Grilled Veggie Tacos with Black Bean Salsa

Grilled Veggie Tacos with Black Bean & Corn Salsa

A recent meal at Islands restaurant on Claremont Mesa in San Diego inspired this new recipe. I think it will work great with whatever vegetables are seasonal at the time you decide to make it.

I used zucchini, summer squash, red bell pepper and yellow bell peppers as the base in this batch. All vegetables were cut into fairly chunky pieces for grilling and rubbed with olive oil and a little taco seasoning.Veggies were lightly grilled, maintaining firm texture, but gaining nice hot grill marks. Once done grilling, slice out nice taco-sized strips from each piece.

The salsa is pretty easy to make. Just mix:

1 can of black beans (canned, well rinsed and drained)
1 cup of frozen corn (thawed) or a couple fresh, grilled ears of corn
juice of one lime
2 ripe tomatoes (finely chopped)
half a red onion (finely chopped)
1 large fistful of fresh cilantro (finely chopped, with most stems removed)
1 fire roasted Serrano chili pepper (finely chopped, stems and ribs removed), or substitute a jalapeno pepper
Salt & pepper to taste...it will need a fair amount of salt, but go a little at a time and test. 

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

When veggies are done grilling, you're ready to assemble your taco. I used white corn tortillas, each with a couple small pieces of the grilled veggies and a scoop of bean salsa. I also included a piece of ripe avocado and a little shredded cabbage for crunch. I didn't use cheese, but if shredded cheese is a must for your tacos, go for it!