Saturday, May 1, 2010

Mushroom Tacos from Epicurious

My favorite food in the entire world is tacos. As a little kid, when my Dad made tacos I would eat about seven of them in a row.

Now that I eat vegetarian I find that portabello mushrooms are a hearty meat substitute, with the smaller baby bellas adding a contrasting texture. These tacos are delicious because of the combination of spices and fresh toppings.

Although now I can probably only eat three at the most, I make this all the time knowing that it will be a spicy and satisfying dinner.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 fresh poblano chile, halved, seeded, thinly sliced into long strips
1/2 small red onion, sliced
3 ounces crimini (baby bella) and portabello mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 corn tortillas
4 thin slices Monterey Jack cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro
Crumbled feta or Cotija cheese
Assorted toppings (such as shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and hot sauce or salsa)
Hard or soft taco shells

Preparation:

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add poblano chile, red onion, and mushrooms; sauté mixture until brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in ground cumin. Season to taste with salt. Transfer mixture to medium bowl.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer, draping up sides of skillet to fit. Divide mushroom mixture among tortillas, mounding on only 1 side. Place slice of Monterey Jack cheese atop filling in each tortilla. Fold plain tortilla halves over filling and press firmly. Cook until tortillas are brown, about 1 minute per side. Transfer tacos to plates. Open tacos; sprinkle with chopped cilantro, crumbled feta or Cotija cheese, and toppings.