It’s May!  Yay.  Let’s celebrate the foods of the season with tacos.  I love mini tacos a.k.a. “street” tacos.  They are not only small enough to eat with one hand, but you can eat more and feel perfectly fine doing it (with zero guilt!)  My kids love making their own, too.  The best part is that the ones I am making today do not require using the stove or oven.

You can get corn or flour street-size tortillas and fill them with whatever your heart desires. From veggies and fruits to beans, peas and lentils to chicken, turkey or fish, tacos are super versatile and are the perfect conduit for nourishing ingredients.

These will be meat free tacos — I am using edamame (soybeans) for a fiber-filled, protein source.  These tiny green legumes are loaded with powerful plant compounds, as well as a whole lot of protein without saturated fat or cholesterol.  You gotta LOVE it!

I am going to add some crunch with jicama.  The beauty of these firm white root veggie is that it absorbs flavors beautifully and it’s loaded with potassium and fiber for a mere 30 calories for 7 sticks!   For this recipe, you can either julienne the sticks to thin matchsticks or coarsely dice them.

…as I said earlier, the beauty of this is that there’s no cooking involved.  If you buy frozen edamame, you’ll have to thaw them. I use Trader Joe’s edamame - it’s ready-to-eat.  As a mom, I love that!  I just toss in some fresh ginger (you can use ground, powdered ginger), cherry tomatoes, jicama - and a must is cilantro with a hint of cumin, EVOO and salt. 

Don’t be afraid to get messy with it.  A large plate helps.  And a healthy appetite, too.  Enjoy.

Ginger Lime Jicama & Edamame Street Tacos

Serves 4 (3 tacos each)

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cups edamame, cooked

3 teaspoons ginger root, peeled and finely minced

1 large lime, juiced

3 jicama sticks, diced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, diced

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Dash of salt

1/2 ripe avocado, thinly sliced for topping

12 street-size corn or flour tacos

Directions

In a medium bowl, add all of the ingredients and gently toss together.  If you have a tortilla toaster, such as the Nuni Tortilla Toaster, heat the tortillas or put them in the microwave for 20 - 30 seconds all together or separately for 10 seconds each.

Add a spoonful or two of the edamame topping to each tortilla.  Top with a slice or two of avocado, if desired.  Serve ’em up.

Enjoy eating simply,

-Vicki