My taco is made up of a crispy shell, packed with spicy black beans and a creamy tangy tomato salsa. The green lettuce leaves adds a beautiful pop of color and a nice fresh crisp bite. I included the cashew sour cream, this adds another dimension of flavour – it’s not particularly necessary. I personally don’t prefer it however many people love it.

Ingredients 

10-12 taco shells (store bought)  

Some frilly lettuce leaves – optional 

Black bean filling 

  • 1 cup (250ml) black beans boiled until soft.  Drain beans.  (Keep some of the liquid  aside that you boiled the the beans in)
  • A glug of olive oil 
  • 1 small red onion finely sliced 
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced or grated)
  • 1-2 tbsp (15-30ml)  taco seasoning *(see note if you don’t have)  
  • 1 medium tomato diced 
  • 1 tsp (5ml) Salt ( add more or less) 
  • 1 cup frozen corn – defrosted 

Let’s Cook 🙂

Heat oil in a pot 

Toss in onions and cook for a minute.  

Add garlic – cook for a few seconds.

Toss in taco seasoning.  Give this a quick stir.  

Throw in the tomatoes – give it another quick mix incorporating all the spices.  Add a bit of water about 30ml to deglaze and cook until tomatoes are melted 5-8 minutes 

Add the beans along with 1 1/4 cups of the boiling bean liquid.  Bring this to a boil then simmer until the gravy thickens (10-12mins) adjust water quantity if need be.

At the last moment stir in the sweet corn – turn off heat and keep aside.  

 Sambals

  • 2-3 large plum tomatoes washed and diced  into small pieces
  • ½ cup (125ml) onion finely chopped
  • ¼ cup (60ml) fresh coriander leaves roughly chopped
  • 2 avocados, peeled, stoned and chopped in square pieces 
  • 1-2 green chillies finely sliced into rings
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) vinegar
  • Season with salt and pepper⟯}}}}}

Mix all the sambal ingredients together in a bowl – keep aside 

Sour cream (optional)  

  • ½ cup (125ml)  cashew nuts microwaved in 1 cup water for one minute.  
  • 1 cup (250m)l unsweetened almond milk 
  • Juice of one  lemon
  • 1 tbsp (15ml)  apple cider vinegar 
  • Strain cashews and pop into a blender 
  • Pour in the almond milk and blitz until smooth.  
  • Pour cashew cream into a medium size  bowl.  
  • Squeeze in the lemon juice 
  • Add the apple cider vinegar and salt.  Give it a good stir and refrigerate – this will thicken up the mixture.

Taco assembly:

Add a bit of lettuce leaves to taco shells followed by a few spoons of black beans, salsa and a light drizzle of sour cashew cream.  

*Taco seasoning – mix together the following ingredients 

  • 1 bay leaf crushed into small pieces 
  • 1 1/2 tsp (5ml+2.5ml) cumin powder 
  • 1 tsp (5ml) coriander powder 
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) mild chilli powder or paprika powder 
  • ¼ tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder