Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos

During residency Jack was lucky enough to work with a few other podiatry residents who were LDS and we arranged dinners from time to time so our families could spend time together. One night we were at Keith & Paige Murdock's home and Paige made these tacos. I had never tasted sweet potatoes like this! They were amazing! Not only are they healthy and vegetarian, but they are packed with tons of yummy flavor. When I brought the recipe home, I tinkered with it a bit and came up with my own version. Here they are!

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Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos

2 Sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into small cubes

1 T Olive oil

1/2 t Salt

1/8 t Chili flakes

2 T Lime juice

2 C Shredded cabbage (green, purple, or both)

2 Green onions, sliced

1 Lime, zested and juiced

1/4 t Salt

1 Can Black Beans, drained and rinsed 

1 t olive oil 1/3 C diced onion 1-2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced 1/3 C chicken broth 1/8 t cumin 1/8 t coriander1/8 t oregano 1/4 t salt 1/8 t pepper 1/2 lime

Corn or flour tortillas

Cubed avocado

Sweet Potatoes:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place cut sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Mix together olive oil, salt, chili flakes, and lime juice in a small bowl and pour over the sweet potatoes. Toss to coat. Spread potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast 40 minutes turning once at 20 minutes. Cook until golden brown.

Cabbage Salad: 

Place cabbage and green onions in a bowl, toss with lime zest and juice and salt. Stir all together. 

Beans:

In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to med-high heat. Saute onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and saute abut 30 seconds more. Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they are done cooking, remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula so mash some of the beans. 

Assemble tacos by placing sweet potatoes, cabbage salad, beans, and avovados in a tortilla and enjoy!

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

I saw a similar recipe to this on Pinterest, but felt like the filling on these could use a little extra kick, so I added a few little twists inspired by Our Best Bites' version of "Quick and Easy Black Beans" and here is my new crunchy black bean taco!

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

Makes 12-16 tacos (serves 8).
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed 
1/2 T olive oil 
2/3 C diced onion 
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or finely minced 
2/3 C chicken broth
1/4 t cumin 
1/4 t coriander
1/4 t oregano 
1/2 t salt 
1/4 t pepper 
1 lime
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 avocado, sliced
Pinch of salt and pepper
12-16 corn tortillas
Hot sauce
Salsa
Sour cream

Directions:
1) In a saucepan on the stove, heat the olive oil to med-high heat. Saute onions for about 3 minutes or until they just start to become translucent. Add garlic and saute abut 30 seconds more. Add beans, broth, and remaining seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and simmer for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. When they are done cooking, remove from heat and add in a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Then use the back of a spoon or rubber spatula so smoosh some of the beans. You don’t want to pulverize them, but you want to take a bunch of good smooshes so that some of the beans are smashed, which will thicken the sauce. Add in the cilantro. Grate the cheese and have it ready.

2) In a large, non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat.

3) Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1?4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.

4) Using tongs, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.

5) As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once.

6) Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.

7) When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use tongs and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out.

8) Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.Note: Corn tortillas are resilent to heat. Don’t worry about burning them. They are very flexible. Just be sure to cook them on each side long enough to get them really crispy.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Just like McCormick's!

1 T Chili powder
2 t Cumin
1 t Salt
1/2 t Paprika
1/4 t Garlic Powder
1/4 t Onion Powder
1/4 t Cayenne Pepper
1/4 t Oregano

Mix all ingredients together & store in an airtight container. Voila!