Cardboard & Goat Cheese

Dear Em,
If I were to list my favorite foods, bread & cheese would probably be right at the top. I feel like bread & cheese are the first things people try to avoid when trying to loose weight. So, naturally they would be my favorite foods. I mean, how do people live without cheese? It would be hard for me to go on.

While I love most cheeses, but a cheese favorite has recently emerged: goat cheese. I don't know what it is, but I would eat goat cheese on almost anything. I add it to a lot of the meals that we make. Your daddy jokes that if "goat cheese on cardboard" was on the menu at a restaurant, I would eat it. While he's mostly joking, we both know that I would probably consider it.

A few months ago I came across a list of recipes, & of course the one that included goat cheese caught my eye. The first time we cooked it, I couldn't get enough. It tasted like a gourmet meal you would get at a restaurant. We've tweaked the recipe a bit to fit what we like, & it's definitely a family favorite.

Spiced Black Bean, Grilled Avocado, & Goat Cheese Tacos

Originally found on sacramento street

Ingredients:

- 1 tablespoon coriander

- 1 tablespoon cumin

- pinch dried pepper fakes (we like things a little spicy & will typically add a few pinches)

- can of black beans, with liquids

- 1.diced green pepper

- 1 diced red pepper

- 1 avocado

- 1 teaspoon olive oil

- juice & zest from 2 limes

- 2 teaspoons honey

- 1/4 cup goat cheese

- 1/2 lb chicken breast

- wheat tortillas

1. In a dry skillet combine can of black beans & liquids, coriander, & cumin. Heat at medium low until liquids have cooked out, anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Taste & adjust pepper if needed.

2. Take avocado & slice in half. Brush with one teaspoon of olive oil & place cut side down on separate skillet or grill. Let cook until lightly charred. Remove & carefully slice avocado out of skin.

3. Cook chicken on grill or in a skillet. Remove & slice into think strips.

4. To assemble tacos, place black bean mixture in the center of a tortilla, layer avocado, chicken, diced red & green peppers, & goat cheese on top. Finally, whisk together juice & zest from half a lime along with honey. Lightly drizzle over taco filling.

5. Enjoy.

The original recipe didn't call for the peppers or the chicken, but I wanted to add veggies & your daddy wanted to add protein (I think it's just as good without the chicken). Your daddy doesn't really love goat cheese & will eat the dish without (Gasp. How could you take out the most important ingredient?!). He says it's still wicked yummy. You prefer your black beans without spices, don't like your avocado cooked, & would prefer none of the different foods touch each other. Clearly, we all have very different ideas about how the meal should be prepared, but at least it's still a meal we all eat & love.

Plus, it will keep me from eating goat cheese & cardboard.

I love you so,
Mommy