As a vegetarian living in a blended marriage (ie: The Husband eats meat and I do not), I’m always surprised when people tell me how hard it is to feed the vegetarian in their life. The bigger problem in our house is that I prefer healthy food and The Husband does not.
The easiest way to satisfy all appetites is with one meal that everyone can customize for their own tastes. Where to start? Taco Night.
Anything that a person builds themselves lends not only a festive air to the evening, but avoids all those “you don’t eat that?” moments. You know the ones, they are usually accompanied with a smirk on someone’s face. I get it most often when I say I don’t like mayo or sour cream, I give it most often when someone says they don’t like vegetables. Set out the fixings so everyone takes care of themselves and these awkward moments are avoided.
Our taco night fixings usually include:
- Seasoned taco meat (ground beef)
- Black beans
- Brown rice
- Chopped lettuce
- Salsa
- Guacamole or avocadoes
- Cheese
- Sour cream
Use any shells you want, this also makes an easy meal for the gluten-free friend in your life if you add corn tortillas.
Not only will tacos satisfy the vegetarians and meat eaters, they will simplify things for the pickiest eater. Just provide plenty of fixings, and everyone will be happy, they can even whip up their own version of taco salad filling (which is how I eat taco night leftovers).
I couldn’t agree more on Taco night, but we’re on the road in Mexico now and have come up with a twist on this idea. Neither Terri nor I are vegetarians, but we try to do the veggies as much as we can (which can be tough on the road in places where green, leafy veggies can be hazardous to your health). We’ve been making “modified” nachos. Take a tostada (like nacho chips, but saucer size), smear on a healthy portion of refried beans (we add cumin and fresh, chopped garlic), a couple of slices of the wonderful fresh cheese we can buy here, and pop in the microwave (our apartment has no oven). Jalapenos and sour cream to taste, a healthy portion of Mexican beer, and life is good. Thanks for the follow on our blog. ~James
I love this idea, James, and your post on the mercado! I can’t wait to visit one in person, I hope you bought a pair of the cowboy boots. 😉 Thanks for the recipe!