crispy avocado tacos + roasted radishes + sriracha smashed beans
After one helluva crazy year, and an intense week last week for me on the internet ….. I was beyond thrilled (and a bit teary-eyed) to learn about my nomination for the most DELICIOUS food blog by Saveur magazine (!!!!!!!), for the second year in a row. WOW. Just wow. As soon as I found out I literally screamed at Michael and then immediately started to cry (tears of joy, of course). A totally over-dramamtic reaction, but I was so very happy, and I easily cry at happy moments. That scream was a new one for me though.
I think the reason for my overly emotional reaction was definitely in part because it is one of the most (or second most) exciting moment in this little blog's life. But it is also emotional because last year when I was nominated, the excitement was overshadowed by my mom getting sick and going to the hospital almost immediately after. I feel like the universe is giving me a second chance to enjoy a little celebration for all this …… so let's pop some bubbly and make some tacos!!!!!!!!!
I am so thankful for my readers (hello, you) who follow along, comment, and make my recipes. There are times as a blogger you wonder why it is you spend hours and hours coming up with recipes and taking photos, if anyone is ever going to get to enjoy it at the other end. Your comments, emails, tweets, and 'grams make me feel like someone is there on the other end, and that is what makes this all worthwhile ….. and this nomination is just the (dairy-free) icing on that cake.
If you've enjoyed following along as much as I've loved making recipes for and with you … then, I would love your vote! It just takes a minute, you can only vote once, for one blog in each category. There are so many other talented blogs in my category, as well as all of the other categories, so hopefully you will find a few new favorites in there too (I certainly did). To get to the voting page, click the Saveur link in the sidebar ------------> and then to find me you have to scroll alllllll the way down to the bottom to the most delicious food category.
So, onto our celebration TACOS. What better way to celebrate this or any occasion than with tacos, stuffed with crispy, baked, avocado, some roasted radishes, some spicy smashed siriacha beans, and some crunchy bits. When I made these, I was kind of just playing around with the idea of crispy avocado. I wasn't sure how I would feel about a warm and crunchy avocado (I like my avocado, cool and creamy) but ….. I have to say, I feel really really really good about warm, crunchy avocado, especially when it's in a tortilla. with lots of other delicious stuff.
These tacos are very easy to throw together, so they are perfect for a fun, simple weeknight meal, or great if you want to invite some friends over for a taco party. Less time cooking, more time celebrating and partying is what I am all about right now.
crispy avocado tacos + roasted radishes + sriracha smashed beans
MAKES
about 8-10 tacos
INGREDIENTS
about 1 cup of butter radishes, quartered
a drizzle of olive oil
salt + pepper
3-4 avocados, that are on the firm side
1/4 cup of bread crumbs (gluten-free if you want to make this gf)
1 can of (organic, no-sodium) cannelloni beans, drained
2 tablespoons of your favorite sriracha
about 1 cup of purple or green cabbage, shredded (sliced very thin)
about 10 tortillas (I like to use Ezekiel gluten-free sprouted tortillas)
*additional (optional) toppings: micro greens, pain yogurt, sautée onions
METHOD
Roast the radish:
- Pre-heat the oven to 400º.
- Place the sliced radish onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 10-15 minute until the radish is soft. Remove and set aside until you're ready to assemble the tacos.
Prepare + bake the avocado:
- Turn the oven heat up to 425º.
- Slice the avocados by halving them, remove the pit, and then using a spoon, gently separate the avocado from the skin (keeping it in one piece). Then slice each half, lengthwise, into three slices. Each avocado will yield 6 slices.
- Pour the bread crumbs onto a plate or flat surface, and one by one, dip the avocado into the bread crumbs so they are completely coasted on both sides. Then place them onto a baking sheet (season with salt and pepper if your bread crumbs are not seasoned). Do this until all of the avocados have been coated.
- Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the crust has become light brown.
While the radish and avocados are baking, prepare the beans:
- Place the drained beans into a bowl with the sriracha, and mash it all together with a fork. Do this until they are all roughly mashed.
Assemble the tacos:
- Place a spoonful of the sriracha beans onto the center of the tortilla. Then top with 2-3 slices of avocado, and a couple of rashes. Fishish with a pinch or two of the cabbage and any other additional toppings that you like.