Summer Farm Fresh Recipe: peachy Chili Bean Tacos

Categories

All

Anytime I walk by the high tunnel, a red or orange-yellow glint catches the corner of my eye.  I stop and look. What could it be? Sungold tomatoes. This recipe though it does not include them, would be delicious with the addition of some chopped sungold tomatoes added to the Peachy Chili Bean mix.  I bookmarked this recipe when a group of friends and I were doing Meatless Mondays.  

This time I made them I was missing a lot of what I had when I first tried the recipe, so I figured I'd just make a variation. The original version is much more photogenic, and tastier when grilled.

Missing:
- Pinto Beans-> subbed black beans
- Mushrooms-> subbed sweet Italian peppers
- Cilantro -> subbed flat leafed parsley)
- I never have epazote
-Spices. I toned it down because I was cooking for two fairly bland favoring people, and we all agreed to just use thef full amount of seasoning on this one.
-Grill-> too lazy to start it up. Used a frying pan or two instead. Boiled the corn.. Grill is superior, but a stovetop can make this happen.

My favorite variations involve using or adding:
- flesh toned peaches for color boost- in this recipe  I used white peaches. Not as exciting looking.
-Sweet Italian Peppers from Wildstone Farm
-Sungold Tomatoes, diced
-Mushrooms, really add flavor
-Grilled corn and fresh corn really are key 

RECIPE:

• 2, 15 ounce cans Pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 2  peaches, sliced into sixths * Note: I  used 3 peaches. 2 isn't enough.
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 sprig epazote*
• 2 cups water
• a drizzle coconut oil
• salt and pepper to taste

To complete the peachy chili bean tacos:

• 3 ears corn, grilled then cut from the cob
• a little canola or olive oil, for grilling
• 8 ounces mushrooms, preferably maitake or shiitake, grilled and sliced
• 16 corn tortillas
• ½ bunch cilantro, chopped

To grill the corn:

Gently pull back the husks of the corn cobs, but don’t remove them entirely. Remove the silk and cut off the other end. Soak the cobs of corn in cold water for about 30 minutes. Bring a grill to medium-high heat.
Dry the corn and drizzle with oil of your choice. Fold the husks back down and tie or twist the ends. Place the corn cobs on grill over medium-high heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, rotating frequently, or until the corn is grilled and tender. Set aside to cool.
When the corn has cooled, place a cob over a large bowl and remove the grilled kernels with your knife cutting in a downward motion towards the bowl. Repeat process until all grilled kernels have been cut from all 3 corn cobs. Set aside.

To make the peachy chili beans:
Place the peaches and mushrooms in a grill pan. Drizzle the mushrooms with a dash of canola or olive oil. Grill the peaches for about 3 minutes, or until they have caramelized grill marks. Flip and repeat on the other side of the peach slices. Grill the mushrooms for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside the mushrooms and the peaches in separate bowls.
In a medium pot over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in a drizzle of coconut oil for 3-5 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the onion tomato and garlic is well mixed and bubbling.
Season the onion garlic tomato mixture with chili powder, paprika, cayenne, oregano and cumin. Add the beans, water and epazote if using.
Cut the grilled peaches into a large dice and add them to the bowl of beans along with their grilling juices that have collected in the pan. Bring the beans to a slow simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced and the beans have a nice thick consistency.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To complete the peachy chili bean tacos:
Sprinkle some water over the cold corn tortillas. Warm the corn tortillas on the grill for 2-4 minutes, or until the corn tortillas have softened and warmed.
Fill each corn tortilla with a portion of peachy beans topped with grilled corn and mushrooms. Garnish the top of the tacos with chopped cilantro and enjoy,
The recipe was found on Meatless Monday's website, and credited to Danica of Soundly Vegan. 
Find the Recipe at:
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/recipes/peachy-chili-bean-tacos/