Getting home from my apprenticeship (more on that later), I find myself unsurprisingly hungry. A beer and good food fast is the first order of business… well, maybe the beer comes in first, followed by food. Tacos. Done deal… quick, convenient and easy. There never seems to be a time when I don’t have the ingredients around my kitchen.. beans and veggies- shells are the only things I have to double check. Spontaneity in the stuffing is what makes it so simple, I use whatever I have. I’ve sampled just about every taco filling imaginable…some good, some bad…all worth trying. Starting out, I chop up red bell pepper and zucchini. Placing the pieces onto a cookie sheet I add frozen corn, drizzle on some olive oil and toss these together. From there they go in a 350 degree oven to roast for 25-30 minutes. With the veggies roasting, I move to the next step. Draining and rinsing a can of pinto beans, I place them in a shallow bowl where I mash them down with a fork. Next I dice an onion and mince 3 cloves of garlic. In a large skillet I add about a tablespoon of olive oil, the garlic and onions plus some salt and pepper and fry them over medium high heat until golden. Then add the beans. Keeping up on the stirring I cook these, combining them with the garlic and onions, until they are heated through. With the bulk of the work completed I turn my attention to accompaniments..slicing up an avocado, chopping fresh cilantro, grabbing the tofu sour cream and salsa out of the fridge. Five minutes before the vegetables are set to come out of the oven I pop the taco shells in with them..setting them right on top to warm them. With everything finished I put it all together. Taking a nice warm shell, I fill it with some of the refried beans, slather on a bit of tofu sour cream, top that with roasted vegetables and avocado pieces and garnish the whole mess with some fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice, placing a little dish of salsa on the side. That’s it, that’s all. Uncomplicated and simple. Tacos don’t require a recipe..you cant go wrong. Swap in and out ingredients - tofu, shredded cabbage, seitan, mushrooms, seeds, mango pieces, green onions, roast any assortment of vegetables… the beauty is in the creativity. Its bound to be good which ever way you roll.