Zucchini and Egg Breakfast Tacos

Let's talk about farmers' markets. Growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, I grew up with the notion that Saturday mornings are for the farmers' market. The capitol square bustles with pedestrians, bicyclists, children in strollers, a kid being carried on dad's shoulders, adults pulling wagons full of flowers and produce, dogs happy to be amidst so much activity, The Raging Grannies peace activists, an Andean musical group, someone passing around a petition for something they care about, Tom Ryan playing his piccolo, [fill in your favorite Madisonians]. The capitol steps and lawn seat people resting from the flow to enjoy spicy cheese bread, pastries, fresh fruit and vegetables, a bag of fresh, squeaky cheese curds, beef jerky, or some form of honey. In between bites and conversation, they are people-watching to take in this Madison ritual. Across the sidewalk, the perimeter of the capitol square is lined with tents and tables where friendly locals sell their goods. Every block has at least one cheese maker offering samples and no one can resist a squeaky cheese curd that was made at 4:00 that very morning. This is just what you do on Saturday morning in Madison.

Yesterday, C took me to the Urban Harvest Farmers Market in Houston. He was excited to take me because he knows how much I love the one in Madison. The problem is, I've never been to another farmers' market that captures the energy of the one in Madison, let alone the size. Mercado Hidalgo in Guanajuato, MX is a two story building full of vendors seven days a week. It is a beautiful market, but has an overpowering meaty smell from the carniceria and the unfortunate upper story of vendors selling trinkets (rosaries, bags, GTO-labeled anything you can imagine). I walked through Mercado Embajadores everyday on my way to the University of Guanajuato. The fruit smelled amazing, but I was kind of freaked out by all of the clothing and DVD stands. The Historic Soulard Farmers' Market in St. Louis showed great promise until I saw pineapples for sale. It is a great place to buy cheap wholesale produce that will probably go bad within 48 hours, but takes more searching if you want local or organic produce. The Urban Harvest Farmers Market in Houston is like a very small version of the Dane County Farmer's Market. I appreciate that the vendors are local and diverse. There are vendors for vegetables, goat cheese, meats, soaps, plants (mostly vegetables and an out-of-place orchid stand), chocolate, macaroons, coffee, at least 3 breakfast stands, rescue dogs, etc. What it's missing: size, location, Madisonians, and good Wisconsin cheddar.

Nevertheless, we picked up a few things. I don't imagine that Madisonians are able to get strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and tree-ripe peaches before Memorial Day! (There are some perks to living in Texas!) Anyway, the market made me homesick and hungry. With that combination, we were edging on a hangry Abby. As we walked back to the car, we were considering going out for Indian breakfast, but as soon as I said "breakfast tacos," I knew C was sold. We made a quick stop at H.E.B. to get the things we couldn't find at the farmers' market (they didn't even have cilantro). When we got home, I made vegetarian breakfast tacos with zucchini. C was skeptical about my use of zucchini. He whipped up huevos rancheros for himself, but I think he was pleasantly surprised by how satisfying my tacos were! They were spicy and the texture was great (I used a tool for cutting the vegetables into perfect little cubes--larger cubes for onion and green pepper and smaller cubes for the zucchini).

Apparently we didn't curb my hanger quickly enough, because I was still out-of-sorts after breakfast. C decided to give me a gift he was saving for Memorial Day (our date-day this month): a cutting board the shape of Wisconsin with a heart cut-out for Madison. He said that he knew I missed Wisconsin, so maybe it would help. I can't wait to use it as a cheese board for our next batch of homemade cheese!

Zucchini and Egg Vegetarian Breakfast Tacos
Makes 4-6 tacos

Materials
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 small zucchini, diced (up to 1/2 cup)
1/2 small green pepper, diced (up to 1/2 cup)
cumin, to taste
cayenne, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
4 eggs, lightly beaten
Tortillas (your favorite kind)
1/2 cup refried black beans, heated through
Greek yogurt, to garnish
Shredded cheese, to garnish
Cilantro, to garnish

Methods
1. To prepare the vegetables: Heat 1/2 tbsp. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they just begin to soften. Add the zucchini and green pepper. Cook until the vegetables are soft. Season with cumin, cayenne, black, pepper, and salt, to taste. Remove vegetables from the pan to a bowl.
2.  To prepare the eggs: Heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp. of oil in the same skillet. Add the lightly beaten eggs to the pan. Stir occasionally until the eggs are cooked through. Remove from heat.
3. Assemble the tacos: Slather a tortilla with refried black beans. Add about a quarter cup each of the scrambled eggs and vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Dollop with greek yogurt, sprinkle with cilantro. Serve immediately.