Park Projects – Livingleen

Welcome to the weekend my friends!!!

I am a little tired from what ended up being a late night last night but looking forward to a weekend full of teaching, practicing, farmer’s markets, friends and fun! I don’t know if I mentioned it but I recently started working part-time for Conservacion Patagonica. Last night we had an event at the Patagonia store in SF to promote the ‘Mile for Mile’ documentary which highlights three Patagonia run ambassador’s and their 106 mile journey through Patagonia Park to bring awareness to this 11 year restoration project. We had an amazing turn out, raised a ton of money, and enjoyed the company of passionate, like minded people – it was awesome! PLEASE check out the amazing work being done in South America, read about Doug & Kris Tompkins, and donate (if you’re so inclined) to this incredible cause! Moving right along…since its football season, I thought for today’s Foodie Friday it would be fun to share a vegetarian twist on a game day favorite, taco dip! I made this for Monday’s Eagles game and let’s just say it saved the night (since the Eagle’s kinda tanked…sorry guys!). Obviously you can make this with ground turkey, beef, bison, chicken…but its delicious meatless as well!!Taco Dip

1 pkg vegetarian ground round or soy ‘chorizo’ (from TJ’s)
1 can black beans
1 can beer (lager)
1 head iceberg lettuce
2 cups cheddar cheese
3/4 cup sour cream
diced roasted red bell peppers (or salsa)
1 pkg taco seasoning OR home blend (paprika, chile powder, cayenne, cumin, garlic…)
1 bag whole wheat tortilla chips

Put can of black beans (slightly drained) into a pot, add 1/2 can beer, and put on medium/low heat. While beans cook down, shred 1/3 head of the iceberg lettuce, grate the cheddar cheese, and preheat the oven to 375. Add seasoning to the ground round with the remaining beer and put under low heat in a sauce pan. Once the beans have cooked down (about 20-30 minutes – the liquid should be thick and nearly gone and the beans are super soft), its time to assemble: start with the ‘meat’ layer, then the beans, peppers, sour cream, and finally the cheese to bake for 15-20 minutes. Once the cheese is all melty and bubbly pull it out of the oven to sit for a few minutes, top with the shredded lettuce and dig in!! Enjoy this with some whole wheat tortilla chips or just a fork…it’s that good!!