Vegans can eat these yummy tacos and everyone (carnivore or not) will love them!
A recent adventure in the pastural (No, that is not a typo—that is my puny attempt at cleverness) surroundings of The Wild Cow in east Nashville yielded one of the finest vegetarian meals I’ve enjoyed in a while. Along with some truly delish hummus, I ordered the Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos. Heavenly. Almost as soon as I got home, I set about re-creating them, and I must say, job well done Norwizzle! I served them with my favorite new corn and tomato salad, left over from the weekend, along with an excess of vegetarian Cuban black beans I also had on-hand. Garden-fresh, low-calorie and oh-so-good—perfect for a Meatless Monday (or a Wheatless Wednesday, for that matter).
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Vegan Tacos
(Makes 4 servings)
2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and pierced with a fork
2 cans plain black beans
1/2 red onion, diced
1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1-2 splashes red wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
Juice of 2 1/2 limes, divided
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Sea Salt
1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
2 tablespoons unsweetened pineapple juice
Juice of 1 Clementine orange
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 cups slaw mix dressed in Baja Sauce (recipe follows)
Corn tortillas, warmed
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Place sweet potatoes on a parchment lined sheet pan and place in oven for an hour to 1 1/2 hours to roast.
2. While potatoes are roasting, in a large saucepan, combine black beans, red onion, shallot, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, red wine vinegar, vegetable broth, bay leaf, juice of 2 limes, cilantro and sea salt to taste (start with 1/2 tablespoon and add more if you need to). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat immediately. Simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour over low heat. Add 1/4 cup of vegetable broth at a time if needed.
3. When potatoes are done (skin will separate from the potato flesh and a fork will easily pierce potato to the center), remove skins and place sweet potatoes in a large bowl.
5. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, Sriracha, pineapple juice, Clementine juice, juice of 1/2 lime and sea salt to sweet potatoes. Mash with a potato masher until ingredients are thoroughly combined; set aside.
6. To serve, layer warmed corn tortillas with prepared sweet potatoes, well-drained black beans (simply use a slotted spoon to remove from pan) and slaw dress in Baja Sauce. Serve immediately.
BAJA SAUCE
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Sea salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy. Reserve any leftover sauce for use with more slaw or to serve with fish tacos.
Norwizzle's Almanac 