Ingredients
Serves 2 - 3 people
Tacos!
3 - 4 small to medium sized ears of corn
1 cup of chopped curly kale
1 can of refried black beans
1 cup of grated cheese (we used Colby, I love Pepper Jack!)
1/2 cup of grated carrots (optional)
a package of white flour tortillas (or whole-wheat)
Caramelized Onions
2 - 3 large red onions, sliced (depends on how much you love caramelized onions!)
around 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Tbs. butter
1 tsp. of brown sugar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
pinch of chili powder
pinch of oregano
pinch of dried basil
pinch of garlic powder
Toppings
Sour cream
Guacamole/Avocado Slices
Tomato chunks
Lime Juice
Ranch!
First, begin caramelizing the onions.
Simultaneously, begin boiling water in a large pot (for the corn).
Heat a skillet over low-medium heat and add the butter and olive oil (I use olive oil as a substitute for using more butter, but I like to preserve the butter flavor. Feel free to use just butter or just olive oil, just add about 1 Tb. more of what you choose to make up for the substitution). Let melt. Add the onions, turn down the heat, and let simmer on low for about 10 minutes.
Mr. Cheap, caramelizing!
Is your pot boiling? If so, now add the corn, cover the pot, and let hang out in there for about 10 minutes. Add sea salt and black pepper. Check occasionally. Drain when finished, and slice the corn off the cob into big hunks (they add knock-out crunch to the final product).
Back to the onions! Add the sugar and spices. Leave alone for about 10 - 20 more minutes -- it's really about eye-balling it, and when the onions feel soft and a look bit brown, you know they're done. The picture below is of caramelized onions about 10 minutes before they are finished.
While you're waiting for the onions to be done, chop your curly kale and grate your carrots. I really love steaming kale, but we forgot to this time. It adds a really nutty flavor, regardless, so prepare your kale however you prefer: steamed, sautéed, or just chopped plain. Then, slice your cheese, microwave your tortillas (about 15 seconds), cut up your tomatoes, make your guacamole, get out condiments and set the table!
Grated cheese! Don't buy your cheese pre-grated. They coat it in cellulose. There's no health side effects (See here!), but if I had to choose between cheese coated in cellulose because it's pre-grated and cheese left uncoated in cellulose, I'd rather get the cellulose-free cheese and grate it myself. Personal preference!
Assemble the tacos by scooping refried beans and placing cheese on your tortilla.
Microwave your bean & cheese tortilla for about 20 seconds. Then, add caramelized onions, corn, kale, grated carrots, tomato, etc! Just don't put the tasty veggies on until after microwaving. The cold crunchy veggies with the warm melty bean, cheese, and caramelized onions is a match made in heaven -- don't miss out by microwaving it all together. Then, add your condiments of choice. I like sour cream and guacamole, and a little squirt of lime juice. Mr. Cheap likes Ranch dressing and Taco Bell Ranchero Sauce that we buy at Woodman's. He is a badass.
I hope you enjoy the vegetarian tacos! They are quickly becoming a cheap, meatless alternative at our household. Translation: we eat them all the fucking time. They're best eaten ravenously, while saying "Oh my god, this is so delicious. I can't believe there's no meat!"
Also, look! Our apartment is coming together (thanks to Mr. Cheap). We still don't have any living room furniture, but what a blessing to worry about finding the perfect pieces of furniture on a limited budget instead of BED BUGS. Every time that I am given a problem in life that isn't bed bugs, I embrace it fully, because it IS. NOT. BED. BUGS, because nothing is worse than those little fuckers. Life lesson of the day.
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