Friday, May 1, 2009

Veggie Tacos & life this week South of the Border.



















This week in Mexico has been tumultuous at best. With the news of the H1N1 Influenza A~aka: Swine Flu becoming the media Feeding Frenzy of Spring 2009 we are certainly taking stock of our lives here South of the Border. Daily the news & rumors seem to mutate into some different form of rules or recommendations of how one should go about daily living here. I had to in fact laugh when we were handed thin, quite useless facial masks with a brief explanation of Influenza prevention methods on the back of a "Vote for me" paper insert. The facial masks as you can see might have been a better political point than true germ barrier. (yes, that is our lips you can see through the thin papery masks) The ultimate Flu prevention as always remains washing hands & avoiding sick people. Common sense & logic tells me this is so & yet it is hard not to become slightly panicked with a whole country wearing masks. Currently the warm Mexican greetings of kisses & hugs are a thing of the past as the government is telling the general populace to avoid even handshakes as well. As the government has asked the country to shut down all but "essential businesses" from May 1-5 we are certainly getting creative at home with our time & talents. Time to get creative & stay on my toes!



















To make matters a wee bit more hectic here we have our entire household in an upheaval as we are getting ready to say goodbye to life as we have known it for the last several years here. We are packed up & will be ready to leave Mexico in a short time, returning once again to our home & family back in Texas. Will I continue to keep the blog moniker: "Texas to Mexico"? Yep, it is who I am & after all Texas was once part of Mexico. No matter where one goes in Texas, Mexico isn't all that far away.




















These Veggie Tacos are my "Quarantine Creative" meal for the week! I am going through & using things up before we head out of the country. Sending this recipe on over to Gloria at Flavors of San Antonio for Taco Tuesdays!


Spicy, Sweet Veggie Tacos
2 med. white potatoes, diced with peels
2 lg. carrots, diced
1/4 cup onion, sliced thinly
8 large Crimini mushrooms, sliced in half (baby Portabello also may be used)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 4 oz. can of Mild Fire Roasted Green Chilies, undrained
2 Tbsp. Cilantro chopped
4 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 clove of garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
Whole Wheat or Flour Tortillas
Avocado & lettuce for garnish

Saute onion, carrot & potatoes in 2 Tbsp vegetable oil for 15 min. or till potatoes & carrots are almost tender then add tomatoes, mushrooms plus 2 tbsp. of Balsamic vinegar then mix in the can of green chilies, remove from heat, adjust seasoning adding salt & pepper then sprinkle with cilantro. Heat tortillas, fill with Veggie filling, garnish & serve. *The Mushrooms have are best kept in larger pieces so as to rather "meaty" quality & add pleasing texture.

19 comments:

Jill said...

It's a bit crazy here too. My husband is an ER doc and they've had to set up tents in the parking lot for triage. Everyone wants to get "checked" whether they have flu symptoms or not. We have a trip planned to Mexico in June. I hope this is all behind us then. Have an unstressful move as is possible. Moving sucks.

Gloria Chadwick said...

Dee, take care of yourself and stay healthy! We're also getting a lot of rumors and panic here in San Antonio about the swine flu. They closed a school in Cibolo (Northeast SA) and we've got some sick people here.
What part of Texas are you moving to? We'll be glad to have you home. :) The veggie tacos look wonderful.

Chef E said...

You are right those mask are hideous and useless! I can see you smiling...

I had a talk with my students about this very thing in class yesterday, well we were on a field trip, but you are so right!

I will be in Texas for three weeks in June for my birthday, if we do not attend a wedding due to Visa lateness...

The tacos look yummy, along side the avocados...oh and welcome home early...

Reeni said...

How bittersweet. I hope all goes well in your move. And that the masks don't become a permanent fashion statement!

The tacos have a little bit of everything in them. I don't think I've ever had one like it. They look real yummy!

Dee said...

Jill~there is complete panic it seems. One cannot have a simple sneeze without throwing people into a panic. We are trying with the unstressful thing...I'm afraid the stress may come when we hit the border or waiting for our belongings to cross!
Gloria~thank you & we are staying out of harm's way here. We are moving back to Austin where our home is. Can't wait to be a full-time Texan once again even though I have enjoyed things here.
Chef E~it's the old saying about an ounce of prevention, as usual people are loosing their heads & forgetting the simple things they can do which help keep things safe. Wedding requiring a visa? Sounds quite interesting...

Dee said...

Reeni~it is truly bittersweet! All moves are emotional even the ones which take us home. These are my "clean out the pantry & veggie bin" tacos! They were so tasty the first time I made them twice.

Heather S-G said...

These tacos look so great...that's what I love about tacos...put some yummy ingredients between a tortilla and voila!! Delicioso!

We have family in Mexico (Queretaro) and I hear that all schools are closed there and everybody is staying home by mandate...must be such a culture shock...hope you still get an Adios Fiesta!

Dee said...

Girlichef~yes, the entire country has had no school this week & the kids return to school at this time on May 6th. We had a Bon Voyage fiesta in my last post. The timing as it seems was perfect since the Influenza has everyone staying at arm's length.

Heather S-G said...

Oh, that's right...I do remember seeing that now. Well, good! :)

Anonymous said...

Stay safe and good luck with your move! The tacos sound delicious!

Donna-FFW said...

Hope your move goes well and without a hitch. Your veggie tacos look delicious..

Hornsfan said...

I've never seen something so silly as you and Lori with your phony masks :) Can't wait to have you home!

Giancarlo said...

I hope Mexico will recover one of these days...
My ancestors were from mexico who went to the Philippines a long time ago...:)

Tangled Noodle said...

The current news is that things are stabilizing so I hope that means your remaining time in Mexico will be more relaxed. Keep up with these delicious tacos and you'll always be the picture of health (flimsy masks notwithstanding)!

Dee said...

Girlichef~I knew you'd remember,ha!
5Star~We are staying safe & Healthy, thank you.
Donna~Thanks, me too. We will be back in Texas soon. The Veggie Tacos are tasty, almost as much as your Fajita recipe!
Hornsfan~We do look silly don't we? I wouldn't trust us much in these get ups!
Lliolo Onfoot~Mexico will recover, it has strong & resilient people.
Tangled Noodle~I am hoping so. The government ordered a "shutdown for 5 days" so people aren't getting together, Church services were even cancelled across much of Mexico. I think all of that precaution will pay off.

Lauren said...

stay healthy!! that would freak me out! those tacos look awesome!

thanks for stoppign by my blog. I lovey ours an I will be coming back! :)

Teresa Cordero Cordell said...

Dee, these veggie tacos look and sound absolutely scrumptious. I agree, we do live in insane times here at the border. Swine flu, earthquakes, cartel wars, and the women's murders. It's enough to make everyone go crazy. But we remember the beautiful culture of Texas and Mexico and revel in the smells and tastes of the wonderful food. This part of the country is special, and it will survive. Thank you my friend for such a wonderful blog. :)

Abby said...

The masks are indeed so silly.

And the best advice? If you're sick STAY HOME. Why is that so hard for people to understand?!

Take care, regardless. Tacos look great!

Dee said...

Matzoball~So glad you like the tacos. I'll stop by again! Thank you.
Teresa~That cultural mix is why I love Texas & when I leave Mexico, I'll still have a big (Lonestar) piece of it!
Abby~Amen!