By Week 327. Summer 2022. I am 39 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like grilled food and garden herbs and this is my life. This is the life I built.
The clinic was busy this week — spring puppies and summer emergencies and the constant, comforting cycle of animals who need care and humans who love them enough to bring them in.
Mason is 11 and reading everything he can find and examining the world under a microscope with the intensity of a tenured researcher.
Lily is 9 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.
I made fish tacos this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.
Fish tacos felt right this week — grilled, fresh, something that belonged on a summer table under string lights — but it’s the taco itself that I keep coming back to, that flexible, forgiving little fold of something warm and good. These Easy Breakfast Tacos are the version I reach for when the week has been full and the clinic has been loud and I just need food that comes together fast and feels like something. Mason grabbed three. Lily asked if we could have them again tomorrow. That’s the whole recipe, right there.
Easy Breakfast Tacos
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 small flour or corn tortillas
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup salsa
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
- Hot sauce, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Warm the tortillas. Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30–45 seconds, or warm them one at a time in a dry skillet over medium heat for about 30 seconds per side. Keep warm wrapped in a clean towel.
- Whisk the eggs. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder until the mixture is uniform and slightly frothy.
- Scramble the eggs. Heat olive oil or butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Pour in the egg mixture. Cook, stirring gently with a spatula, until eggs are just set but still soft, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Warm the beans. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the black beans with a pinch of salt for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, microwave in a covered bowl for 60 seconds.
- Assemble the tacos. Lay out the warm tortillas. Spoon scrambled eggs down the center of each, followed by a spoonful of black beans and a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Add toppings. Top each taco with salsa, a small dollop of sour cream, sliced green onions, and cilantro if using. Add hot sauce to taste.
- Serve immediately. Arrange tacos on a platter and serve while warm. These are best eaten right away.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 340 | Protein: 17g | Fat: 15g | Carbs: 33g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 620mg