Tacos aren’t only for Tuesday! I say tacos everyday! My favorite thing about tacos? Just about anything goes! Whatever the reason or season, whatever you find fresh at the farmers’ market, whatever your craving ~ there is a taco to fix your hankering! Winter, spring, summer, or fall there is a taco you can create for all.
These, in particular, are all about summer!
The filling for these tacos were inspired by my seasonal CSA share that was filled to the brim with summer’s bounty – eggplant, bell peppers, spicy peppers, tomatoes, squash, cilantro, & basil. Hooray for colorful summer produce!
I put together a zesty & smoky spice mix to dredge the veggies & roasted away.
Smoky Chipotle Roasted Summer Vegetables
Ingredients:
- 1 Japanese eggplant
- 1 Italian pepper
- 1 Yellow Squash
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/8 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
- Trim & discard ends of eggplant & squash. Stem & seed bell peppers. Cut eggplant, squash, & pepper & onion into 1 1/2-inch chunks.
- Combine spic mixture, vegetables, & olive oil in a mixing bowl & toss, coating the vegetables in the spices & oil.
- Transfer to an roasting pan & spread evenly. Bake at 400 degrees F, for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are fragrant & tender.
While the vegetables roasting, I made a fresh & summery salsa. I like things super spicy, so to add a bit of heat to this recipe I added banana & cherry bomb peppers & a Serrano chile. I also tossed in some roasted corn for smokiness.
Spicy Summer Salsa
Ingredients:
- 8 oz mixed cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 2 banana peppers, minced
- 1 Serrano chili, minced
- 1 cherry bomb pepper, minced
- 1/4 yellow onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup roasted corn, fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- Sea salt & black pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Combine tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, corn, cilantro, lime juice, salt & pepper in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours to blend flavors. Makes about 2 cups of salsa.
Once the veggies & salsa were out of the way it was time to think of some fun taco toppings. Instead of typical shredded lettuce, guacamole, & sour cream, I took inspiration from some fellow bloggers & made a cooling fennel slaw & cilantro-avocado crema – it’a a good idea to balance out summer’s heat with a bit of cooling flavors. Both turned out to be the perfect accoutrements for these tasty tacos. Now, with everything prepped & ready to go, it was time to build these babies. I filled ancient grain artisan tortillas with a large spoonful each of black beans & roasted veggies, then topped them with the fennel slaw, fresh salsa & a dollop of cilantro-avocado crema. I had enough of everything to yield 6-8 soft tacos, with a little extra salsa & crema to snack on with chips.
Mmmmm, mmm, mmm! Not only are these tacos colorful, spicy, & full of summery goodness they are absolutely delicious. All of the flavors melded wonderfully together with the unique pairing of smoky roasted vegetables, crisp fennel slaw, tangy crema & spicy fresh salsa. Every bite was a playful dance of flavors. Summer taco fiesta, anyone?