Alex and I spent the first year and a half enjoying other neighbor’s backyards. I felt like it was our turn to host. The problem was that we didn’t have enough seating for all our new friends. We already had a nice teak table, but I wanted some outdoor furniture… a sofa, chairs, coffee table, etc. So off to Costco we went to invest in a new patio set. We found just what we were looking for, carefully balanced the find in the bed of the truck, and hauled our catch home. Alisha came over to help assemble and supervise, and get it set up just in time for us to host our first taco night.

I make a pretty good carnitas, so that would be the base of the tacos. I put the pork shoulder in the oven for its 5 hour bath in its own juices, garlic and citrus (more on this in a future post). Since, several of our friends are vegetarian, however, I had to pull out my secret weapon… SOYRIZO: the healthier, better tasting, non-porky friend of Mexican chorizo.   I usually have this handy in my freezer and you can add it to a lot of things in the place of meat: omelets, quiches, eggs, empanadas, etc. Tonight, it was going into veggie tacos.

Just before everyone arrived, I shredded the now succulent carnitas, and set out a taco bar for everyone to MYOT (Make Your Own Taco). Guess which one was everyone’s favorite? The soyrizo, of course. You will never miss the meat!

How to be Neighborly: You must accommodate the edibly diverse.

Soyrizo Veggie Tacos

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 Onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 1 package soyrizo
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• Salt & pepper, to taste
• 8 flour tortillas

Put olive oil in a large skillet, add onion and carrots, and cook until onions are soft. Add zucchini and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add Soyrizo and stir until combined and soyrizo is cooked, about 2-3 minutes.

Taco Bar:

• Carnitas
• Soyrizo Veggie Filling
• Tortillas, warmed on the stovetop
• Cabbage, thinly sliced
• Green onions, diced
• Tomatoes, Diced
• Queso Fresca, grated
• Mexican Crema or sour cream
• Hot Sauce
• Avocado, diced
• Alex’s Mom’s Salsa