Vegetarian Tacos!

In an effort to reduce my impact on this earth, I decided to become a vegetarian. The amount of resources it takes to create one pound of beef is amazing. Stats vary depending on your sources, but watering the grain so it can grow to feed the cattle to live and "beef up" to eventually make it to your plate requires thousands of gallons of water and gasoline. The idea of eating lower on the food chain essentially cuts out the middleman, or middle cow, pig, or chicken so to speak, and greatly reduces the environmental impact that the food you eat produces. So, for almost two years now I have been meat free...well, almost. I actually still eat certain kinds of fish. Fish, as it turns out, can turn grains and carbohydrates into protein much more efficiently than we can. The amount of resources it takes for a "vegetarian" fish to live and thrive is less than if I were to just eat those carbohydrates myself. That's the idea behind my reasoning so far.

One of the first steps I took in my vegetarian quest was to buy a good veggie cookbook. I picked up something that contained basic meals that could be cooked quickly, but used yummy ingredients. The first thing that I tried from my cookbook was vegetarian tacos, and so far they have been my favorite. I made them on Sunday night for dinner (and lunch left overs for the rest of the week) and they were as good as they always are! This has become a staple among my family and friends, so if you'd like to give them a try, here's the recipe:

Saute one chopped small to medium onion in olive oil and garlic
Add one chopped bell pepper (all of the colors are good, so you can pick this one!)
When the onion and pepper are cooked, add
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup of frozen corn
and chili powder and cumin to taste (I don't use the recipe anymore, but I'd say about a tablespoon of chili powder and maybe a teaspoon of cumin. I love these two spices, so I tend to be pretty generous with them.)

These are good topped with chopped lettuce and tomatoes, or even some avocados, but the original recipe doesn't call for them. I think they are good either way and I usually decide just depending on what I have around. Cheese is a must as far as I'm concerned and sour cream is good too. I usually substitute the sour cream with plain yogurt to keep the meal a little more healthy.

Oh and don't forget to wrap them up in your favorite tortillas!

I hope you love these babies as much as I do! They're perfect when you need something simple, healthy, and really delicious! Enjoy!