Yummy black bean and sweet potato tacos!

 Oh how I LOVE tacos! And when I say I love tacos, I mean this would be last meal on my death bed kind of love. I used to be able to say that my little tummy would consume any style of taco, but with my new dietary restrictions to manage my chronic pain (Anti-Inflammatory Diet), I have had to make some changes. I have also moved towards a plant based lifestyle. Luckily for me, I can still enjoy a variety of delicious taco recipes that are vegan friendly, gluten free, and anti-inflammatory friendly. One of the best of these is this recipe for black bean and sweet potato tacos!

This recipe was found on, you guessed it, Pinterest, and the full recipe can be found by clicking here. Honestly, making tacos, in my opinion, is pretty self explanatory so all of the exact instructions aren't needed. That's why I posted the link to where I discovered it. For instance, at my house we just threw the black beans in the pot and cooked them, but the original author of the recipe provides a black bean recipe using garlic, lime, and taco seasoning if you want to try that!

Basically you just cook your beans, roast your sweet potatoes, and then add in all your sides. Pretty simple, right? Some recipe advice that is really important, however, is cooking and roasting the sweet potatoes! I had never made roasted sweet potatoes in my life, but goodness they are delicious! 

Here are my quick tips: 1. Cook your sweet potatoes ahead of time during the day if you can. Do not cut them; just cover with foil or leave uncovered and bake in your oven at 400 degrees. It usually takes anywhere from 1 hour to 1 hour 30 min for them to bake. 2. Let them sit out and cool down. (They can sit out cooked and cooling for quite a long time). 3. Once you are ready to prepare dinner, start roasting your sweet potatoes first. Peel the skin, cut into chunks and put on a baking sheet. 4. Top the potatoes with olive oil and sea salt and cook at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes (depending on how crunchy you want them). You can also flip them halfway through, if you want. (I did not).

THEY ARE SO GOOD!!!! I now know how to make sweet potato fries anytime I want at home!

Now...on to the toppings and sides. The choices are endless! And one of the things that is really great about this recipe is that even though it is a vegan/plant based recipe, non vegans can really enjoy these! We have a mix of plant-based/vegetarians and meat eating people in my family, and all of them really love these "non-traditional" tacos. Sweet potato and black beans might sound like an odd couple, but they taste so unbelievably great together.

Getting back to toppings, as I noted, even though this is vegan, you can use so many different types of vegan and non-vegan options. I use non-dairy cheese, but my family goes for the cow's kind! And who doesn't love avocados and guacamole? Vegans and meat eaters rejoice a like! My husband is Peruvian, and cilantro is a common herb used in South American recipes. We definitely added this to our tacos!

Sides dishes with black bean and sweet potato tacos are also endless! You can pair them with Mexican rice, corn, and many other Latin sides. Being a true Florida girl, and being married to a Peruvian, I have been exposed to a lot of Latin food. My husband and I love fried plantains and tostones. You can make those fresh, but they are also available frozen and pre-made. When you can get them pre made, they are super easy to prepare. You just take them out of them freezer and de-thaw for about 20 min or so. Then you just get a frying pan, add cooking spray and your choice of cooking oil, and fry those suckers on medium to medium-high heat for about 10 min or so (you should turn them over half way through cooking).

Sadly, when we moved away from Florida, I found it very hard to walk into my local grocery store (first in Southern California and now Texas) and pick them up. I used to be able to buy them in Florida at my beloved Publix with no problems. If you cannot find them at your local grocery store, look for a Latin grocery mart or bodega in your area if you have one. After 4 long years of leaving Florida, I discovered a Fiesta Mart here in Texas. And guess what, I now have a place to get my frozen plantains and tostones. This Florida girl was excited!!!

One last note before we move to the ingredients and recipe: If you follow a gluten-free diet like me, I highly recommend these tortillas if you can find them. I purchased at Whole Foods. I have tried a few different gluten-free tortillas, and these are by far my favorite!

Ok everyone, here's what you have been waiting for!

BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO TACOS

VEGAN/GLUTEN-FREE/PALEO

PREP TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MIN   COOK TIME: 30 MIN

INGREDIENTS

For the sweet potatoes:

3-4 medium sized sweet potatoes

3-5 (or more if needed to taste) TBS olive oil

Kosher salt

Parchment paper

For the tacos:

2 cans black beans

Roasted sweet potatoes

Tortillas

Optional toppings:

Shredded lettuce

Avocados

Guacamole

Cilantro

Shredded dairy or non-dairy cheese

Queso, dairy or non-dairy queso (which is delicious by the way!)

Sour cream, dairy or non-dairy

Hot sauce or jalapenos

Side dishes:

Fried plantains

Fried tostones

Mexican rice

Corn

Chips and salsa

INSTRUCTIONS    

1. Cook your sweet potatoes covered with foil or naked (do not cut them yet) at 400 degrees for about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. Once cooked, take out of the oven and let them cool.

2. Once your sweet potatoes have cooled, peel off the skin (you can also try peeling before you first bake them) and cut into cubes. Line them on a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray (you can use parchment paper if you choose as well). Coat with olive oil and kosher salt. Bake at 425 degrees for about 30 minutes (turning over halfway through if you would like).

3. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, cook your black beans in a pot on medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes and then set to low and let simmer until ready to serve. 

4. If you are making plantains and/or tostones, take them out of the freezer and their packaging for about 15 minutes prior to frying to let them thaw and separate from each other a bit. Once they have slightly thawed, add them to a frying pan that has already been coated with cooking spray and has a few tablespoons of cooking oil (you can always add more if you need it) on medium to medium high heat. Cooking on pan for about 10 min or so, flipping once in between.

5. Prepare any additional side dishes.

6. Once everything is cooked, get out those tortillas and get to work stuffing them with all the goodies!

I really hope you and your family will love these black bean and sweet potato tacos as much as we do! Try them tonight and share the recipe with your friends! Buen provecho!

-Alexis