There’s not a lot of culinary genius behind this idea for Red Bell Pepper and Black Bean Tacos. Except that was easy. Tasted good. Surya loved them. Healthy. These Red Bell Pepper and Black Bean Tacos are genius! They are easy, delicious, healthy and (maybe) will even win over your toddler.

Hard shelled tacos are sanctioned snacking in Surya’s mind. It’s the crunch factor of the hard shell that does it for her. So, I’ve been squeezing healthy and tasty meals between a shell for her to chow down on. We’re all winning.

Except Surya is apparently not so into my food photography.

This Sunday’s variety included red bell peppers and black beans but we also did a “build your own” taco bar the other weekend with beans, avocado and onions. I’m sure there are a million and one variations. And we haven’t contemplated a desi version yet (though now I’m thinking of these Indian burritos).

I had already well established that stuffing puff pastry with delicious fillings only leads to more deliciousness when I started making puff pastry samosas. Then one Tuesday this past summer at about 4 p.m. I had a seismic realization. My daughter’s pre-school teachers were coming for a home visit. I would be expected to serve snacks. Of course I was expected to serve snacks. Helloooo. It’s like rule number 3 in Being a Gracious Host (Especially to your Child’s Future Teachers).

So at 4 p.m I established I was expected to serve snacks. For a 5:30 p.m. visit. I was still in Manhattan trying to leave work. Did I mention it was 4 p.m.? What to do? Option one was stop and buy something. I’m still not entirely sure why this option didn’t win. Option two was whip up something easy and yummy with Indian flavorings which highlighted my culinary abilities and our cultural background.

Why do I like to make life hard? I called my nanny who helps me keep it altogether and asked her to boil peas and potatoes and take the puff pastry out of the fridge. By the time I got home, the wheels were in motion for puff pasty samosas. Except that I had no time to roll out the triangles, pinching together the edges and painting each individual triangle with egg white wash.

So here’s what I did. I opened up the rectangle of puff pastry dough. I spooned a generous quantity of the potato and pea mixture slightly off center of the rectangle and then I rolled the left side over the mixture followed by the right. Then I brushed a little egg white on top and baked the whole thing. When it was finished, I sliced the whole loaf into 2-inch thick slices.

Success.

Happy Diwali! This is our first year celebrating Diwali since Surya has been old enough to understand the holiday. We’ve been reading her Amma, Tell Me About Diwali (which I would recommend) and just lit diva’s together tonight. To make it even more special, we’re taking these cupcakes in for her pre-K class tomorrow. No, those aren’t boats as one friend asked. They are divas!

In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I didn’t make these. One thing I love about New York is that you can walk into a cupcake shop in the Flatiron District, tell them you want Diwali cupcakes for your daughters class and the non-Indian staff will say something culturally in-tune like “Oh, you want diyas?”  So thank you to the lovely staff at Crumbs who decorated these cupcakes with a diya design I sketched out and added all of the extra colors, squiggles and stripes.

Happy Diwali!

xxoo,

nithya