Putting a spin on the classic Mexican street food.

If you don’t have a taco obsession, you’re doing something wrong in the kitchen. Quick and simple, and also versatile for a variety of dietary preferences, tacos are one of the easiest dishes to get creative with. Here are three supercharged, healthy variations on the taco theme to get the culinary juices flowing and please any kind of eater, from vegans to pescatarians.

Note: All of these recipes make 4-6 tacos, are completely interchangeable with whatever protein you want to throw in, and should be served on warm corn tortillas.

Cornmeal Crusted Fish Tacos with Roasted Radicchio and Pineapple

Cornmeal is an easy way to get a crunchy taste to fish tacos without deep-frying. 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of Pacific Halibut, Wild Caught (you can use any other whitefish, but make sure you’re going with a sustainable option), cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 cup chopped pineapple
• 1 cup chopped radicchio
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 avocado, chopped into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil for frying

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F.

Mix cornmeal and spices in a bowl. Add in fish and mix until fish is well coated.

In a separate bowl, combine radicchio, pineapple and lime juice. Spread onto a baking sheet and roast for 5-10 minutes.

While radicchio and pineapple are in oven, fry the fish at medium/high heat. About 4-6 minutes.

Layer fish, radicchio and pineapple onto corn tortillas and garnish with avocado.

Vegetarian Kale and Portobello Tacos with Goat Cheese

Inspired by a trip to Mexico, these vegetarian tacos are total foodie pleasers.

Ingredients

• 2 portobello mushrooms, cut into strips
• 6 stalks of red kale, cut into small pieces
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Goat cheese for garnish

Directions:

Place portobello strips in a bowl and pour over balsamic vinegar. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.

In a frying pan, saute mushrooms until they are soft, about 3 minutes. Add in kale and cook until tender.

Vegan Tacos with Red Cabbage and Avocado Slaw

Ideal with tempeh, or any protein of your choice, this slaw brings a fresh taste to your tacos.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 of large cabbage, finely chopped
• 1 avocado, chopped into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:

Combine olive oil, cider vinegar, vinegar, salt, pepper and lemon juice and mix thoroughly.

In a bowl, mix together cabbage and avocado. Drizzle over dressing and gently toss.

Use with tempeh tacos or other protein of your choice.

Images: Anna Brones

The post Three Healthy Taco Variations You Can’t Live Without appeared first on EcoSalon.

Perhaps I could traverse the menus of restaurants in our favorite cities to see what’s hot or not. Remember when dandelion greens were all the rage, and wild nettles were obligatory pizza toppings? Then I actually began researching menus, and the (not-so-surprising) favorites turned out to be the classic standards – romaine, arugula, mixed greens and spinach. But what about those other greens that show up on one’s plate at gourmet establishments and foodie havens?

In the end, I couldn’t help but take a look at a large swath of greens in the garden patch. Ultimately, foodie green inspiration should mainly come from the freshest, seasonal greens that can be found. Without further ado, let’s review.

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1. Watercress

Watercress gets high marks from me. Why? It may stem from the fact that my local corner market sells it in its entirety – leaves and roots in water – so it’s absolutely fresh when I’m ready to use it. I can pull it from the fridge and cut the stems as though it were from my garden outside. Also, watercress is “leafy” enough to feel like a salad, but “stemmy” enough to look fancy.

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2. Arugula

What’s not to love about arugula? OK, it’s true, it might seem too “spicy” for some, and it can get bitter if it’s not picked when the leaves are still young. Still, come ON, it’s so versatile, and oh-so-tasty! Plus, it’s incredibly easy to grow yourself. Here’s a recipe for an arugula salad with cherry tomatoes, fresh corn and carrots.

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3. Little Gem Lettuce

Little gem lettuce could be described as a combination of romaine (crispy) and butterleaf (sweet). It’s smaller and more tender than romaine. Often when served in restaurants the focus is on each leaf standing alone in all its magnificence paired with carefully selected complements, such as cheese, nuts or fruit. Other times, the head of the lettuce is sliced in half lengthwise and served on a plate thus.

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4. Mâché

Mâché, also sometimes referred to as Lamb’s Lettuce (and also corn salad or field lettuce), has European origins and is usually found in the springtime. It’s pronounced “mosh,” and is often sold bunched with its roots, much like watercress. For a plethora of mâché inspired salads, check out epicroots.com.

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5. Mesclun Mix

Staple, staple, staple. The term “mesclun mix” originates from Southern France and is a mix of tender, baby greens. Nowadays, you’ll probably find this as simply “mixed greens” at the grocery store. Mesclun mix does sound much more exotic than mixed greens, though, doesn’t it? At least, to those of us without French connections. I like to think a true mesclun mix would be of a wilder variety than what’s sold in most markets today.

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6. Looseleaf Lettuce

Always lovely, lovely, lovely. Red and green lettuces with larger leaves than mixed greens. Best from the farmers’ market. (But then again, what isn’t?)

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7. Radicchio

Radicchio is a red leafed, Italian variety of chicory. Its leaves are somewhat bitter, so the leaves are often grilled or served wilted. The raw leaves are often chopped and added to other salad greens for color and crunch.

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8. Mizuna

Now this is something I could get excited about. Mizuna is described as mildly peppery on par with mustard greens. It is often mixed with other greens. Tatsoi makes a favorite pairing. I’m thinking this is a good candidate for growing in your own garden. Petaluma Seed Bank (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds), here I come.

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9. Tatsoi

An Asian green that grows well in winter and can be eaten raw or cooked. The Asian version of spinach, if you will.

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10. Baby Spinach

Spinach salad. So healthy. So tasty. Kitchn food blog rounds up 7 versions of spinach salad here.

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11. Dandelion Greens

Dandelion Greens. I thought these were going to get a lot more play when perusing restaurant menus. I feel like their hey-day came and went. Strange considering what promise they seem to offer. Dandelion greens are apparently the most nutritious of any greens offering up more vitamins than broccoli. These bitter leaves can be eaten raw, but are often lightly sauteed and served wilted. Traditionally a part of the mesclun mix and more favored in France from what I hear.

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12. Frisée

I’m going to publicly admit this – I’m not a big fan of frisée, a curly endive in the chicory family. Many of you may beg to differ, but it’s more of a nuisance in my mind. I’ll begrudgingly allow it can look pretty and adds a different texture when mixed in with other greens. But really, it’s more decoration than sustenance. And it’s hard to eat. I suppose I’ll come around eventually. I usually do. But I’m still waiting for the revelation. Inspiration, anyone?

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13. Butterleaf Lettuce

Admittedly, a favorite of mine. Especially in the springtime. Crunchy, yet tender and sweet.

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14. Peashoots

True, pea shoots are mostly a garnish. But they could be mixed into a salad too. And they’re just so cute and adorable, fresh and young.

Images: startcooking kathy & amandine, Girl Interrupted Eating, GottaEat!, Bob Duran, Girl Interrupted Eating, balise42, thebittenword.com, thebittenword.com, smittenkitchen, MMChicago, Food Blogga, thebittenword.com, yumsugar, foodistablog, kthread

The post Salad Days: A Review of 14 Popular Foodie Greens appeared first on EcoSalon.