Tacos are rarely accompanied by a vegetable side dish. Maybe because the vegetables are found inside the taco? Or is it because tacos are supposed to be a fast finger food? That can't be it because rice and beans are served with tacos at some restaurants. Tacos were on the menu for Sunday night so I chose the chayote (because it's a Mexican squash) to be my first new vegetable for the month of February. Prior to yesterday I was unaware that melons, squash and cucumbers were all in the same family--the gourds.
The chayote squash can be eaten raw, it has a crisp texture like an apple and a mild slightly sweet flavor. Like other squashes it is high in vitamin A and vitamin C and is high in fiber.
I found a recipe on allrecipes.com that was simple enough. I peeled the squash, sliced it up and then sauteed it in some olive oil with garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes. Towards the end I added some sherry vinegar to the pan. I used too much red pepper flakes (I didn't measure)! The squash was spicier than anything else in the Mexican meal.
