balanced palate

This month I was chosen to be a part of the FoodBuzz 24×24 event. As always, it was an honor. Every time I get to participate, I have so much fun creating an over the top meal with my friends. This time was no exception. I decided this month that I would celebrate the beginning of Summer with Hot N’ Spicy Homemade Summer Tacos. Here’s how the party went:

First I prepared all of the fillings. I went to the market earlier in the week to get some tomatillos and some padron peppers

I chopped and roasted all of these ingredients together with salt, pepper, and olive oil until caramelized .
Mmmm. Ready to be blended.So easy!And then I carved some corn off the cob…And made a sort of tomatillo, pepper, corn salsa. The flavors here were so deep, so many layers. I love that roasted tomatillo flavor so, so much!And I also made a classic salsa, just blended a tomato, jalepeno, cilantro, an onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Easy.And a sort of Jicima cabbage slaw with a cilantro vinaigrette.Look how beautiful this cabbage is!Mango was in there too, for a bit of sweetness.Black beans and rice, for tacos or for making a taco “bowl”.And one of the stars of the show: Cornmeal coated and fried avocado. I dreamed this up one night. Came out so freaking good. They kept their texture and all, I was worried they’d get mushy. But, nope! I just simply mixed cornmeal and salt, and tossed the avocados in there. And panfried in olive oil. Meanwhile, when my friends started showing up, I put them on tortilla making. With my new tortilla press- I love this thing. I am getting so much use out of it!
Homemade tortillas > store bought x 1 million. Yeah, that’s a legit equation.Ready to be filled!Here’s everything. What’s not above? Chipotle shrimp and cumin roasted chickpeas. And cheese and cilantro.We all got creative and filled our tacos with whatever we wanted. Best kinds of parties, in my opinion!We were all happily full after eating too many tacos. The flavors were so good we just wanted to keep going!
mmm fried avocado!So many options…
In all it was a really, really great time. Thanks again to Food Buzz for allowing me to participate this month.

Here is a recipe for you:

Tomatillo, Pepper, and Corn Salsa

Ingredients: 

8 tomatillos

1 onion

10 padron peppers

3 cloves garlic

1 corn on the cob

Olive oil, Salt, Pepper

Method: Cut the tomatillos, onion, and peppers to about the size of a clove of garlic. Make everything about the same size so it roasts evenly. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 for 15 minutes or until caramelized. Let cool a couple of minutes then blend in a food processor. Mix with raw corn before serving.