Baked Crispy Black Bean and Zucchini Rolled Tacos
I was in Costco the other day and a man came up to me and said “there’s a great salmon sample over there,” which I replied to with “thanks, but I don’t eat meat.” It just came out.
The thing is, I do eat meat. I’ve tried being raw, vegan and vegetarian. I’ve thought about it a lot. I’ve read a lot of books and done a lot of research. When it comes down to it, I don’t want to live my life without bacon on a Sunday morning, or a cheese platter at the wine cellar downtown. I love to cook steak for Miles, and what would be the point of living life if I only ate coconut-based ice cream? I could give all these things up if I really wanted to, but I don’t want to.
There’s a responsibility that comes with that decision though. It’s my responsibility to know if that animal was treated well (cage-free, cruelty-free, hormone and antibiotic-free), and to try to get it from a small farm or maybe a larger farm that demonstrates it is focused on the living conditions of their animals. Also there’s a responsibility to eat it sparingly. Most of the meals that I cook at home don’t have meat as the main part.
I guess my quick response to the salmon-loving man in Costco was because I consider myself more on the vegetarian side of the spectrum than the carnivore side. I really like to consider myself a “flexitarian” meaning that I eat mostly vegetarian but still eat a burger when I feel like it. I’ve always felt that you don’t have to be so black and white with what you decide to label yourself based on your eating habits as long as you’re being conscious of what you eat and where it is coming from.
A forward to a vegetarian recipe that is all about how it’s ok to eat animal products might seem out of place but I wanted to give an example of one of our typical meals that shows compromise. There’s no meat involved, but there is cheese (both jack and cheddar) and plenty of zucchini. Because we’re eating vegetarian recipes like this mostly during the week, I don’t mind splurging on a really good cut of humanely-raised beef from the farmers market this weekend.
- 1 large zuchini cut into 1 inch pieces, about 2-3 cups
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 cups black beans, rinsed and drained. See note*
- 3 garlic cloves minced or grated on a microplane
- 2-3 Tbsp salsa verde (or other salsa of choice)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped white or red onion
- 1/2 large jalapeno or 1 small jalapeno (seeded for less spice), chopped fine
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 14-16 fresh corn tortillas
- coconut oil spray or other baking spray
- kosher salt and chili powder to sprinkle on top
- fresh cilantro, jalapeno, salsa, sour cream and avocado to garnish and dip
- Place chopped zucchini in a colander or mesh sieve and sprinkle with the 2 tsp of kosher salt. Combine and let sit for 30 mins over a bowl.
- In a blender, combine 1 cup of the black beans with the salsa verde and garlic and pulse until smooth. (This step is optional but it helps to bind together mixture. You can skip it if you're pressed for time, just add the beans, salsa and garlic to the bowl with the other ingredients).
- When the zucchini has sat for a bit it should have released a bit of moisture, which you'll see by shaking the colander or sieve, or by what is in the bowl. Put the zucchini in a clean towel and spin up the top to release even more moisture. See picture above.
- In a large bowl combine the zucchini with the remaining 2 cups of the black beans along with the onion, jalapeno, cilantro, spices, and cheeses. It shouldn't look too loose, and if it does, add a little more salsa and cheese.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and spray generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Working one tortilla at a time, microwave it until it is almost too hot to handle (my microwave took about 15 seconds). See note.
- Add about 3/4 cup of the filling (plus a little more if you want a nice full taco or less filling if you want to make more) to one edge of the tortilla and roll it up with the loose ends underneath. Place on baking sheet while you do the same with the rest of the tortillas.
- Once all of the tortillas are full, spray them generously with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt and chili powder. I like to be fairly generous with the salt here, but up to you.
- Bake for 20 mins or until filling is cooked through and cheese is melty. The shells should be golden brown, but if they're not you can stick them in the broiler to help get them crunchier.
- Garnish and serve with salsa and sour cream to dip.
- * I used dried beans because I always have them in my pantry and I tend to like the texture more. You could definitely use canned beans here, and 2, 15 oz cans would do the trick.
- * Don't skip this step because the corn tortillas won't be flexible enough if they're cold. Make sure the tortillas are fresh otherwise they can crack. I like the Trader Joe's one in my picture above. I always buy them even though they cost more because they are a much higher quality and pretty flexible.
- * You can reheat these by placing them in the microwave and then the broiler.
- *Don't skip salting the zucchini! It draws out a lot of the moisture which keeps them crunchy and keep the taco mixture from becoming too watery when it is cooked. This process can be used pretty much any time you cook zucchini when you don't want it to add a lot of moisture.
