Smokey Beet n' Greens Tacos

I think the original recipe for this might have come from Vegetarian Times years and years ago, but I honestly forget. It is one of my favorites, a standby for spring-summer.

1 Large bunch of beets with greens
1 Medium onion, sliced
1 Clove garlic
2 TBS good olive oil
4-5 Small corn tortillas
Goat cheese crumbles, to taste. Other fresh cheeses are good too!
Smoked paprika* to taste
Salt and pepper

*You have to use smoked paprika for this to taste right. You can find this at most good gourmet stores--I get mine from Urban Herbs, the spice store inside of the Westside Market in Cleveland, but you can also order it online http://www.urbanherbsonline.com/. Once you use it, you will see that it is indispensable in the kitchen. Buy a little at a time--a little bit goes a long way, and after a few months it loses its magic.

Cut beets and greens from stems. If you like the taste of the stems you can add them, otherwise discard.

Add about 1 Tbs olive oil to large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, season and cook slowly until caramelized. When done, put the caramelized onion and garlic in a container.

Turn heat to medium-high and add 1 TBS of olive oil. Add greens to pan and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook until wilted and tender (about 3-4 minutes). At this point, I usually drain the greens a bit, or just lift them out of the liquid--they can get watery. Place beet greens in container--you can mix with mix with onions and garlic if you like.

If beets are small, you can add directly to the pan with a little salt and a cup of water and cooked on medium heat until tender. If they are larger, you can roast them in the oven at 400 degrees with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, or make it easy on yourself and boil them. When done to fork tender, add to beet and onion mixture. Toss.

While beets are finishing, add a small amount of olive oil to a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add corn tortillas one at a time and fry until lightly crisp on one side, or do a bunch in the oven by brushing them with oil and sprinkling with a little salt.

When everything is done, I usually reheat the greens in the skillet, then fill tacos with greens and top with onions, goat cheese, and smoked paprika to taste.