I love tacos, and one of my favorites is any variation of the black bean taco. I found this recipe on Pinterest a while back and have been making them, or at least a version of them, pretty regularly since finding the recipe. This recipe is easy and can be adapted to what you have or don’t have.

The only essentials are:

• Corn tortillas –I use a whole wheat/corn blend
• Black beans
• Cheese

If you have those things, reach into your pantry for spices, and into your produce for any yummy add ons. I used cumin, sea salt and minced garlic in the beans for this recipe. Give the beans a good stir and mix all the yummy flavors together, and then right there, beans are done. Okay, on to a very important ingredient…cheese. I happened to have a giant bag of shredded Monterey jack in the fridge, so Monterey jack it is. I minced some fresh jalapeno up and added it to the cheese. Cheese is done. Next, I added some olive oil to a large pan and got it nice and hot. Place a tortilla in the pan and coat the bottom of the tortilla with the oil, flip it and add some cheese to one side of the tortilla first, then some beans on top of the cheese, and then some more cheese on top of the beans. Then, using tongs, gently pull the other side of the tortilla over, covering the beans and cheese, forming your taco. Now, place another tortilla in the pan, so you can have two cooking at once. Allow each side to get golden brown and crispy.

For taco toppings, sour cream, hot sauce and cilantro are perfect for this dish. Also muy importante…VEGGIES! I added some lightly sautéed veggies on the side for some color and a healthy spin on this indulgent meal.

xo