crisp black bean tacos with feta andslaw

Publish date: 2024-05-27

[Note: These tacos got fresh, new, and very overdue photos in 2019.]

Let me just get this out of the way before I begin: I’m a little embarrassed by this meal. Not because it took 10 minutes to make, but because it came entirely from things that were already packaged and it tasted… well, not bad, but certainly not like I made any great effort. I bet you can’t wait to sign up, huh?

lime juice from my unpaid assistantthe slawone can tacosmash the beans with spice and seasoning

So why I am telling you about it? Because we’ve all been there, haven’t we? Even in New York City, where you can get anything delivered at any moment’s notice, there are days when one more meal that arrives in plastic-lidded foil containers will send you over the edge. I made this on one of those days. It was 8 p.m., we were both starving and I had one chance to ask Alex to grab something at the store on his way home and I didn’t want to miss it. So I Googled probably one of those most popular searches on the Internet, “10 minute meals” and, well, that pretty much brings us up to today.

tortilla warm before you bend itfold and crisp the undersidecrispy the other sideadd the slaw and feta

Before I get into all of the things I’d do differently next time (you know, besides “try for once to plan ahead for dinner”) you should know that we cleaned our plates. A lime-y slaw with bits of feta and cumin-scented black beans in a pan-crisped tortilla are nothing to complain about for dinner. In fact, I like all of those elements a lot, especially when I can get them on my plate in time for Top Chef. Where, ahem, I can’t resist pointing out that a whole lot of the food didn’t look half this good.

crisp black bean tacos

Crisp Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

There are dozens of ways to tweak this. Next time, in keeping with the shortcut vibe, I might just use Goya’s canned black beans in sauce (which I’ve confessed to loving more than once) instead of mashing a can with what seemed like not enough seasoning next time. And, with the minutes that would save, I’d much rather use my favorite green onion and red cabbage slaw instead of the suggested one. If I felt like adding some extra protein, it would only take a couple additional minutes to saute some ground meat in a pan with onion and stir it into the beans — especially the saucier ones. But really, the possibilities are endless, so use the recipe as a loose guideline and have fun with itPlace beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; warm 1 minute. (Whenever I skip minute, the tortillas break instead of bend and I regret it.) Fold tacos in half over filling. Cook until golden brown underneath, about 1 more minute, then flip and crisp on the second side, another 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon feta and slaw into tacos. Pass hot sauce alongside, or if your name is Alex, drown your taco in a puddle of it.

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