I woke up the other morning thinking about these….. I have never made them before, but something in me let me know I had to make them that evening. I have been working on trying to grasp ideas and great opportunities in those tiny slivers of time when they present themselves, so this was the perfect chance to practice that. And, I needed another weeknight dinner idea up my sleeve that was simple and quick.
Once the boys were dropped off at school, I set about scribbling notes on how I envisioned these tacos and what I needed to prepare and present them at dinner a little later. I knew I wanted them to be easy and simple but also look gourmet. So, the recipe card in my head called for beef brisket from Whole Foods. Not sure why since I never buy beef brisket, but I didn’t question it….I just went and bought it. I also don’t buy white flour tortillas, but I knew it would be a treat for my boys and I have to admit they photograph much better than spelt tortillas. And, what I was envisioning was going to be worthy of a photograph. On those average days though, when I am not pulled by some amazing force of inspiration, I buy spelt or brown rice tortillas. Just so you know!
Later in the day armed with all of the ingredients I knew I needed to make this little dream a reality, I began pulling it all together. Remember, my main goal was to keep this meal super quick and easy. And, guess what? The preparation involved grilling the tortillas, washing greens and chopping veggies. That’s it. For the filling in these tacos along with the brisket, I used romaine, green cabbage, purple cabbage and cilantro (Read: huge cancer fighters and heart helpers). These guys were going to be über tasty and also full of photochemicals and micronutrients. Chopped red onion, avocado and red and yellow tomatoes, ie. more big guns to keep us healthy…..a little fig and red onion chutney for an interesting twist and a squeeze of lime juice.
Not sure how to rate this almost too good to be true dinner experiment, I waited to see what the guys thought after a few bites. Well, they perked up, they asked for seconds and thirds and the kiddos did not even notice the crunchy cabbage. I was fine with them adding shredded cheese and sour cream because it isn’t always easy to cook one meal and make everyone happy without a little room for creativity. I was just excited I could pack a lot of nutrients into a beautiful meal that took minimal effort to prepare and that everyone liked. And, it was really fun to grab hold of an idea when it popped into my thoughts, know it was there for a reason and be rewarded so generously when I did not get in the way of myself and just allow it to come to fruition! Here’s to effortless and nutritious weeknights. xxo!