbecue by my friends Vickie and Carlos, and I realized that I missed playing around in the kitchen.

I pulled out the salad recipes that had been piling up in my kitchen notebook, and I chose two. Of them, the “wow” recipe of the pair seems as if it would have been the watermelon and arugula salad with caramelized macadamia nuts, gorgonzola, and a raspberry vinaigrette. Instead, it was the underdog (chosen because I love prosciutto and had just seen pomegranate seeds at the grocery store), which turned out to be one of the best salads I’ve ever had. I snuck the leftovers home with me and ate them every day for three days until there was nothing but a few dribbles of dressing left in the Tupperware container.

Mediterranean Salad with Prosciutto and Pomegranate
from Bon Appetit, November 2008

Serves 4-6 (perfect for a light lunch or dinner with soup or bread)

Ingredients

- 2 cups very thinly sliced fennel bulb
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 6 cups arugula (about 4 ounces)
- 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
- 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 3-ounce packages thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into strips
- 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Directions

1) Toss fennel and 1 tablespoon olive oil in medium bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

2) Combine arugula, green onions, mint, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in large bowl; toss. Season with salt and pepper.

3) Divide greens among plates. Top with fennel, then drape with prosciutto. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the top.

Note on amounts and mixing:

- I was pretty loose on measuring ingredients, and it just didn’t matter, as long as you don’t go overboard on anything.

- I just mixed everything all together in a big bowl. No need to take the time to divide ingredients on separate plates unless you feel like being arty.

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Fun with Peas

So here I am at 11 at night, jet-lagged after nearly a month in Asia, and sleepless because my sis is going into the hospital at 5 am tomorrow so her doctor can induce labor. By this time tomorrow night, I will be an aunt!! As for now, I'm wide awake, and don't have the concentration to work or even watch the second half of Mildred Pearce. So I'll post a recipe that has been my staple ever since I discovered it a few months ago. Officially, it's a pea dip, but the name just doesn't quite sound right, so I'm calling it Fun with Peas ... as opposed to Peacamole, the name given to it by its creator on her blog, "Chocolate & Zucchini."

"Chocolate & Zucchini" is one of my favorite blogs, and I hadn't visited it for awhile. Then one day while doing a cleanse, when all I could think about was food, I decided to take a peek and see what I was missing. But the first recipe I encountered turned out to be ideal for my two weeks of no wheat, no dairy, no sugar. It was also the tastiest dip I'd had in ages. With brown rice crackers, it has become my daily go-to snack, along with carrots and hummus. It has also attended two parties with me, with great social success.

The following recipe is modified from the original on "Chocolate & Zucchini."

Fun with Peas

Ingredients:

- 1 bag frozen peas (1 lb.)
- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro
- 2 Tbsp. whole almond butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 dash Tabasco sauce or pinch of cayenne pepper (I use a lot more to give it a kick)
- Salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Steam the peas until tender. Let them cool.

2) In a food processor, combine peas, almond butter, cilantro, garlic, Tobasco or cayenne, and salt and pepper. Process until smooth.

3) Spread on brown rice crackers.

SERVE IT FORTH: INDEX OF RECIPES