Whenever I have guests in town as I did this weekend, I like to cook at least once. In the winter it is easier to prepare something ahead of time to just pop in the oven on Friday night: lasagna, brisket, etc. But in the summer I like light, fresh flavors and, as you know, I like to grill as much as possible. Rather than rushing home from work on Friday night to cook and then serve my guests a late dinner, I decided to do lunch on Saturday instead.

I thought tacos were just the thing. Easy, quick, and they could be made on the grill or inside in the likely even of rain (which ended up being the case). I knew that before lunch I’d be going to pick up my CSA box at the farmer’s market, so I was counting on getting some nice veggies there. I picked up some small tortillas, tilapia, chicken, and cabbage for the slaw at the grocery store during the week. Otherwise, these tacos would include whatever I got in my box or that I could find at the market.

First the slaw. I’m from North Carolina, so cole-slaw to me is vinegar based. None of this mayo junk.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb cabbage shredded
• 1 medium onion (optional)
• 1 medium pepper (optional) — I using red or orange for color
• 1/2 cup vinegar — I use red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• celery seed
• salt & pepper

Combine the vinegar, oil, and sugar in a saucepan. Heat to boiling so it is all mixed together and the sugar has dissolved. Combine cabbage, onions, and peppers in a bowl. Pour the vinegar mixture over the cabbage mixture. Season with salt, pepper, and celery seed to taste. Add a little, taste, add a little more, taste, etc. For the best flavor, refrigerate over night. If you don’t have time, refrigerate for as long as you are able.

For the tacos: I love fish, but I don’t get to cook it often because my husband doesn’t care for it. When I have fish-eating guests, I jump at the opportunity to have fish. I also made chicken. I would generally make a spicy lime marinade for this, but my guests were sensitive to spice. So I marinated the fish and the chicken in the same sweet and sour marinade (different bags):

• Juice from 4-6 limes (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 olive oil (add a little at a time and taste)
• 1 tbsp garlic powder (or more to taste)
• 1 tbsp honey
• salt & pepper

Whisk together rapidly and divide into two big bags. Add the chicken to one, the fish to the other. If you need more marinade, it is easy to make more. I marinated the chicken over night and the fish for a couple hours before cooking.

Because it was raining, this was cooked inside. In a non-stick pan, I sprayed some olive oil and, once it was hot, sauteed some peppers, green onions, and garlic to top the tacos. Once those were done, I cooked the chicken. (Pound the chicken very thin so it cooks quickly.) After that, the fish went in the pan. One pan: lots of food! The chicken and fish were then sliced.

To top the tacos, I also made a delicious cucumber mint salad or salsa or… well call it whatever you want. It could easily be a side dish, but I used it on the tacos.

• Two cucumbers peeled and chopped
• Mint chopped
• Green onions chopped
• Red wine vinegar — just a dash

I really made this up based on what I had in my kitchen. Mix it all together with just a dash of vinegar. It was light and refreshing and gave the tacos that summertime flavor I was looking for.

As the final side dish for this delicious lunch… something caught my eye at the farmers market. Purple and orange cauliflower. It was just too pretty to pass up!

I decided to roast these colorful heads. Heat your oven to 425. I chopped the cauliflower into big chunks — just follow the way it naturally grows and cut the larger pieces in half. Spread the pieces on a baking sheet, drizzle liberally with olive oil, and I simply sprinkled with black pepper. It doesn’t need much seasoning, but you could add whatever you want. Into the oven for about 25 minutes; toss in the middle and remove when they are roasty-toasty and tender.

It tasted the same as regular white cauliflower, but it looked WAY more fun on my plate! Really, it looked like the official side dish of the LA Lakers.

And that was that! Super easy, although the chopping took some time. It was well worth it, though. The tacos were absolutely delicious!

**Note on the photo: I was so excited about the meal that I started eating it before I remembered to take a picture. That’s why it looks half-eaten… because it is half-eaten.