If you know me, if you really really know me, you will be forced to admit that I have a itsy bitsy lazy streak. It is not really itsy bitsy. That is a lie. The circumstances of my existence make me look like a go getter at times, but the fact is I’d rather be laying on my couch reading a book. Five year olds HATE it when you lay on the couch and read a book and make it pretty much impossible. But if you are hanging out in the kitchen and things start to smell yummy the same five year old will either join in the fun or back off because he knows that he will be getting something out of the deal.
The lazy side of me rejoices when a recipe appears that is so easy and so fast that you can prepare it in about 10 minutes…cook in about 5 and be at the table in twenty. Then you can send the kids to their rooms while the sun is still up, call it bedtime, and sit on the couch and read the book. Who am I kidding? Then you can get on to the laundry or dressing the wound from the upside down and curiously sharp edged Lego you just stepped on in bare feet. This recipe was originally in Bon Appetit.
If you are feeding more than two adults, double this. I hate, with a capital H, raw cilantro but I left it in the list in case you do not hate it with a capital H. Chipotle salsa is widely available in Dallas. I hope it is where you are. Sometimes it comes in a can. I’m curious, when you do not live in Texas is the salsa section in your grocery store still as big and diverse as the produce section? If you can easily put your hands on the chipotle version, do so. It has a smoky flavor that makes it special (or gross, depending how you look at these things). You can save a step and buy the cole slaw mix in the bag. Or, you can buy a head of cabbage and slice it thinly which is what you will see I have done on this occasion. Also, I make extra of the lime and olive oil…I use way too much feta and sometimes I chop up grilled or pan seared chicken to go on this. Have at it!
Preparation:
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
½ teaspoon ground cumin
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 cups bagged cole slaw cabbage
2 green onions, sliced whites and a little green
1/3 cups chopped cilantro
4 corn tortillas
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
bottled chipotle hot sauce
sour cream for garnish
Drain the beans. Place beans and cumin in a small bowl and mix and mash them. You want to see some whole beans but you don’t want them rolling around everywhere. So just mash them with the back side of a fork until everything is sticking together nicely.
Mix 2 tsp olive oil and lime juice in a medium bowl and whisk them until they are well combined. In a medium bowl, combine the cole slaw, green onions, feta cheese and cilantro (yuck!) and toss to coat. Season slaw with salt and pepper.
Heat about 3 teaspoons of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add about 4 tortillas in a single layer. Spoon 1/4 of the bean mixture onto half of each tortilla. Cook for about a minute laying out flat like that. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about one to two minute per side. You are going for some nice brown spots on the tortillas. So play it by ear on the cooking time.
Either stuff the tacos with the slaw or serve a big pile of the slaw along-side the tacos and let your people do their own stuffing (I like it this way). Pass the sauce alongside or put a little bowl of the salsa on each plate.
Some more thoughts: I have also done this with tostadas (big flat round chip things). You need to heat the tostada in the oven according to the package directions, then I smear sour cream on them, then pile on the beans, then the salad, then the salsa. In this case, I warm the beans in the microwave first for about a minute and a half, or until nice and hot because the filling does not get cooked in the skillet like it does with the tacos.
This might not sound terribly exciting to you. But there is something very compelling about the combination of the beans, and the limes, and the feta. Good. Fast. Easy. Calf rope.
Can I just come over and eat at your house? I’ll quietly sit on the backporch and needlepoint… you won’t even notice me :) I love your website, especially the photos. I am so unmotivated to cook these days but your site gives me inspiration!
Unlike you I LOVE raw cilantro! So I will keep in when I try this delicious recipe – with the chicken as well! Yum!
I HATE Cilantro too! This recipe looks great, will have to try it soon!
I’m OK with a hint of it here and there. Tonight I am testing out a shrimp ceviche tonight that calls for a tablespoon of the stuff. That, I will try. But I don’t like it when it is a big component of the flavor of the dish. I’m trying to learn. I don’t know what it is about it, though. For me, it is so strong and so aromatic and so…cilantro.
The great thing about this recipe is that you get a lot of flavor and crunch and nutrition for your buck. I mean, beans and tortillas and cabbage are practically free. And it is fast. It is a “go to” weeknight recipe for me. By the way, if you find just the cabbage boring you can thow anything you want into the slaw. I threw a few julienned radishes in last time and it was a snappy little addition.
Is there a place that allows me to print the recipe out without all the pictures and commentary – for a quick shopping list? i did not see a link to do so but might be missing it – thanks!
Allison, thank you for asking this. The fact is, I am still shopping for the right “plug-in” to make this happen. There are several options that I have found so far and none of them are quite right. They either print without the ads and such (great) but still print the photos (not so great). My much more programming savvy sister in law is developing something for the site right now. I hope to have that hammered out in the next week or so. Til then, I’ll just say that I’m thrilled that you want to print any of my goodies and that I’m on the job. Thanks for visiting!
This looks delicious! LOVE that you use corn tortillas in this recipe. I’ll consider it a shout-out to your gluten-free peeps, whether you meant for it to be or not.
These are DEE-LISH!! a friend on FB recommended your site so I came over just to browse. The black bean tacos caught my eye cuz I love black beans but rarely have them cuz no one else in my family likes ‘em. This was so easy, I whipped up a couple for lunch and OMG – so good!! The cumin gave the beans the best smokey flavor and the EEVO and lime juice with cabbage was a perfect accent. Will definitley make again! :)
Oh my gosh these tacos sound SO good! I’m with you on raw cilantro, but do love the flavor that cumin adds to foods. I really enjoy the intros to your recipes, Kelly ~ so glad to have found your blog through Mamapedia.
Colleen, I’m so happy that you are here. And, I love hearing that you found me through Mamapedia. That makes me happy.
This has been a very veggie weekend. The enchilada casserole (even though I got rushed and spaced the shredded chicken) was a MAJOR hit. Not letting up on the black bean theme, I made the tacos two nights later. Having lived and eaten in Arizona for the last 50 years, I know what I like when I’m eating Mexican food. There’s flavor all over the place here! So easy and satisfying, Southwest comfort food! I am so delighted to have such a palate in the fam!….. XOX, Cat
Catherine…you make me so happy. Thanks for trying my black bean creations. I’m glad to hear someone else can eat black beans and nothing else for a whole weekend. Miss you.
This is a staple in my house. Trust me you don’t need any sides with it just lots of Tacos. We LOVE them
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