Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos
Veggie Filled Tacos Served With Spicy Spinach Jalapeño Pesto.
Once or twice a week I like to make a meal without any meat and add extra veggies & plant based fats to our weeknight dinner. One of my favorite combinations that I have posted a couple recipes in the past is roasted sweet potatoes and black beans. It’s a great combination of healthy starches and plant based proteins. Also sweet potatoes pair well with spicy chili flavors.
You can either roast the sweet potatoes or cook them stovetop. If you choose the latter, make sure that you don’t cook the potatoes to long or else they will become like mush. Sprinkling the potatoes with chili powder, garlic powder and spanish style paprika pairs well with all the other flavors of this dish. I didn’t include any measurements for these spices simply because I wanted to leave some wiggle room and creativity in this recipe. Add some spices than taste and add more if needed.
Switching to the black beans, I almost always make my own black beans simply because it’s cheaper to buy organic beans in bulk verses purchasing in separate cans. Also they are very easy to cook especially if you soak the beans for 24 hours. I like soaking any variety of beans before cooking for two reasons. First, it breaks down the anti-nutrients which means it makes the nutrients in the beans much easier for your body to digest. Secondly, it cuts down the time it takes to cook the beans.
Anytime I can add avocado, cilantro, and red onions to a dish it is a win win. I also start craving these flavors even more in the spring simply because it adds a freshness to the dish. For a long time I’ve also wanted to make spinach jalapeño pesto, I thought that these flavors would also go well with these tacos and I was right. I had a lot of leafy greens plus a big bag of spinach in the crisper therefore I decided to finally make it & the flavors turned out perfect pairing well with these already flavorful tacos. The recipe for the spinach jalapeño is in a separate blog. If you don’t want to make the spicy pesto simply serve these tacos with your favorite hot sauce or salsa.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes Chopped into small pieces
- 2 Cups Black Beans Cooked
- 1 Large sweet or yellow onion Sliced
- 6-Inch Grain Free Tortilla Shells See Recipe Notes
- Red Onion, Cilantro & Avocado For Toppings
Instructions
- If you are using dry black beans, soak them in water for approximately 24 hours. The next afternoon, rinse beans, add fresh water and simmer in a small saucepan until beans are soft.
- Chop sweet potatoes in small square pieces. I cooked them in a 2 quart sauce pan with just enough water to cover the bottom. Cover with a lid and cook until sweet potatoes are soft but still keep there form. I added small amounts of chili, garlic and smoked spanish style paprika, mix than add salt and black pepper to taste.
- You also have the option of roasting the sweet potatoes vs cooking it stovetop. If you decide to go this route: set oven at 425, drizzle sweet potatoes with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, black pepper, garlic granules or powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder. Roast potatoes until they pierce easily with a fork.
- Slice one large onion, add olive oil to a frying pan, place on low to medium heat, add onions and cook until caramelized. Stir onions frequently to make sure they don't burn or get to brown. Lower the heat if necessary.
- Wrap the tortilla shells in aluminum foil and place in the oven at the lowest temperature possible. Keeping the tortilla shells warms helps to prevent them from breaking when folded.
- I topped the sweet potatoes and black beans with caramelized onions, avocado, cilantro and red onions.
- Drizzle with my homemade spinach jalapeño pesto or your favorite hot sauce.
Notes
- Locally I buy my much healthier, less carb tortilla shells at Georgetown market or Whole Foods. Most healthy grocery stores like Georgetown Market will have at least one grain free, less carb option for tortilla shells.