Baja-Maui Zucchini Tacos

Ok, I know the name for these tacos is a bit confusing. What's a Baja-Maui zucchini taco, you ask? 

Well… the Baja comes from Baja-style fish tacos. You know, battered/breaded fish tacos with creamy white sauce and cool, crunchy cabbage. So good! That's basically what these are. Except, instead of fish, they're filled with zucchini. Maui-style zucchini! When Evan and I went to Maui a million years ago, we had this awesome fried zucchini at a fish stand. It was coconutty and crunchy, breaded in panko, coconut, and black sesame seeds. 

I decided to recreate that delicious zucchini (but baked, instead of fried), and throw 'er in a Baja-style taco with tangy white sauce. Meatless Monday, at your service. Also guys and gals, this is a great way to use up those loads of zucchini you have on your hands. Not that I would ever complain about loads of zucchini (um, hello… gimme that goodness!), but I've heard you… you lucky jerks with your overflowing gardens. 

Get on these tacos, ASAP! 

Baja-Maui Zucchini Tacos

Makes 4-6 tacos

4 small-medium sized zucchini

1 cup flour

1 cup panko

1/4 cup desiccated coconut

1 tablespoon black sesame seeds

2 eggs

1/2 cup coconut milk

Salt & Pepper

Baja White Sauce (recipe below)

Shredded cabbage

Sliced green onions

Corn tortillas
lime wedges

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Cut zucchini in half, then cut lengthwise in quarters. 

Set up your breading station:

Plate #1: Flour, salt, pepper

Plate #2: panko, coconut, sesame seeds

Plate #3: eggs and coconut milk, whisked together until mixed

To bread, first coat zucchini stick in flour, then egg, then panko mix. It's best to do just one at a time, to avoid making a big messy breading clump. 

Arrange zucchini on baking sheet, with a little bit of space between each one. Salt breaded zucchini. Bake for around 15 minutes, until panko is crispy and golden, and zucchini is cooked but not soggy. 

To assemble: Heat corn tortillas, and fill with cabbage, zucchini, sauce, and green onions. Serve with lime wedges. 

Baja White Sauce

1/3 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon mayonnaise 

Juice from 1 lime

1 tablespoon coconut milk

Hot sauce (like Tapatio) 

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

Salt & Pepper

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth, add more hot sauce or coconut milk, to taste. 

Chicken Tacos {Asian Style}

My office is in an awesome location, food wise. I’m 2 blocks from the ID (International District/China Town), which is full of amazing little lunch spots—all the pho, dumplings, sushi, and satay you could ask for. I’m also a stone’s throw from a number of great sandwich places and even better gyro joints, and I'm directly above the always fabulous Salumi.

But, regardless of all those awesome eateries, the one I get most excited about is only around on Fridays. I'm talkin’ tacos, people. Korean-Hawaiian fusion tacos, from the Marination Mobile food truck.

What is Korean-Hawaiian fusion, you ask? Only the most delicious flavor explosion to hit my mouth, that's all. Bulgogi beef or miso ginger chicken tacos, kalua pork sliders, and the most delicious item of all—don't judge—spam sliders. Seriously, you haven't lived until you've eaten a spam slider from Marination. They perform miracles inside that little restaurant on wheels.

Don't worry, I didn’t write a recipe for spam sliders. I'll leave that one to the experts. I did, however, perform a little fusion magic of my own, just in time for the biggest taco-eating day of the year. Sweet and spicy soy-soaked grilled chicken, meet the tortilla. You two will become great friends.  

Grilled Chicken Tacos, Asian Style

Set aside some time for the chicken to marinate, and for the cucumbers to soak up some goodness. At least two hours.

For Chicken

1 cup soy sauce

Splash olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

Squirt of Sriracha

Spoonful of hoison sauce

Pinch freshly grated ginger

Brown sugar

Black pepper

2 chicken breasts

Whisk together soy sauce through black pepper, taste and adjust as needed. You should have a pretty equal balance of spicy, salty, and sweet. Butterfly chicken so that you have 4 thin chicken breast pieces, and marinate in soy mixture for at least 2 hours—the longer the better.

Grill chicken on a medium-hot grill for a couple of minutes on both sides, until cooked all the way through (it should be thin enough that it cooks pretty quickly, but use your best judgment or meat thermometer… I like to cook a little longer until it’s a bit charred around the edges). Thinly slice.

For Sesame Sour Cream

½ cup sour cream

Sesame seed oil

Rice vinegar

Honey

Sriracha

Soy sauce

Start out with just a splash of sesame oil, vinegar, honey, sriracha, and soy, and whisk together with sour cream. Taste and add more of any item as needed.

For Tacos

Grilled chicken

Sesame sour cream

Small corn tortillas, warmed

Pickled cucumbers

Fresh greens (micro greens or pea shoots work great, but just lettuce works too)

Sriracha

Sesame seeds

Lime wedges

Assemble!  Start with your tortilla, slather on sesame sour cream, pile on the chicken, add a few cucumbers, toss on an assortment of greenery, a squirt of sriracha, and a shower of sesame seeds, and top with a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Fold, eat, repeat.

Sunday Part 1: Your Own Personal Taco Trailer

Amanda and I had such an eventful, food-filled Sunday that I have to split our adventures into two posts... and I have to wait for photos off of Robb's camera before indulging you in Part 2.

As you know from previous posts, my friend LeAnn is moving away and leaving us. To assist with the big move, LeAnn’s parents drove from South Dakota to Seattle, to help LeAnn and Brian move to Colorado. On Sunday, day before the big day, they were exhausted from traveling, the kitchen was all packed up, and there was a lot more packing and U-Haul loading to go. Amanda and I came to the rescue with a homemade lunch, to give the busy movers a burst of energy. We’re your own personal taco trailer.

LeAnn and Brian are vegetarians, but her parents are Mid-Westerners through and through, and were missing meat after only a few days in Seattle. Parent-pleasing-brown-nosers that we are, Amanda and I whipped up tacos, half with ground beef, half with black beans, all with our delicious guaco de gallo… or pico de guaco… a mix of avocados and our famous pico... (ok, so maybe it’s not famous, but Mel, Amanda, and I have all been making it for years, and we get rave reviews wherever we take it… and people sometimes say it’s the best pico they’ve EVER had…) To make guaco de gallo, mix together avocado, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalepeno, olive oil, white or cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and cumin to taste... the secret is to make it primarily cabbage based, rather than tomato based.

Armed with trays of tacos, a bag of chips, and a bowl of pico de guaco, we walked over to LeAnn’s (right across the street from my apartment) and served up lunch to the moving crew. Once again, the pico was a HUGE hit, and the tacos were delicious and much appreciated (not to mention the mass kudos we got from LeAnn’s parents for bringing meat). Amanda and I enjoyed helping out a friend, and I’m so used to trying to up-level the taco that I forgot how satisfying a simple ground beef taco can be!

Following the tacos, we brought out the dessert… my second batch of homemade ice cream! Amanda and I made Espresso Caramel Swirl, a creamy coffee flavored ice cream with swirls of gooey butterscotch caramel. It was delicious, even better than the first batch!

After serving up a tasty lunch and dessert, Amanda and I said our goodbyes. Our plan was to spend the afternoon shopping, then head back to her place for dinner- grilled chicken salads- and season 2, disc 2 of Sex and the City...