Taco Tuesday

People often ask how I make a nutritious meal that satisfy the demands of all five members of our family -- the carnivores, the vegetarian and one picky 2-year-old. As I said before, it isn't easy, and often I meet the other's nutritional needs before I meet mine. But occasionally I come up with a flexible meal that works for all of us. And tonight's Tuesday Taco buffet is one of those meals, because everyone can make their own, filling the shell with only the things they really like.

Your buffet can be as simple as just a handful of bowls of the basics, or mix it up and offer a huge variety of toppings. Some suggestions:

Ground beef, browned (either with or without a taco seasoning packet)
Fish sticks (prepared according to package directions)
Baked cod, flaked
Boiled (or canned, drained) shrimp
Refried beans, warmed
Shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, pepper jack, mix it up)
Shredded lettuce
Shredded carrots
Diced tomatoes
Diced avocado
Sliced olives (green or black)
Sliced onion
Sliced jalapeno
Salsa
Sour cream
Guacamole
Taco shells
Flour or corn tortillas

You can buy everything here prepared and packaged at the grocery store. But if you have just 5 extra minutes, I'd recommend at least shredding your own cheese. To keep the cheese from clumping in the package, pre-shredded cheese tends to be a drier cheese that doesn't melt well and lacks that creamy texture that I think makes cheese so wonderfully satisfying.

And if you have more than 5 minutes, try making some of the other fixings yourself.

Mango/Peach Salsa:
2 small mangoes, diced (See note)
2 plumb tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 small peach, diced
1/2 cup sweet onion, finely diced
1/2 to 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 lime
Mix together everything except lime. Roll lime on counter a few times to release the juice, cut in half and squeeze juice over salsa. Toss together and let stand at least 1 hour at room temperature.
(Note: mangos have a big flat seed in the middle. The easiest way to get at the fruit is to hold the mango on end and slice down as close to the seed as you can. Score a grid in the flesh all the way through to the skin but do not go through. Invert the skin and cut the fruit away from the skin.)

Guacamole
2 ripe avocados, seeded and peeled (See note)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, diced
1 plumb tomato, seeded and finely diced
2 Tablespoons onion, finely diced
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1 to 2 drops hot pepper sauce
Use a fork to mash together avocado, lemon juice and garlic. Add remaining ingredients and stir.
(Note: To remove the avocado flesh from the pit, use a large knife to slice through the fruit all the way around the pit and twist the two halves to separate. Gently wack knife blade into the pit, twist and remove. The skin easily peels away from the flesh with a spoon or with your finger.)


Refried black beans
2 32-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
3 Tablespoons light olive oil
1 sweet onion, finely diced
1 Tablespoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
Puree together beans and water in a food processor. Meanwhile, heat oil and saute onion and cumin until very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the beans, bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook, stirring regularly, until water evaporates and beans form a creamy mass that pulls away from the side of the pan.