Black Bean Tacos

Okay. I admit it: Tacos are one of the few foods that I will occasionally "cheat" and use the box dinner kits that include those crunchy taco shells and a spice packet. So what? They're tasty and still better than the fast-food version you get through the late night drive thru because I can make them with ground turkey, chicken, or tofu and top them however I want. That being said, for the most part I make tacos from scratch and the quickest of the variations I like to make are these black bean tacos because all the ingredients come straight from the pantry and my freezer.

Black Bean Tacos

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup of onion, diced (yes, I have diced onions in my freezer)
1/4 cup of red/yellow/green bell pepper, diced (again, I keep a bag of peppers in my freezer)
1/4 cup of salsa or tomatoes, diced (I had leftover diced tomatoes with jalapenos in the fridge from a can opened earlier in the week)
1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
splash of water (veggie stock or tomato juice works well here)
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika (sweet or smoked, whatever you have on hand)
1/4 cup sweet corn (yes, from the freezer again)
salt & pepper to taste
splash of lime juice
soft flour tortillas (I prefer the smaller taco size, but these can just as easily be made into larger burritos)

Directions:
Cook the onion, peppers, and tomatoes in olive oil over medium-low heat until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add in the beans, splash of water, and all spices. Using a fork, lightly mash some of the beans to release their starch, leaving most of the beans whole. Simmer until the beans are warmed through and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 3-5 minutes, before adding in the corn. Finish with a squirt of lime juice and build your tacos however you want. Today, I kept things simple and just spread a smear of sour cream on the tortilla, added a sprinkle of shredded Mexican cheese, and topped it with the bean mixture.

Enjoy!