Spice Up Taco Tuesday with These Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos

  • By Jess Dang
  • December 29, 2012

Vegetarian sweet potato and black bean tacos

Week 1 of January’s Super-Food Challenge* with the beautiful Francheska of Hey Fran Hey features the sweet potato. Don’t let its sweet-like-candy taste fool you. This root vegetable is power-packed, filled with fiber, beta-carotene, and a whole host of vitamins. We love baking it, roasting it, making it into fries, and using it as a meat substitute in tacos.

Sweet potatoes make a perfect hearty filling for a taco when you want to opt for a vegetarian version. We prepare ours in a saute pan with some diced red onions to add a sweet sharpness and a mix of already-in-your-pantry spices to add a flavor punch. We combine it with black beans, a whole wheat tortilla, and a dollop of creme fraiche, sour cream, or even Greek yogurt, and you’ve got yourself a complete protein. These tacos will be so delicious and easy to make that you’ll hardly think of this as a challenge.

Check out our full list of sweet potato recipes here

*We are so excited to be part of Hey Fran Hey‘s January Super-Food Challenge. We know that everyone wants to kick off the new year with some healthy eating habits, so we put together a list of our favorite super foods. Throughout the month of January, you’ll be challenged to cook a new super food every week. Get ready to feel super!

Sweet potato and black bean vegetarian tacos by Cook Smarts

See this recipe in our meal plan here

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Vegetarian Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos Recipe

Hearty and sweet, sweet potatoes make an excellent vegetarian taco filling. Topped with a squeeze of lime juice and a dollop of fresh guacamole, you'll be forgetting that these are sans-meat

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 15 min

Total time: 25 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients

  • Sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed – 1lb.
  • Garlic, minced - 1 clove
  • Red onion, diced - ½
  • Black beans – ½ can
  • Veg / canola / grapeseed oil - 1 tbs.
  • Paprika – ½ tbs.
  • Cumin - ½ tsp.
  • Cayenne - a pinch
  • Tortillas (preferably whole wheat) - 4
  • Crème fraiche / sour cream / plain yogurt (optional) – ¼ cup
  • Avocado (optional) - 1 small ripe
  • Limes - 1

Instructions

Prep

  1. Sweet potatoes – peel & cube
  2. Garlic – mince
  3. Red onion – dice
  4. Beans – open, drain, and rinse

Make

  1. Heat your largest frying pan / cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs. oil to the pan. Once oil is heated, add garlic, red onion, and a dash of salt to heated oil. Sauté until softened, ~3 minutes
  2. Next add sweet potatoes to the pan with a generous pinch of salt and spices. Add 2 tbs. of water to the pan, cover with a lid, and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for ~5 to 8 minutes, until sweet potatoes are softened
  3. Add beans to the pan and toss everything together until beans are heated through. Season to taste with more salt or spices
  4. Warm tortillas according to package instructions and fill with spoonful’s of your filling, a healthy dollop of dairy, sliced avocado, and a squeeze of lime juice. Even die-hard carnivores are going to be so jealous of your dinner. Go *YOU*

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