Gluten-Free and Vegan Black Bean Sweet Potato Tacos

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I am a HUGE fan of Mexican food, which I suppose comes from living in Southern California for so many years. I developed this recipe in response to a craving I had for melty, cheesy quesadillas at a time when I was eating gluten-free and dairy-free.

What's a girl to do?

I considered using corn tortillas, then reminded myself that I never feel that great after I eat them and that most of the corn tortillas in the stores are made from genetically-modified corn (no thank you). My plan B was to look for the gluten-free Teff tortillas my health food store usually carries, but they were out!

Well, I was on a mission and wasn't going to give up. I love using romaine lettuce leaves in place of tortillas for wraps and tacos because I feel so light after I eat them, so I decided that I could still get my melty, cheesy fix in the form of tacos instead of quesadillas. The result? OMG! The lettuce is cold while the mixture is warm, but I personally don't like warm lettuce. If you want your wrap to be warm, consider using steamed cabbage leaves instead. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Gluten-Free and Vegan Black Bean Tacos

Yields: 2-3 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large sweet potato (to yield 2 cups steamed and mashed)

  • 1 can black beans (rinsed)

  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

  • 1/2 tsp cumin

  • 1 tsp chili powder

  • 1/2 tbsp blackstrap molasses

  • 1 tbsp lime juice (approximately 1/2 lime)

  • Romaine lettuce leaves

  • Guacamole (1/2 to 1 tbsp per taco)

  • Cheddar Daiya Cheese (dairy-free, vegan)

DIRECTIONS

  1. With a spoon, mix together mashed sweet potatoes (peel, chop and steam for 10-15 minutes or until tender then use a food processor to blend until smooth) and black beans into a medium mixing bowl.

  2. Add sea salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, chili powder, molasses, and lime juice to the sweet potato and bean mixture. Use a spoon to mix until well combined.

  3. If you want to omit the cheese, at this point you can spoon 2 tbsp of filling onto the lettuce leaf, top with 1/2 to 1 tbsp guacamole, and serve immediately!

  4. If you want to use cheese, heat a skillet and lightly spray with cooking spray. Spoon as much filling as you want onto the skillet (keeping in mind you'll use about 2 tbsp per lettuce leaf), spread into a thin layer, and top with desired amount of cheese.

  5. Cover and heat until cheese has melted.

  6. Spoon 2 tbsp of the sweet potato-bean-cheese mixture onto each lettuce leaf, top with 1/2 to 1 tbsp guacamole, and serve immediately.

  7. Enjoy!

ALTERNATIVES

  • Instead of lettuce, use cabbage leaves or collard leaves as the "tortilla"

  • For a non-green "tortilla" version, heat up a tortilla of your choice (e.g. corn tortilla, brown rice tortilla, teff tortilla, sprouted grain tortilla)

  • Use shredded cheese of your choice if you don't want to use dairy-free, vegan cheese

  • Don't heat up the sweet potato and bean mixture - great for leftovers, just eat cold!

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