Taco Night

The other night I made fish tacos, kind of a combination of traditional meat-based tacos (without the meat) and fish-tacos. I realized as I was putting everything together, that I'm not much of a recipe person. I sometimes start out with a recipe for ideas but then nearly always, run astray, adding or subtracting things, a little more or less of this and that and somehow end up with something I like. I've had a few things end up in the trash, like the cookies I made back in junior high, that had EVERY type of chip I could find-- mint, butterscotch, milk chocolate, semi-sweet, peanut butter and more do NOT work well in the same cookies. Usually, what I create, works out all right.

Based on the above, I hope you'll forgive me that I don't have exact measurements for the meal below. If there isn't an amount, "to taste" is implied because that's how I cook.

I made these with the crunchy taco shells I remember from childhood. If you prefer soft shells, go ahead and use tortillas.

I served three people, including one 4-year-old and had leftover beans & coleslaw. My husband and I each had 2 tacos (maybe 3 for my husband) and Q had 1 + 2 empty shells.

What you'll need:
Taco shells

1 bag of cole slaw, the shredded stuff you find in the produce dept, not pre-made with the sauce
2-3 T light mayonnaise
apple cider vinegar
celery salt
a sprinkling of sugar
poppy seeds

2 cans black beans, preferably organic
about 2 T canola oil
1 large onion, finely chopped (I use yellow but white or sweet works too)
minced or crushed garlic
more apple cider vinegar
cayenne pepper

dover sole, figure at least 1 fillet per person, 2 if you have big eaters
Italian dressing (not creamy)

1 avocado
cumin
salsa

Start by making the coleslaw. In a medium or large bowl (no need to use the whole bag if you don't think you'll eat it all), combine the coleslaw shreds with 1-3 T of mayonnaise. Stir in a bit of cider vinegar until you get a consistency you like. I don't want it runny but I also don't like dressing that's too mayonnaise-y. Season to taste with sugar and celery salt. Sprinkle poppy seeds, as desired. I like quite a few poppy seeds because I like the texture it gives. If you want though, just use them for appearance. Paprika might work well here too, although I haven't tried it. Cover and place in the fridge until serving time.

Next, make the "refried" beans. In a large nonstick skillet, saute onions and garlic in 1-2 T of canola oil until soft and slightly browned. If you find the onions are getting dry, add a T of oil, water or chicken broth to add some moisture. I don't like a lot of oil in my food and I've found that adding water works well. Do take care when adding liquid to a hot skillet, so that you don't burn yourself if it splatters.
While the onion & garlic are sauteeing, drain and rinse the black beans. Add them when the onions are soft & slightly browned. Cook until they begin to soften and you can mash them with a spoon or spatula. Add a few splashes of cider vinegar, continue to stir and mash and then add cayenne to taste. Leave on low heat, stirring occasionally until serving time.
If you don't want to go to this much work, you can sub pre-made canned refried beans but they don't taste as good IMO, and this recipe takes all of 15 minutes so how lazy do you want to be?

In another non-stick skillet, place the sole fillets and drizzle / cover with Italian salad dressing and cook until flaky. This won't take long as sole fillets tend to be thin so keep an eye on them.

Slice the avocado in two and using a knife* remove the pit. Scoop avocado out of shell and into a small bowl. Sprinkle with cumin (I sometimes add sea salt, onion powder & garlic too) and add 2-3 T of salsa. Mash with a fork. I like my guacamole on the chunky side so try to find avocados that have some give but aren't too soft in the grocery store and they tend to give me the right texture.

Remove the coleslaw from the fridge and you're ready to start assembly. Starting with an empty taco shell, add a layer of beans followed by the fish. Next add the guacamole and top with some coleslaw. You can also add shredded cheese, salsa and some other things but I've found the shells are too full for much more at this point.

This recipe is dairy-free, assuming you can eat eggs (although you can substitute vegan mayo and it will be egg-free too) and skip the cheese. It's gluten-free as long as you use corn tortillas or regular taco shells instead of flour.

* I take no responsibility for injury so if you don't know how to do this properly, find another way to remove the pit.