now that it's july, my brain can officially register that it's summer. and since it's summer that means vacation and perhaps some relaxation. we're leaving the pup behind (sad face) with my parents and heading to LA; we've got a (non) list of things to hit up including a trip out to the desert for a hike through joshua tree, an early morning surf lesson, popping in to some of the million restaurants i have bookmarked, spending time with two people we love more than what's probably conceived to be normal, and meeting our four-legged niece + nephew: charlie, and her brother henry. to say that i'm excited is an understatement. i would love any other suggestions you all may have!
speaking of cali, they have the BEST tacos! i am wholly looking forward to consuming them all for breakfast, lunch + dinner...on repeat. so, today it's a bit of a taco celebration in honor of the upcoming 4th of july. what's better than a super fresh, vibrant taco on a day of celebration - i say, not much!
i was totally inspired by an awesome mexican restaurant near us in park slope that we eat at often. usually i order various menu items here and there to make the kind of meal i like to eat. most times, i get a citrusy avo + beet salad, a side of mini corn tortillas, some of their insanely spicy (and delicious) hot sauce, and make my own little meal of spicy beet tacos - so yum! so, these tacos are definitely a riff on what i'm ordering when i'm mex-ing it up. but my beet greens were so lovely, and my cilantro growing outside was so fragrant, that i wanted to make a salsa verde to go along with it all. add some super spicy, crunchy, quick-pickled onions and you're set! happy fourth, y'all! xo
roasted beet tacos w/ beet green salsa verde + spicy, quick-pickled onions (v + gf)
| makes about 8 tacos |
ingredients
beet filling
- corn tortillas
- 1 lb. beets, washed and trimmed (reserve beet greens for salsa verde)
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted and cut into thin slices
- zest + juice from 1 lime
- cilantro for garnish
- fine grain sea salt + fresh ground pepper
- olive oil for roasting
beet green salsa verde
- 3/4 cup beet greens, roughly chopped
- 1/4 fresh cilantro
- 1/4 jalapeño pepper, seeded or not
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
- large grain sea salt
spicy pickled onions
- 1 large red onion
- 1 jalapeño pepper, cut into quarters (i chose to keep the seeds in for more heat, but if you like less heat, remove the seeds)
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- big pinch of large grain sea salt
instructions
to roast the beets
- preheat oven to 400° and place beets in a large piece of foil. drizzle oil evenly over beets, and sprinkle with salt + pepper; wrap the foil tightly and place in a baking dish, bake for roughly 1 hour - until beets can be easily pierced with a fork or sharp knife. remove beets from oven and allow to cool. once cool, slip skins off and discard; rinse beets and pat dry
- slice beets into small chunks and place in a mixing bowl. add lime juice, zest and salt + pepper, taste and adjust seasoning. set beet mixture aside
salsa verde
- place all the salsa verde ingredients in a food processor and pulse, scraping down the sides until roughly chopped. taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. set aside
spicy, quick-pickled onions
- place onions, pepper, vinegar, water and salt in a medium saucepan; stir, and bring contents to a boil. turn off heat and allow to cool. when cool, discard the pepper pieces, and transfer onions and some of the juice to a lidded jar. refrigerate until ready to use
assemble tacos
- heat tortillas over a low flame on a gas stove, grill, or in an oven. stuff the tacos with sliced avo, beets, spicy pickled onions, and salsa verde. garnish with extra cilantro and serve warm
enjoy!