Plantain Breakfast Tacos

Hey food friends. My name is Julie, and I'm a newcomer to this blog, but certainly not new to loving good food. I cook the majority of my meals, and make a very conscious effort to use only local and organic ingredients. Last summer I read the book The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, and it kind of changed my life...or at least the decisions I make about the food I cook. I try to cook and eat seasonally, and get almost all of my produce at the Ballard farmer's market; for everything else I trot over to PCC. I may seem like a food snob, but I'm just trying to participate in supporting local and sustainable foods and businesses...and am not afraid to talk about it. I love to eat out and try new restaurants, but when it comes to what I prepare at home, I've got to feel good about all of the ingredients, not cut corners on prepared or processed foods, and try to make everything from scratch. Yep, food snob.

On another note...I recently returned from a trip to Yelapa, Jalisco, Mexico. My roommate and I stayed with a friend who lives there for a week and soaked up the sun, swam in the ocean, and cooked a lot of good food with all fresh local ingredients. A LOT OF TACOS. The most successful (and simply delicious) recipe we came up with was a breakfast taco, that I would like to share with you:

Plantain Breakfast Tacos with Black Beans, Tomatillo Salsa, and Lime Sour-cream

• 2 plantains, sliced into thin rounds
• 4 tomatillos, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup of black beans
• 2 local eggs
• 2 fresh tortillas, warmed up in a skillet
  
• 1/2 cup of sour-cream
• 1 small lime
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Lightly saute the plantain in a sweet/light cooking oil, (we used coconut oil as it is everywhere in Mexico, but I'm sure vegetable oil would be fine), until the starches began to break down a bit; set aside.

If using dried black beans, soak overnight in water, then simmer for an hour 'till beans are fully cooked. Set aside.

Lightly saute the tomatillos, tomatoes, and onion in olive oil for a few minutes, just enough to bring out the flavors a bit more, salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the two eggs over-easy, poached, or fried. Any method that leave the yolks a bit runny is best in my book..

To make lime sour-cream: squeeze the juice of one small lime into your sour-cream, mix thoroughly.

Assemble your breakfast tacos:
Layer your tortillas on a plate, top with plantains, black beans, tomatillo salsa, and eggs on top. Spoon a dollop of the lime sour-cream to finish, and get ready for some mouth-watering goodness. I recommend using a knife and fork, this dish tends to spill out and get messy...but is so worth it.

Until next time..adios amigos!