vegan

Summer Squash Tacos with Papalo Guacamole

July 6, 2017 By Courtney West Leave a Comment

Sliced summer squashes and sweet peppers are sauteed with spices and served over warm tortillas topped with a papalo guacamole. This gluten free and vegan main dish is a great way to enjoy summer produce!

Being an anthropologist in a former life, every time I find a new-to-me fruit or vegetable, I look up its history and uses. So when I received the herb papalo in a recent CSA share, I got to researching! Papaloquelite (or “papalo” for short) is native to Mexico and South America and is mainly used in salsas or as a garnish to tacos and other dishes. In Bolivia, it’s common to see vases of papalo on restaurant tables so that diners may pull off its leaves and season their food. For this recipe, papalo takes the place of cilantro in a quick and easy guacamole that is served atop sweet pepper and summer squash tacos. If papalo isn’t available, feel free to use cilantro instead!

Summer Squash Tacos with Papalo Guacamole

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

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for the tacos:

2 tbsp olive or coconut oil
4 small sweet or bell peppers, seeds removed and sliced into strips
4 cups sliced summer squash
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
8–10 Tortillas to serve

for the papalo guacamole

flesh from 2 large avocados
2 tbsp chopped papalo
2 tbsp minced shallot
2 tsp fresh lemon or lime juice
Sea salt to taste

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Instructions

To make the filling for the tacos, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers, squash, spices, and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Once the veggies start to soften, add the apple cider vinegar. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender. If the mixture looks dry at any point as it is cooking, add a splash of water.

To make the guacamole, gently mash all of the ingredients together, then taste and adjust for seasoning. Fill your favorite tortillas with the summer squash and sweet pepper sauté then top with the papalo guacamole. Makes enough for about 8-10 tacos.

Notes

If you don’t have access to papalo, you can substitute an equal amount of cilantro in its place.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: main

Summer Panzanella

June 30, 2017 By Courtney West Leave a Comment

Dried cubes of bread are tossed with chopped summer veggies, herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil for a quick and easy salad. This vegan and gluten free summer panzanella is a great way to use up stale bread!

As the temperatures rise my overall time spent cooking in the kitchen decreases. I gravitate towards dishes that require little prep but pack plenty of bold flavor. Good thing a lot of summer produce is just as delicious raw! This panzanella is essentially a salad with big croutons (or chunks of stale bread). It’s packed with flavorful summer produce like cucumbers, tomatoes, and sweet bell peppers. And, you don’t have to turn on the oven to make it!

What is Panzanella?

Panzanella originated in the Italian regions of Tuscany and Umbria. Traditionally, it was made with stale bread that had been soaked in water, then squeezed of excess moisture. The “re-hydrated” bread was then tossed with vinegar and chopped vegetables like onion and tomato. It’s common to often see cucumbers and herbs in the mix. In my version, the stale bread isn’t soaked first so it can soak up the olive oil, lemon juice, and juice from the tomatoes. The bread is paired with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, mint, and chives.