Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta & Cabbage Slaw

A wonderful thing happened to me. Because of Facebook, I got reacquainted with an old classmate--former pastry chef & friend extraordinaire, Julie. I have never forgotten my sweet friend and now we talk about motherhood and recipes instead of boys and Banana Republic. Anyway, long story short--she sent me this amazing recipe that she makes for her family--this should go in your 'what are we having for dinner?' file ASAP (Julie, please send me more-this recipe was UNBELIEVABLY GOOD!).

These black bean tacos with cabbage slaw & feta are relatively fast, cheap, and healthy. Plus, you won't miss the meat. Serve with Spanish rice if you want. Easily double or quadrulple the recipe for more people. Really, this is one of my most favorite meals--love, love, love it!

(By the way, I tried them with regular queso/Mexican cheese and feta and the feta won out in the taste department--it may sound strange, but it works beautifully!)

CRISPY BLACK BEAN TACOS WITH FETA & CABBAGE SLAW
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen & Une-Deux Senses

Yields: 6 tacos, 2 servings

For the black beans:

• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
• 1/2 a small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced (or chopped however)
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 For the cabbage slaw:

• 2 tsp. olive oil (I skipped this & didn't miss it)
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• *2 cups coleslaw mix
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise or sour cream (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (try a smoked salt for a real punch of flavor!)

 For the tacos:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 6 corn OR flour tortillas
• ~1/3-1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (reduced fat is fine!)
• Hot sauce, for serving (optional)

 To make the bean mixture: In a medium pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the black beans, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. Use a fork to slightly mash the beans and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.

To make the cabbage slaw: Mix 2 tsp. of olive oil and lime juice in a medium bowl. Add the coleslaw, green onions, cilantro and toss to coat. If desired, you can also add the sour cream/mayonnaise for a creamier slaw. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

For tortillas: Heat 1 tsp. of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat (I used cooking spray--but keep your vent on). Add three tortillas in a single layer. Once golden brown, flip, then spoon 1/4 of the bean mixture onto each tortilla and cook for 1 minute or until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining tsp. of oil (or cooking spray) and tortillas.

To serve: Fill the tacos with feta and slaw. Serve with hot sauce, lime wedges and sour cream.

*To make your own cabbage slaw mix: combine equal parts of shredded green & purple cabbage--(adding shredded carrots or radishes is totally optional).

Rustic Potato Cabbage Bean Soup

Fast, Simple, Healthy & Good. Inspired by 101cookbooks.com--one of my favorite food websites due to Heidi's love of natural foods. I LOVE this soup....but cabbage was eaten often while growing up in my home, so it's not a stretch. This soup is very mild tasting and filling due to the addition of beans. It would be really delicious served with a hearty wheat bread or a sandwich for lunch. If I could use one word to describe this soup, it would be 'cozy'--perfect for a rainy day. If you omit the cheese, it can be made into a vegan soup.

You can use any bean you like--Heidi's recipe called for white beans (I only had garbanzos). She also called for less broth, but for some reason I needed more. I used a vegetarian 'chicken' broth without MSG. In recipes that are as simple as this, the quality of your ingredients is essential. Use good quality extra virgin olive oil and a really good quality grated hard cheese (like Romano, Parmesan, or Grano Padano). Enjoy!

RUSTIC POTATO CABBAGE BEAN SOUP

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 potatoes, skin on (or off-as in my case due to bad skins), cut 1/4-inch pieces (approximately)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, sliced or diced
7 cups stock (approximately, original recipe called for 5 cups)
1 can of beans, drained & rinsed well (your choice-I would have preferred cannellini or navy beans, but only had garbanzos on hand)
1/2 of a cabbage, cored and sliced into (approximate) 1/4-inch ribbons (of course I didn't measure!)

For serving:
A bit more good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Warm the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 5 minutes - it's o.k. to uncover to stir a couple times (and add a bit of stock if the potatoes stick to the pan).

Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for another minute or two. Add the stock and the beans and bring the pot to a simmer. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a couple more minutes, until the cabbage softens up a bit.

Now adjust the seasoning - Heidi says that getting the seasoning right is important or your soup will taste flat and uninteresting. Taste and add more salt if needed, the amount of salt you will need to add will depend on how salty your stock is (varying widely between brands, homemade, etc)...

Serve drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a generous dusting of cheese (I mixed in a handful of cheese at the last minute into the whole pot so that is why my pictures lack a cheese topping).

Makes about 6 servings.