Monday, November 2, 2009

Meatless Monday: Poblano and Mushroom Tacos



I must admit, I don't know that many vegetarians. My trainer at the gym, Kim, is, and an Indian couple we know in town are, but that's about it. My dear bloggy friend Nap is, too, and because I adore Kim and Nap so much, and because it's good for us, the T house is committed to Vegging Out a little more often.

I saw this recipe in the November 2009 issue of Bon Appetit magazine and knew it was for us (and Nap, and Kim). This recipe is ideal because 1) it's in the Fast, Easy, Fresh section of the magazine, and Nap and Kim are busy gals, and 2) at 258 calories and 3 grams of fiber per taco, these aren't going to send my health-conscious friends running for their "fat pants shelf" in the closet any time soon.

And don't lie--you ALL have a "fat pants shelf"...you know you do. Don't even think of denying it.

Poblano and Mushroom Tacos
Makes 4
from Bon Appetit Magazine

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) 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 Cojita cheese
Assorted toppings (such as shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and hot sauce or salsa)

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add poblano chile, red onion and mushrooms; saute 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 a single layer, draping up the 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 Cojita cheese, and toppings.

Verdict: Both hubs and I liked these a lot! The poblanos lend a smoky heat (as does the cumin) and the mushrooms add a meatiness. We did add extra hot sauce and, after the first bite, slices of avocado--an addition I highly recommend! This is a weeknight winner.

Also, if you've invested in a really good non-stick pan, you can reduce the oil to 1 tablespoon, total. Use 1/2 tablespoon for the filling and then use the remaining oil on the tortillas--just BRUSH the oil on each tortilla using a cooking brush and cook in the same manner! Viola! One less day without fat pants!

34 comments:

  1. These sound delicious...seriously, wouldn't even miss the meat! That's what's so great about tacos (well, one of the things)...you can stuff 'em with anything and they rock! Plus, mushrooms meatiness more than makes up for it, I'm sure...YUM!

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  2. Aaaaaaaack! You've seen my closet shelf! I'm trying to do Meatless Mondays, too. As you might know, I had a portobello mushroom binge last week, so I need to give it a brief rest. These tacos are awesome! I love cotija cheese-- shoot, the whole darn thing works well. Bookmarking this one!

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  3. We all have fat pants. I would love these, but poor Ben is allergic to mushrooms...sigh.

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  4. I'm not sure anyone in my house would let me go meatless. I wouldn't mind trying but I do enjoy a piece of meat....MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

    They look delish.

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  5. I sure do have a fat pants shelf (laugh). This is a great healthy dinner. If I ate more of these tacos, I would have to wear my fat pants less.

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  6. This sounds yummy and I'm not into the vegetarian thing. I should be, but you know how that goes... I think I'll try these soon. Thanks for the tip!

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  7. Mmm, tasty. My girlfriend is definitely a veggie - but not a fan of mushrooms! And my carnivorous, mushroom-eating mouth lets out a small whimper. Alas. Maybe we can substitute something for the shroomies?

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  8. Dude. All my shelves are the fat pants shelf.

    We're vegetarian. These look tasty! I might try to work in some black beans for extra protein... or maybe serve refried beans on the side? Hmm, now I have something yummy to think about...

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  9. My principal at work is vegetarian, and we eat that way quite often usually not intentionally. I always bring the veggie stuff into work to give my boss (not such a bad idea) lol. She liked my quinoa salad!

    I would love to try these, they look awesome! So fresh!

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  10. Well this taco is rockin' the house! I love everything in this. Can't wait to try it! :D

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  11. I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a fat pants shelf at the BAH house...stop looking in my closets TKW ; )

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  12. Hmm...I love mushrooms this sounds fab! xxx

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  13. these look meaty and hearty enough for any non-vegetarian! love the flavor combo (and hate my fat pants shelf)! :)

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  14. Oh yeah...I have a fat pants shelf. Who doesn't?
    These tacos look wonderful!

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  15. Those look great (anything with feta dripping out gets my attention immediately).

    What would you suggest as a substitute for mushrooms, though, as no one here will eat one (including me)? I guess we could use TVP (but the faux ground beef thingies are pretty heinous).

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  16. The balloon cat is quite proud of his degree. He's rather a snot about it.

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  17. Fat pants SHELF??? I am WEARING my fat pants right now!!

    It's good to know a decent veggie recipe. One of my best friends is a vegetarian and I never know what to make her. We're getting sick of hummus.

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  18. Ink and others who were wondering about mushroom substitutes:

    I think some cubed, boiled potato would be good with the peppers--sort of like spicy home fries in a taco? Zucchini would work, and corn...or grilled slices of eggplant? Black beans (or any other beans, for that matter, would be a natural.

    I'm afraid of meat substitutes, too! Tempeh, maybe?

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  19. This would never fly at our house. Hubby and son are MAJOR meat-men. Son would happily wrap everything he eats in bacon.

    I need the protein desperately, so I can't give up on meat either.

    Is it a hard transition to make? I realize you're not going full time, but even a day or two a week is a lot.

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  20. I would love to have more vegetarian meals--what is it about men, though, that a meal isn't a meal without meat. So we end up with meat. Unfortunately my daughter will not eat a mushroom under any circumstances.

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  21. Gretchen, we are only going meatless maybe twice a month (Bean Week from Hell non-withstanding).

    It's not hard just twice a month; pasta is a crowd pleaser and I can be creative with proteins twice a month...BEANS are the best if you want non-animal protein, but quinoa is good, too, and if you like tofu...?

    Once a week would be harder for us...I think I'd resort to eggs a lot. Frittatas, omelets, that kind of thing.

    You do understand that my kids will not touch the veggie meals, right? Well, the bean cakes passed muster, but they're a tough crowd...

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  22. Oh, drooling. Not a single ingredient here I don't adore (except the crimini, but they're so good for me, and cumin and poblano and cojita solve *any* issues I have with an ingredient).
    Love tacos, love cumin, love poblano, love cheese, love hot sauce. Will let you know if the tougher vegetarians in my house will eat this yumminess.
    Gorgeous. I know you had other reasons for trying this, but thanks! "You are the cojita of my life."

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  23. Ok, I forgot what I was going to say because I was so impressed by all the commenters you have. Yea! That and I missed you during my first trimester because thinking of food made me sick. Oh, how I missed you.

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  24. I'm making these tomorrow! I'm really really serious...I mean it. The avocado slices sound like a delicious addition. YUm!

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  25. I'm a weird one and I don't like mushrooms.

    I do like poblanos though. Yum.

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  26. TKW, I'm with you on meat substitutes, part because they're so highly processed and full of chemicals (hello Morningstar, you chemical whores, you). But so many veggie proteins: beans, nuts (so much you can do with peanuts), soy beans, tofu, quinoa. For those who'll do eggs and cheese, the options are endless.
    I agree with you that potatoes and/or beans would be good in these tacos. So would cubed plain tofu or scrambled eggs, really.

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  27. I'm into the vegetarian thing, save for an occasional lapse at the expense of some poor, unsuspecting fish, and your tacos sound delicious. Sans the chiles and cumin, it's a similar recipe to one I make.

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  28. Okay, the feta and mushrooms yes, but no meat in my tacos......not gonna happen. My husband loves his meat and I hate to think of the look on his face when he bit into this. He would be like that old lady from the commercial saying "where's the beef".

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  29. "You are the cojita of my life" is now my new favorite phrase :) LOL at your little rant at Morningstar, Nap.

    Passions: your hubby sounds a lot like my daddy. He'd rather go without dinner than eat a meatless one.

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  30. Yes...I too have a "fat pants shelf." ~.~ lol! Thanks for the great recipe! :)

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  31. I just blogged about these... I made them two nights in a row! I also had to laugh when I saw you mentioned tempeh as a good add in, because I went the non-veggie way and thought about how good this filling would be with grilled chicken added in! But maybe one of these days I will help inspire you to try tempeh :) And if you hate it you never have to touch the stuff again!

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  32. Went on a bit of a TKW menu extravaganza and made these the other night, too. Except I braved the faux-meat world and subbed the Morning Star brand black bean burgers for the shroomies to keep the woman happy.

    Absolutely delicious.

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