Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

These tacos were quick, easy, and very tasty.  They're also meatless and gluten free, if you use corn tortillas.  They're kind of like quesadillas.  The grown-ups loved these but some of the kids didn't, for some reason.  They're weirdos, sometimes.  
Crunchy Black Bean Tacos
adapted from The Kitchn

2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
Pinch of salt
4 to 6 ounces (1 heaping cup) grated Pepper Jack or Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
8 corn tortillas

Toppings:
Avocado
Hot sauce
Salsa
Sour cream

1.  In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, cumin, and paprika. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all the ingredients together. Grate the cheese and have it ready.

2.  In a large, nonstick or cast-iron skillet, add the 2 tablespoons oil and heat over medium-high heat. 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. Try not to overfill the tacos, or you might have issues flipping them without losing filling.

3.  Using a spatula, carefully fold the other half of the tortilla over to form a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape. It's ok if some cheese spills out.  As the first taco cooks, move it to the side and begin a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook two or three tacos at once. A griddle will hold even more.

4.  Cook each taco until they are nicely browned and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out. If your pan is very dry between batches, add another drizzle of oil.

5.  If you wish, place the cooked tacos in a warm oven while you finish the rest. If the tacos are very greasy, blot them with a paper towel before moving them to the oven.  Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.
**This post and photos are property of http://dishingwithdish.blogspot.com**

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm surprised your kids didn't like them because they eat similar things. Go figure!

What a Dish! said...

I know. They're so weird and you never know what they will like. The picky one ordered fried clams in the US and Calamari here lately. Out of the blue.