Beets and Cheese Tacos

When I think of fun food, tacos come at the top of the list. Not only because they are so yummy but also for all the fun fillings and toppings we can mix and match to make our own little wraps of joy! Meat and bell peppers with melted cheese or fish with crunchy slaw, there are a million variations one can create in a traditional Mexican taco!

Summer holidays are going to last another three weeks and with the excitement of Olympics starting soon, kids will demand all sorts of snacks at all odd hours. While sandwiches, wraps and tacos come in handy on such occasions, I want to sneak in some healthy and nutritious ingredients too into their TV binge food.

These beets and cheese tacos are a delicious twist on the usual meaty version that you won’t regret making. The beets are first cooked to a tender perfection that brings out their natural sweetness and then marinated with chillies, lemon juice and spices to enhance their flavour. While boiling beets, always add a little vinegar or lemon juice to keep the colour beautiful and bright. Avoid adding salt till it’s time to serve because it dulls the colour.

Choose from feta, cottage or goat cheese to pair with the beets because the flavours blend really well together. You can also make fresh paneer cheese at home to add to your tacos. The creamy, tangy and crunchy tacos are a delight for meatless days and believe me, nobody will even miss the meat!

1 beetroot
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cucumber
1 onion
1 tomato
1 green chilli pepper
1 cup feta, cottage or goat cheese
6 small soft taco wraps/corn tortillas
1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
Salt to taste
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Boil water in a saucepan, add whole beet with vinegar. Cover the pan, cook for 30-35 minutes on medium heat or till the beet is tender enough to slide in a knife easily but still firm. ( Cooking time depends on the size of beets). Using pressure cooker can cut the cooking time in half.

When cool enough to handle, peel off the skin. Slice the beet into thin slices.

Marinate the beets with red chilli flakes, cumin, coriander and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Slice cucumbers in a separate bowl, add a pinch of salt to them.

Finely chop onion, tomato, green chilli pepper and cilantro/coriander in a separate bowl to prepare salsa. Add lemon juice. Season with salt.

For more flavour, toast the cheese on a lightly greased skillet. Remove in a bowl and set aside.

Toast soft tacos on a skillet till they have golden brown spots all over. Keep them covered and warm under a tea towel.

Serve with all the filling in bowls, along with sauces of your choice as a mini buffet on the side of taco tortillas to let people make their own tacos OR pile up all the fillings in the centre of tacos, fold over, serve warm.

Serves 4