Black Bean Tacos

This is a new found favorite recipe of mine because it's easy and it adds some variety to the usual weeknight meals.  My family and I already eat very little meat, but this can lead to some monotony on the menu at times.  Especially during the summer when there's not as much desire to spend a huge amount of time in the kitchen, either because there's too much to do outside or it's just too hot.  Veggie burgers are a great option and don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of homemade veggie burgers, just not every night.  So I came up with this quick and easy recipe that's healthy, flavorful, and gluten-free (if that's something you're looking for).  Almost all of the vegetables are from the farmer's market and the cilantro came from my windowsill at home.  I like to serve these tacos either with a side of brown rice flavored with some cilantro and garlic, or a fresh green salad for something lighter since the tacos are pretty filling alone.  I hope you enjoy it!

Black Bean Tacos

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup scallions, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp olive oil

Small corn tortillas

Add black beans to a large bowl and using a potato masher, mash them lightly.  Add in the tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro and stir.  Stir in cumin and garlic powder.  Over medium-high heat, heat olive oil and place 1-2 corn tortillas in the pan.  Make sure that the entire surface of the tortilla is touching the pan, if two tortillas don't fit, just do one at a time.  Place a spoonful of the black bean mixture onto the tortilla and cook for 1 minute.  Next, fold the tortilla in half, making sure the filling stays inside.  Cook for about a minute more, then carefully flip, cooking for another minute on the other side.  The tacos should be lightly browned and crispy.  Top with a few more scallions or a little bit of shredded cheese.  Enjoy!

Rhubarb Crisp

This week at the Farmer's Market it was hard to ignore the giant stalks of rhubarb everywhere.  If you've never seen it before or aren't sure what it looks like, it resembles bright pink celery.  Many people that I've talked to have discovered it growing in their backyard and we actually just planted some along the side of our house so that we can have it all summer long.  I myself am new to rhubarb, just recently experimenting with it in a dessert.  I'm a huge fan now!  It's great for pies or jams because it's got a great flavor that's sweet, but tart all at once.  It's like a mix between a strawberry and a cranberry, neither of which you would expect from the looks of it.  My recipe that I'm sharing this week is a Rhubarb Crisp which is a really simple summer recipe that's great on it's own or you can serve it over ice cream or Greek yogurt.  It only takes about 10 minutes of prep time so it's perfect for this time of year when even the weekend days are jam packed with activities.  I found this recipe in a great local cookbook called Simple, Fresh, and Healthy: A Collection of Seasonal Recipes by Linda Hafner and made a few alterations.  Follow the link below for more info on this great cookbook!
Simple, Fresh & Healthy: A Collection of Seasonal Recipes

Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients
For the filling:
1 bundle of fresh Rhubarb (about 8 stalks)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

For the topping:
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and coat a pie pan or glass pie dish with cooking spray.

Cut the leaves and very end of each rhubarb stalk off and then chop the stalks into half inch pieces.

Combine all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl and let sit for about 15 minutes.

Next, combine all of the topping ingredients in a separate bowl and stir until all of the brown sugar lumps have broken up and are evenly spread throughout the oats.

Add fruit mixture to the pie dish first and then cover with the topping.  Place in the oven for about 40 minutes. or until the top starts to brown and the mixture is bubbling.

Dish out on it's own or serve it over vanilla greek yogurt or a small scoop of ice cream.  Enjoy!

What's In Season?

Now that it's finally springtime, the Regional Market is busy with more vendors and more veggies and you'll begin to see smaller Farmer's Markets cropping up all around the area.  If you're new to the idea of local foods, it's good to know what's in season and starting this time of year there's a lot.  Right now, in early May, you can find fresh asparagus, spinach, radishes, rhubarb, and broccoli.  I like to use fresh spinach as a lettuce substitute for salads and sandwiches or combine it with some asparagus and fresh eggs from a local farm to make a frittata (great for any meal of the day).  That's one combination that I can't resist so I'll be sharing a recipe for that in the near future.  Rhubarb is great for desserts or jam and radishes are a great vegetable to spice up a salad.  Broccoli is extremely versatile because you can use it on a salad, throw it a stir fry, or pack it into a pita with hummus and some red onion.  Also, broccoli is native to New York (interesting fun fact) so it's plentiful this time of year and would be a perfect addition if you have a small garden since it's definitely suitable for this climate.  So if you haven't yet or it's been awhile, stop by a farmer's market soon to enjoy some great spring produce.  And check back for some recipes featuring our spring harvest items soon!  Happy shopping!

P.S. If you don't live in New York, or just want a great resource for checking what's in season all year, check out sustainabletable.org where you can find what's in season for every region in the US.