Eat More Veggies: Black Bean Tacos w/ Slaw & Avocado


TRUE STORY:

It took me 20 years to get my husband not only to EAT vegetables, but to LOVE them.

When I first got married, he only wanted to eat steak and potatoes, ground beef with tomato sauce over pasta, or sausage & peppers for dinner......you get the picture.

Vegetables were not really discussed, except for green beans.

He has naturally high cholesterol (genetic), and right away the doctor put him on a statin drug.
No thanks.

Before we go that way, let's do an experiment.

Let's try and cut down on fried foods, meats and processed foods and change the way HE eats a little.
He was on my watch now.
(I am not a doctor, but play one on T.V.)

For 6 months, we cut out a lot of the bad stuff, and had his blood work retested.

RESULTS:
His triglyceride numbers were cut in HALF, and his cholesterol score went down 80 points.
Not bad.

Just from eating more vegetables and lean meats and more fish?
The proof is in the pudding (or in this case, the numbers).

ABOUT THIS RECIPE:

As soon as the husband saw tortilla shells on the counter, he got excited.
Were we having ground meat w/ packaged shredded cheddar and shredded iceberg lettuce tacos for dinner?

NOPE.
We are having vegetarian black bean tacos, and you are going to not only like them, but LOVE them.

The black beans are meaty and filled with fiber and protein.

I promise these are delicious (I never lie about food).

The only thing I recommend is have everything ready to go, so you can serve the tacos warm.
Mise en place taco station.

I made a homemade cole slaw the day before for a BBQ (shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, scallions w/ 1/3 cider vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup mayo), and had some leftover, so knew the slaw would be delicious in the tacos.

You can use gluten free, whole wheat, corn or flour tortillas.
You can fry them, or heat them in the oven, microwave, or buy them already pre-made into shells.

I lightly heated my tortillas in olive oil, which is a task, because you don't want them to lose their shape when crisping them. Use tongs to mold and shape them in the pan.


Try these, the meat eaters won't even know the difference, and might like them better!


Black Bean Tacos w/ Slaw & Avocado: (inspired by this recipe)

Suggested fillings:

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
olive oil
kosher salt
1 cup homemade coleslaw (or shredded cabbage w/ crema or mayo)
2 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 white or yellow corn tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese for the top
1 avocado, sliced
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
sriracha sauce for drizzling

Start by squeezing the lime juice on the avocado pieces and sprinkle w/ kosher salt. Set aside.

I heated the beans, but you can certainly serve the tacos cold if you are in a hurry.


In a small skillet, pour in the rinsed beans, the scallions, some cilantro and the cumin.
Add in a little olive oil to coat.
With a wooden spoon, smash some of the beans, so they are mushy.
Heat just until warm and put a lid on the pot.

If you are not using pre-formed taco shells, then heat the tortillas in some oil in a cast iron skillet, moving them around w/ tongs, until you make nice taco shells.

Lay the shells on a platter and start to fill.

Starting w/ the cabbage slaw, then the warmed beans, then top w/ avocado slices, feta cheese and fresh cilantro.

Squeeze of sriracha sauce is optional, but highly recommended.


These were fantastic. We both loved them.
Worth the small effort, and healthier than the usual taco night party.

PS pickled onions would also be good as a topping.

Enjoy and eat more veggies.

Comments

Natalia said…
These look amazing & a nice alternative to Meatless Monday!
Tracy S said…
lol this post is really funny. He sounds like my husband!
Katie C. said…
My cholesterol in also high due to heredity. Unfortunately, I couldn't bring it down without drugs. Sometimes you just don't have a choice. Even with, it hovers around 200. 🙀. You tacos are lovely.
Bebe said…
Those sound so good, Stacey, but I’m not sure about black beans with DH.

I crisp up my tortilla shells the same way. Found early on that it was necessary to hold the folded “raw" tortilla (with tongs) by its top edges so that tortilla makes sort of a sling effect. Holding it that way, then crisp the rounded bottom first, in an open shape so that it does not have a sharp crease along the bottom. (The latter would break open when you tried to fill the tortilla.) Then flip tortilla on either side to finish. Drain on paper towels or brown paper bags.

We like our tortillas on the slightly less than crisp side.

Sounds fussy (easier to demonstrate) but it is really easy and it works. No more broken tacos!