Fast n' Easy Fridays: Vegetable Tacos

Last week I started a new job and it has been insane.   Leaving early, staying late and so many meetings, I’m lucky if I see my desk before 5pm.  Planning out careful breakfasts, snacks and lunches is a thing of the past.  I haven’t had a minute to sleep, let alone cook or write a blog post!  With that in mind, Fast n’ Easy Fridays is probably more important than ever!  Here’s a very fast dinner option that is healthy, fresh and of course, vegan and gluten free.

Small note:  For all of you non-vegans out there:  These tacos are great when combined with Fish (we like Tilapia) and Goat Cheese.  I’m still on the Whole Foods Healthy Challenge, so I had to pass, but through this challenged I’ve learned that a non-meat diet is not conducive to my (already very restricted) dietary lifestyle, so I’ll be excited to add some fish to this recipe very soon!

Vegetable Tacos:
1 peeled Jicama – cut into cubes (see Helpful Tip below for peeling)
1 avocado, sliced
½ cup shredded red cabbage
2 cups spinach
1 cup baby tomatoes
1 lime, juiced
Gluten Free Corn Tortilla shells

Cut up all vegetables and place on Corn Tortilla.  Liberally squeeze lime juice on taco and eat.  Fast, healthy and easy!

Helpful tip:  I love jicama and have been known to eat it like an apple.  But, it is such a pain to peel!  Don’t use a potato peeler which can take upwards of an hour due to Jicama’s thick skin.  Instead, cut the top off, and make a slit just below the peel.  Jicama has a distinct ‘grain’ and if you peel back the skin in the direction of the grain, it will come up easily.  Just keep cutting little slits under the peel and peeling back with your fingers in the direction of the ‘grain’.

Got Goat?

The most difficult task of embarking on this new lifestyle was saying goodbye to dairy, primarily, yogurt and cheese.

I’m an accountant by trade, so I’m definitely a creature of habit.  I have been eating the same thing for breakfast every day since I was in college:  fat free, plain yogurt with granola and, for a special treat on the weekends, yogurt with apples and cinnamon.  Yes, I do realize how lame and unexciting that sounds…. What can I say?

As with everything, there’s always a silver lining.  I was allergic to cow’s milk.  This still left goat dairy in the clear.  Note that goat dairy was specifically tested during my food sensitivity testing and came back okay to eat.  Sheep dairy was not tested, but I would like to add back to my diet soon and see how I react.    Before being diagnosed with food allergies, I was a huge cheese snob.  No Kraft singles for this lady!  I cannot wait to indulge in some Manchego (and cross my fingers that I’m not allergic).

Other than goat cheese (which I LOVE!), I had never seen any other goat dairy products.  It’s surprising what you start to notice when you’re actually on the look out.  The grocery store is full of goat products – goat milk, goat yogurt; I even found goat ‘cheddar’ cheese.  Trader Joe’s has been my go-to store for goat products.  I have only seen the ‘cheddar’ cheese at Trader Joe’s and it is great for making nachos which is a treat I thought I’d given up for good.  TJ’s goat yogurt is reasonably priced (relative to other goat yogurts on the market – they are expensive!).  Goat yogurt is delicious – a little more tart than cow yogurt, but very rich and a much needed indulgence, especially on Saturday morning when I need a ‘special’ treat!

I feel so lucky that I can delight in goat products.  But, what is the difference between dairy from a cow versus a goat or a sheep?  Why would I be sensitive to one and not the other?  I have heard that varying levels of Casein within dairy products affects allergic reactions in some.  These are the issues I am currently researching and would love to hear your thoughts.  In the meantime, what’s next on my list of indulgence:  Goat Caramel Candy.  Hmmm..  so far everything I’ve read says it takes at least 2 hours of constant stirring…  Looks like this is something for a true baker to tackle – I’ll put in the request and you’ll be hearing from my sister soon.  Maybe I can convince her to try something for the true vegans out there also – soy milk or almond milk caramel anyone?