I’m always a huge fan of anything Mexican or Tex-Mex or southern of any kind. As long as it means spice and avocado I’m game. I also find tacos to be one of the easiest meals to throw together, so they’re often my go-to after a long day. I decided to go for a homemade salsa after getting our CSA delivery. I had been dreaming about whipping up some tomatillo salsa, once I figured out I had tomatillos in my delivery. So I started experimenting and ended up with corn and black bean tacos with tomatillo salsa. And I have to say, since I made the salsa, I’ve been eating it on EVERYTHING. It is so so good. And because corn tortillas are just my favorite – this recipe is also gluten-free. I won’t keep you in suspense any longer, let’s get right to it.

What you’ll need for tomatillo salsa: 

• 4 tomatillos
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/2 medium onion, sauteed
• 1 garlic clove, sauteed
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
• juice from 1 lemon

What you’ll need for tacos: 

• 1/2 medium onion, sauteed
• 1 garlic clove, sauteed
• 1 can black beans
• 1 green pepper
• 2 ears roasted corn
• 1 tsp cumin
• dash of salt
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• 5 corn tortillas, warmed

Pre-heat your oven to broil. Go ahead and start with the tomatillos themselves. Remove the husks, slice in half and place on a greased pan. (I used a spray version of coconut oil from Trader Joe’s. I also sprayed a bit of the oil on top of the tomatillos as well, just to be safe). Broil for 5-7 minutes or until tomatillos are wilted and starting to brown. Remove them from the oven and set aside.

Because I was making both the salsa and taco insides at the same time, I decided to mince and sautee the onion and garlic and then separate them out. I also used my ninja to make sure everything was chopped finely without killing my eyes. Place about a tablespoon of oil (olive, coconut, vegetable, your choice) and sautee the onion and garlic until the onion starts to turn translucent. Remove half of the onion and garlic mixture and set aside for the salsa.

Add your chopped pepper to the pan and continue to sautee. Once the pepper is starting to cook, add the black beans and corn. I should mention, I happened to have two ears of roasted corn on hand. If you don’t, simply turn your oven to 400 degrees after the broiling, place the corn right on the rack with the husks still on, and about 10 minutes later you’ll have fresh roasted corn. Who knew it was that easy? Add the cumin and salt and turn your heat to low – just keeping everything ready while you prepare the salsa.

Add your onion and garlic back to the ninja or food processor. Add jalapeno, tomatillo, lemon juice and cilantro and blend until everything is combined and there aren’t any random chunks of anything. Cut your tomatoes and slice the avocado for toppings. And finally, prepare your tortillas. I personally like to heat one at a time in a pan, getting them warm and kind of crispy.

And then you’re all set to devour. Add beans and corn to the tortilla, top with avocado, tomatoes and salsa. Be ready to have your tastebuds thank you. The combination of the hot salsa with the cool of the avocado was delicious. And with the roasted corn and black beans, there were just a ton of flavors going on that were all fantastic together.

We were sufficiently full by the end of dinner and it was so quick, I was able to whip it up even after not getting off of work until 9pm. This is definitely a winner, and now that I’m versed on tomatillos, I’ll definitely be making that salsa again and again.