Simple “Clean out the Fridge” Tacos

Summer is a beautiful time that I absolutely cherish, especially living in Northern Michigan. The weather is beautiful, the sun is shining and there is plenty of fresh produce to be found. My summer weekends are often packed with activity on the water and in the sun. Its the simple things that make my weekend special. A 9 Bean Rows croissant and Higher Grounds Coffee while at the Farmers Market on a Saturday morning. An early morning run with my dog when the weather is still cool and the sun is rising. The calm, fresh water on my skin… simple, yet it means everything.

At the end of the weekend, my Sundays tend to be a day to remove the clutter of the week and prepare myself for another ahead. I spend at least an hour to clean on Sunday, because most of the other days I just don’t feel like cleaning. I’m not saying my house looks like a tornado blew through (sometimes it does) but when it comes to the stacks of dirty dishes, its just that simple. I don’t have a dishwasher, I really hate to vacuum and if I don’t do my loads of laundry all at once, I’ll forget them in the washer and they’ll end up smelling like mildew. A devoted day to cleaning works for me, and I find solace in it.

Sundays at my house also include a delicious dinner, post-clean. Yesterday’s dinner happened to mask as a cleaning method as well! I call them “Clean out the fridge” Tacos, but it doesn’t always sound as appetizing as it should. I don’t mean throw together a taco of moldy cheese and furry red peppers, I’m simply saying that the beautiful thing about tacos is nearly anything you throw together will taste great. Use any of the produce in your fridge that needs to be used up, mix in a little cilantro, black beans and lime juice… you’ve got yourself a delicious taco, its that simple.

My very few MUST-have ingredient for tacos are listed below. Other than that just clear through your fridge and chop up the fresh veggies that sound best! Simple recipes also correspond to simple clean-up and that is something I fully support.

Must-have ‘Clean out the Fridge’ Taco ingredients:

• Taco shell or tortilla
• Black beans
• Fresh lime juice
• Cilantro
• Red Onion

The black bean filling is something I make quickly with a can of black beans, one freshly-squeezed lime, a dash of salt, chopped cilantro and diced red onion. Simple.

To give the rest of the ingredients a little kick, like the summer squash & radish that I used yesterday. I saute the veggies with garlic and a finely diced spicy pepper, like a trufino or jalapeño.

Apart from those few ingredients, the rest is up to you! Get creative, make a bunch and have a taco party! Or just relax and enjoy these simple tacos on your own, cherish your time. Enjoy the simplicity.

Treasure the simple things in life that make the world so beautiful.

love,

tricia