Black bean taco with mango salsa

We hadn't made tacos for a long time since my daughter and husband keep frequenting Chipotle Mexican Grill to satisfy their taco craving. According to them they make the best vegetarian tacos. Fresh, tasty and delightfully crunchy is how they describe it. But after eating this version of the black bean filling, my daughter has changed sides and prefers this to Chipotle's. I think the key is in slow cooking the onions and garlic and then cooking the beans further with the tomatoes. I took a short cut and used canned organic black beans, but you could definitely soak the dry beans and cook them first before making this recipe.

The tacos are filled with a black bean filling topped with guacamole and a sweet and tangy mango corn salsa. The black bean filling is spicy and the guacamole is creamy. The sweet corn and sweet and tangy mango complement the beans and the guacamole beautifully. It is a complete party in your mouth.

Black bean tacos with mango salsa and guacamole

One box of corn tacos (12 tacos)

Black bean filling

1 14oz can of organic black beans
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 teaspoons canola oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoon taco seasoning (I used Trader Joes) or you can make your own. Click here for recipe.
7 oz San Marzano crushed or pureed tomatoes (½ a small can)

1. Heat a 3 qt saucepan over medium low heat with canola oil. When the oil starts to warm up, add the chopped onions, garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook over low heat covered for 10 to 12 minutes stirring occasionally till the mixture is soft and mushy.
2. Drain the can of beans and add it to the onion and garlic mixture. Add 1 ½ teaspoons of taco seasoning, half a can of the crushed tomatoes and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook covered over medium low heat for another 10 minutes. By this time, the beans would have been well seasoned and the tomato will be absorbed by the beans. Stir halfway through to ensure that the beans don’t stick to the pan. (I used a non-stick pan but it might still stick since the mixture is not very wet).
3. Allow to cool and serve.

Mango and sweet corn salsa

One medium sized Mexican mango or any mango that is tart and sweet
1 cob of fresh sweet corn

1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup tomato, chopped
Juice of ½ lime
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon hot green chili, finely minced (you can discard the seeds if you don’t want your salsa to have a kick)
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped

1. Remove the skin and the seed of the mango and chop into ¼ inch pieces and add to the serving bowl.

2. Remove the husk from the corn and steam for about 5 minutes. If the corn is tender it will cook very quickly. You don’t want to overcook the corn. Cool and scrape the kernels with a paring knife. (Hold the cob vertically with the stem side up in a large bowl and run your knife down the edges as close to the center as possible to scrape off the kernels). Transfer the kernels to the serving bowl.

3. Now add the onion, tomato, lime juice, salt and green chili and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt and lime juice as per your taste.

4. Finally add the chopped cilantro – toss lightly and serve.

Guacamole

One large avocado
2 spring onions, finely sliced, white and green parts
Juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon hot green chili, finely minced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1. Peel and pit the avocado and then make hatch marks with a knife. Scoop out the avocado with a spoon and place in a mixing bowl.

2. Add all the other ingredients and mix well, breaking up some of the pieces of the avocado to form a chunky guacamole. If you don’t like it chunky, you can mash up the avocado till it is almost a puree.

Serves as filling for 12 hard shell tacos

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