Mexican

Taco

I love traveling. Who doesn’t? I have so many places on my bucket list, places that I would love to visit one day… sooner is better than later. 🙂

I have a notebook where I collect the addresses of all the interesting places, cute shops, cafes, markets, restaurants (especially with the options of vegetarian meals) I want to see, experience and try. I need to jot the names down otherwise I will forget about them. Before we travel somewhere I just open my notebook and check my notes if there is any place we must visit on the journey. As a result I usually make a long-long list (mostly with food related topics) about the restaurants and markets with the sign: “This one shouldn’t be missed!”. Thank God, my boyfriend doesn’t mind doing special food tours on our travels. 🙂

Quesadilla

One of my bucket list places is the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, USA; a powerful and inspiring landscape that overwhelms our senses through its immense size. And if we are there we surely won’t miss the one and only entertainment capital of the world, Las Vegas in Nevada. The resort city is known primarily for gambling, shopping and fine dining. It is famous for its consolidated casino-hotels (here is a tip where to stay for the first time) and associated entertainment.

I found a few good restaurants in Vegas with vegetarian (Mexican menu) and vegan options too. If we are there we’ll definitely try these places. Both of them look really good and I’m always amazed if a restaurant has delicious vegetarian and vegan meals to offer.

Which places are on your bucket list?

Anyway, back to my yum Mexican taco and quesadilla. Here you go, two easy to make weekdays dinner recipes!

Butternut Squash And Black Beans Taco & Quesadilla

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

For the taco
– 250-300 g butternut squash, peeled, diced
– 240 g (1 jar) black beans, drained and rinsed
– 1 onion, chopped
– 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
– salt, pepper
– corn tortillas
– cooked rice
– guacamole
– 150 ml sour cream (you can use soy yoghurt to make it vegan) + 2 teaspoon chili sauce, mixed
– fresh coriander
– lime
– olive oil

For the quesadilla (same as for the taco)
– 150 g grated cheese

For the quacamole
– 2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
– 1 small onion, chopped
– 1 clove garlic, chopped
– juice of 1/2 lime
– salt, pepper
– fresh coriander, chopped

Method

To make the butternut squash mix: heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, add chopped onion and saute for a 2-3 minutes. Next stir in the diced squash and cook for 8-10 minutes. At the end add black beans, season with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Cook for 4-5 minutes then set aside.

To make the tacos: toast tortillas (both sides for about 2 minutes) over an open flame or in a non-stick pan. Fill the tortillas with the butternut squash mixture, top with cooked rice, guacamole, chili sour cream, sprinkle with chopped coriander. Serve with lime wedges. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

To make the quesadillas: heat a non-stick pan and place one tortilla in the pan to warm. Sprinkle with grated cheese, spread some butternut squash mixture and rice over the cheese, sprinkle with cheese again and top with a second tortilla. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip it over and cook until the bottom is browned and the cheese is melted, another 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Slice and serve with quacamole, chili sour cream and fresh coriander.

To make the guacamole: scoop out the inside of the avocados. Mash it with a fork. Add chopped onion, garlic, lime juice, season with salt, pepper and chopped coriander.

Margaret Island (Margit-sziget) is a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) long island in the middle of the Danube in central Budapest, Hungary. The island is mostly covered by landscape parks, and is a popular recreational area for bikers, runners and swimmers (in the Alfréd Hajós sports pool the European Aquatics Championships 1958, 2006 and 2010 took place). It’s also a favorite place for couples to have a romantic night out in Budapest or have a perfect picnic. Its medieval ruins are reminders of its importance in the Middle Ages as a religious centre.

The island spans the area between the Margaret Bridge (south) and the Árpád Bridge (north). Its landmarks are a small Japanese garden, a rose garden, a tiny zoo, an open-air theatre, a music well and a music fountain and an octagonal water tower (the music fountain and the water tower are protected UNESCO sites). Two hotels provide accommodations with thermal spas and various medical services.

All in all, Margaret Island is the Hungarians’ Central Park. 🙂

Sweet crispy corn kernels lightly roasted are heavenly. I adapted the recipe from Nicole. I also made tomato salsa (tomato, red onion, coriander, salt, pepper, lime juice and chili) and corn tortillas. I cooked brown rice and we added avocado slices and a touch of sour cream to fill up our tacos. You can make it a handful of different ways using cheese, beef, chicken, seafood or other vegetables. Get creative and enjoy your Mexican picnic!

Roasted Corn Salsa

Ingredients (serves 4)

– 4 corn cobs
– 1 small bunch of coriander, chopped
– 1 small red onion, peeled and chopped
– juice of 2 limes
– sea salt, black pepper
– extra virgin olive oil

Method

Remove the husks from the corns. Heat a non-stick pan over high heat and roast the corns for about 8 minutes (continuously turn the corns to char). Turn off the heat to medium, add 100-200 ml water, cover the pan with a lid and cook the corns for 10-15 minutes. Let them cool. Stand each cob upright on its base and use a sharp knife to shave off the kernels (here is a video on how to take corn kernels off the cob easily).

In a bowl mix together the corn, coriander, red onion, juice of limes, add 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve and enjoy!

¡Voilá!