Foodie Momma
Taco Tuesday:
Plant Foodie Edition
Yep, we’ve kinda hopped on the plant-based bandwagon after watching a few compelling documentaries. I wouldn’t say we’ve gone hardcore vegan by any stretch, but we’ve cut back on the meat and dairy products we were consuming and for the most part, have experienced some amazing benefits.
Both Matt and I are huge fans of barbacoa and steak tacos. I wanted to find a filling and flavorful alternative. I resorted to none other than… beans! Relying on a few key simple, and fresh ingredients can make your taco night super easy and delicious. Here we go with my amazing sous chef Sammy in tow!
Total Prep Time: 20 min
Total Cook Time: 30 min
Yield: 4-5 servings
Both Matt and I are huge fans of barbacoa and steak tacos. I wanted to find a filling and flavorful alternative. I resorted to none other than… beans! Relying on a few key simple, and fresh ingredients can make your taco night super easy and delicious. Here we go with my amazing sous chef Sammy in tow!
Total Prep Time: 20 min
Total Cook Time: 30 min
Yield: 4-5 servings
What you'll Need...
Pico de Gallo
Three medium sized tomatoes
Cilantro
1/2 Red Onion
1 Lime
Salt
Beans
2 cans of unsalted black beans*
2 tablespoons Minced Garlic
1 White Onion
1/2 tablespoon Chipotle powder
1/2 tablespoonJalapeno powder
1/2 tablespoon Dry Cilantro
1 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Pepper Mix
2 Large Green Peppers sliced to your liking
Half White Onion sliced
Olive Oil
Salt
Avocado Mash
2 Ripe Avocados Diced
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt
Olive Oil
Organic Flour Tortillas
*You can cheat a bit here and use one canned of unsalted black beans and one can of spiced black beans. This will help balance out flavors! Also don’t be hesitate to add more amounts of spices listed above.
2 Large Green Peppers sliced to your liking
Half White Onion sliced
Olive Oil
Salt
Avocado Mash
2 Ripe Avocados Diced
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt
Olive Oil
Organic Flour Tortillas
*You can cheat a bit here and use one canned of unsalted black beans and one can of spiced black beans. This will help balance out flavors! Also don’t be hesitate to add more amounts of spices listed above.
How to make it!
Pico de gallo!
You’ll want to get your pico de gallo started first so that it can have some time to marinate while you cook. You can always prepare your pico the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight. After washing your tomatoes, dice ‘em up into little bits and place them in a medium size bowl. Then, dice up half a medium sized red onion. Toss in bowl. Chop up your cilantro and add it to your tomato and onion mix. Cut a lime in half and squeeze the juice onto your freshly chopped and diced ingredients! I usually end up using about ⅔ of a whole lime. Salt to your liking and toss in some freshly minced garlic for good measure!
You’ll want to get your pico de gallo started first so that it can have some time to marinate while you cook. You can always prepare your pico the day before and leave it in the fridge overnight. After washing your tomatoes, dice ‘em up into little bits and place them in a medium size bowl. Then, dice up half a medium sized red onion. Toss in bowl. Chop up your cilantro and add it to your tomato and onion mix. Cut a lime in half and squeeze the juice onto your freshly chopped and diced ingredients! I usually end up using about ⅔ of a whole lime. Salt to your liking and toss in some freshly minced garlic for good measure!
Get those black beans going!
Rule of thumb for me when sauteing garlic and onion is set the stove to LOW. Honestly, I’ve burned way too much garlic and onion not to do so. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a small to medium pan. Add half of a medium white onion diced and 5 cloves garlic minced to the pan (you can always add more garlic… never enough garlic in my opinion!) Let that start to cook so that the oil can get some of those garlic and onion flavors. Add in two cans of unsalted black beans. Add 1 tablespoon of chilli powder, 2 tsp of cilantro powder (can use fresh cilantro), 1 tsp of garlic powder, a pinch of red chili flakes. If I were making these beans just for myself I’d add in 2 tsp of jalapeno powder (or fresh jalapeno)… but the hubby is not a fan. Mix up your ingredients and turn your stove up to medium. Let the beans simmer at a low heat and cook down for about 20 minutes.
Time for the peppers!
In a separate pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set the stove to LOW. While the pan is heating up, cut peppers into vertical strips, then cut in half. Then cut the remaining half of your white onion into strips. Add peppers and onion to the pan. Salt and let them fry. I suggest covering the pan so that these can cook quicker. Fajita style veggies here we come!
Rule of thumb for me when sauteing garlic and onion is set the stove to LOW. Honestly, I’ve burned way too much garlic and onion not to do so. Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a small to medium pan. Add half of a medium white onion diced and 5 cloves garlic minced to the pan (you can always add more garlic… never enough garlic in my opinion!) Let that start to cook so that the oil can get some of those garlic and onion flavors. Add in two cans of unsalted black beans. Add 1 tablespoon of chilli powder, 2 tsp of cilantro powder (can use fresh cilantro), 1 tsp of garlic powder, a pinch of red chili flakes. If I were making these beans just for myself I’d add in 2 tsp of jalapeno powder (or fresh jalapeno)… but the hubby is not a fan. Mix up your ingredients and turn your stove up to medium. Let the beans simmer at a low heat and cook down for about 20 minutes.
Time for the peppers!
In a separate pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and set the stove to LOW. While the pan is heating up, cut peppers into vertical strips, then cut in half. Then cut the remaining half of your white onion into strips. Add peppers and onion to the pan. Salt and let them fry. I suggest covering the pan so that these can cook quicker. Fajita style veggies here we come!
Not so guacamole!
You can absolutely make your own traditional style guacamole. This recipe does something a little different with the avocados… Dice them up and place them into a bowl. Drizzle with some olive oil then sprinkle with some salt and garlic powder. Mix it all up, and voila, you’ve got some tasty avocados to add to your tacos!
Tortilla Time!
I keep some organic flour tortillas in the freezer handy for taco nights. Simply set the stove to medium with a small pan on top. No olive oil or butter needed. Place a tortilla in the pan. This will eat up the tortilla AND crisp it up a bit. Do this on both sides. Stack your heated tortillas on a plate and cover to keep them caliente!
PS- I toss all scraps, peels, etc into our makeshift compost bin which we will add to the soil of our garden!
You can absolutely make your own traditional style guacamole. This recipe does something a little different with the avocados… Dice them up and place them into a bowl. Drizzle with some olive oil then sprinkle with some salt and garlic powder. Mix it all up, and voila, you’ve got some tasty avocados to add to your tacos!
Tortilla Time!
I keep some organic flour tortillas in the freezer handy for taco nights. Simply set the stove to medium with a small pan on top. No olive oil or butter needed. Place a tortilla in the pan. This will eat up the tortilla AND crisp it up a bit. Do this on both sides. Stack your heated tortillas on a plate and cover to keep them caliente!
PS- I toss all scraps, peels, etc into our makeshift compost bin which we will add to the soil of our garden!
Finally, serve all your delicious dishes familia style!
