{roasted cauliflower & chickpea tacos}

Growing up in Southern California instills a love for good Mexican food practically from birth (its hilariously discussed in this UK article) and I am no exception.  My favorite is a good plate of small street tacos and I love to give them a gourmet makeover at home like these ones we made for our Oscar viewing party.  In an effort to eat a bit lighter after our two weeks of traveling, we decided to whip up this recipe for roasted cauliflower and chickpea tacos with lime crema from Two Peas & Their Pod.  We made one slight change to the recipe by pickling the jalapeños and onions in a little vinegar to give them a bit more tart crunch.  The spicy cauliflower and chickpeas made a great substitute for our normal main ingredient of meat or soy-rizo.  It's hard to believe that with all the flavor (especially from the delicious lime crema) that this could even be a lighter dish! 

{gourmet taco night: duck tacos}

For our Oscars Viewing Party back in the winter, we served three different types of "fancy" tacos -one of which was a duck taco inspired by the menu at one of our favorite taco places near our Chicago place.  Turns out pretty much the only way to buy duck is in frozen breast fillets and we just so happened to have a few leftover in our freezer (and yes, it was still good!) so we decided to make our weeknight taco dinner a little extra gourmet this past week.  These tacos have rich flavor from the duck, but are nicely balanced with the crunchy spicy "slaw" and creamy avocado.  Invite some friends over and whip up some tequila cocktails then lay these duck tacos out on the table and watch people's level of impressed go significantly up.  Recipe at the bottom of the post!

what you need: 

• two frozen duck fillets - you can find these easily at Whole Foods
• one red bell pepper
• one cup of coleslaw (we used the broccoli slaw from Trader Joes)
• 1 tbsp sour cream
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• pinch of kosher salt
• 6 corn tortillas
• 1/2 an avocado
• fresh cilantro for garnish

1. Combine the coleslaw with a table spoon of sour cream, a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and stir to combine.  Set aside.
2. Finely chop the cilantro and red bell pepper. Set aside.
3. Score the skin side of the duck breast in a cross-hatched pattern and heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
4. Sear the duck, skin side down for two minutes or until golden brown and fat has begun to render.
5. Flip and cook for another two minutes.
6. Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes.
7. While the duck is resting, heat the tortillas over an open flame or in a dry pan.
8. Cut duck into small pieces and assemble the taco: tortilla, avocado, coleslaw, red pepper, and cilantro.
9. Garnish with a lime wedge and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.