crispy brussels sprout + black bean tacos with avocado crema

who wants to dress up like a zombie with me at coachella? we can stumble into groups of sweaty urban outfitter dorks and swipe at the air and act gross and pretend to try to eat them and completely invade their major coolness?

anyone?

i'm off to a land of neon and krAzy. and thom yorke. and hologram tupac.

but before i go i need you to take a look at these tacos. these tacos are doing something here, besides being tasty.

these tacos here are acting normal, like they're just regular tacos.

they've got the tortillas, the cumin-spiced beans, the limeyness...classic suspects in the taco species, right?

but hold up.
...this taco is doing what i do.

when i meet people, i act super normal. i feel myself doing it all the time, acting quite nice and normal.

brussels sprouts and parmesan. hey, you guys are weird to find in a taco... weirdness hiding in the normalness. like!

topped with some avocado crema, these half normal half wacky tacos are so. so. awesome.

i should learn a thing or two from this shouldn't i? i should try to be my weirder, less sickeningly nice self when dealing with brussels sprouts.

? nevermind. that's not the lesson at all.
it appears that my brain has already checked out.

Crispy Brussels Sprout and Black Bean Tacos 

and Avocado Crema

makes 5-6 tacos

1 lb brussels sprouts

olive oil

kosher or sea salt

pepper

handful of grated parmesan, about 1/4 cup

1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp cumin

small tortillas, flour or corn

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 green onion, sliced

small handful cilanto

hot sauce

1 ripe avocado

juice from 1 lime

1/4 cup sour cream or greek yogurt

salt and pepper to taste

preheat oven to 400. wash the brussels sprouts, peel the outer leaves and halve. toss them with olive oil, a generous sprinkle of coarse salt, pepper, and handful of parmesan. spread on a baking sheet and roast until crispy and a bit browned, about 25-30 minutes. let cool a bit, then chop them up a bit. 

place beans in a bowl and mix with cumin, salt and pepper. slightly mash. 

to make avocado crema, mash the flesh of the avocado well with the lime juice, sour cream, salt and pepper. 

heat 2-3 tbsp olive oil over med-high heat in a large skillet. place 1 or 2 tortillas in the pan and place two generous spoonfuls of black beans into the center. fry for a minute. then with metal tongs, fold over and fry on each side until browned and crisp, about 30 seconds on each side. repeat with the rest of the tortillas. 

stuff each taco with the chopped brussels sprouts and top with the avocado crema, sprinkle of green onion and cilantro and hot sauce. feast!