Black Bean Tacos


Everyone likes tacos..I don't know a single person that doesn't like tacos.  What we have here are black bean tacos.  These little babies do NOT contain any meat.  They contain the deliciousness and protein power of BLACK BEANS.  Why don't more people eat more black beans?  Let's break down their nutritional value and health benefits:

Black beans are a great source of protein.  A 100 gram single serving of black beans has almost the same amount of protein from a 100 gram serving of 80% lean cooked, pan-brown beef. See the comparison below:

 Black beans are low in saturated fats, low in sodium and low on the glycemic index scale (meaning, when you eat this food item, your blood sugar will not spike).  I'll explain more about glycemic index scale in another post. 

What will you need for Black Bean Tacos?? Let's check out the ingredients:


2 Cans Organic Black Beans
1 Small Can of Corn
1 Clove of Garlic (pressed)
1 Small Yellow Onion (sometimes I use red onion, depending on how much onion taste I want)
1 1/2 tsp Cumin
1 table spoon Chili Powder
1 Cup Grated Cheese (your choice...I use Colbie Jack a lot)
A handful of Cilantro Leaves
Salt and Pepper
1-2 Spoonfuls of Coconut Oil
White Corn and/or Yellow Corn Tortillas
Lime Juice
Sour Cream
Saute Pan
Platter Screen
Strainer
Cheese Grater
Something to smash the beans up

Let's get started!

Place the strainer in the kitchen sink.  Now open the cans of beans and dump into the strainer and rinse well.  We are rinsing the beans to wash off the sodium that the beans have been sitting in since they were canned...gross...Then toss them into a big mixing bowl.

Chop up the onion and cilantro, press the garlic and shred some cheese.



 Are you ready to smash?  Find a kitchen utensil that is capable of smashing the black beans.  I use a whisk or sometimes this little guy and it fails...miserably!  I should really buy a potato masher since I make these things once a week. After the beans are mashed to your liking, add the corn and other ingredients.  Mix all the ingredients together so that the mixture....is mixed!


Before you heat up your pan, because the coconut oil is going to melt really fast really quick, prep your tacos.  Place a few tortillas onto a plate and spread the bean mixture (not too thick) onto HALF of the tortilla like so:


Now, fold the tortilla over the top of the mixture


I typically make 8.  So then, I would prep 8 tacos and THEN heat up the coconut oil.

Heat up your saute pan on medium heat for about a minute.  Now, add a heaping spoonful of coconut oil into the pan.  This stuff should melt right away!


Keep the heat on medium and SLIDE the first two, three or four tacos into the hot oil and then immediately place the splatter screen over the top of the pan:




The splatter screen you see is one that I picked up from the Dollar Store....yep!  The DOLLAR STORE!  You can find these splatter screens online for almost $20! I mean, don't get me wrong, I would love to have the matching Rachel Ray Splatter Screen to match the rest of the Rachel Ray cookware that I have!

As the tortillas cook, watch and listen carefully to the coconut oil.  Cook the first side of the tortilla for 3-4 minutes.  Cook the second side for a minute less than you cooked the first side.  Why?  Because, the majority of the oil has cooked into the tortilla's first side or has evaporated.  The second side is mainly cooking on a slightly oiled pan...which means that it will cook faster....in my experience.

After the tacos have cooked, serve them with a heaping spoonful of sour cream on top.


Let's talk about sour cream for a minute.  It's delicious, fatty and oh so yummy!  So, why are you buying the off brand that's only about .50 cheaper and contains about 10 more ingredients than REAL sour cream???  When shopping for sour cream, make sure that there is only ONE ingredient...Grade A Cultured Cream.  That's ALL that should be in that white container.  If the sour cream you are buying contains more than one ingredient, then it's not really sour cream.   


Enjoy!


Clearly, for the purpose of this blog I only used a spoonful of sour cream.  But in real life, I totally just dunked my taco into the container of sour cream :)

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