Chipotle black bean tacos with jalapeño slaw

"I had a fairly standard taco game as a kid – meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato in a store-bought shell. I was wary of making any changes to my long-serving combo... I mean, why mess with perfection, right? Well, becoming vegetarian and finally eating authentic Mexican food certainly bumped me right out of rookie taco zone and straight into the world of piquant, fresh vegie creations. I'd put just about anything on a taco these days, and am often found doing just that. Welcome to taco-time!" Stacey Roberts, The Veggie Mama

The versatile taco works for a lot of special dietary needs. Credit: Benito Martin

• serves

  4

• prep

  35 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Mayonnaise

• 300 g silken tofu (see Note) 
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup olive or grape seed oil
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (see Note)
• coconut sugar to taste
• pinch of salt to taste

Slaw

• ¼ cabbage, sliced thinly 
• 1 small carrot, grated
• 1 green onion, sliced thinly
• 1 jalapeño, sliced thinly (see Note)
• ½ bunch coriander, stems and leaves chopped finely
• 2 tbsp soy milk or almond milk (optional)

Black bean tacos

• 1 onion, peeled and diced finely
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2 cups dried black beans, soaked overnight (see Note)
• 2-3 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce, roughly chopped (see Note)
• ½ cup vegetable stock or water 
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• juice of 1 lime
• pinch of salt

 

• 12 corn tortillas

Marinating time 30 minutes

You will need to begin this recipe 1 day ahead if using dried beans (see Note). 

Instructions

To make the mayonnaise, place the tofu in a blender with 1 tbsp lemon juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, jalapeño, 1 tsp coconut sugar, and salt. Blend until super-smooth. Taste, and add more lemon juice and sugar if required.

To make the slaw, in a bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot, green onion, jalapeño, and most of the coriander. Add the mayonnaise and stir to combine. If it’s too thick for your liking, add a little soy or almond milk to allow the mayonnaise to adequately cover the slaw without getting too runny. Set aside for 30 minutes to let the flavours mingle.

Meanwhile, to make the tacos, in a large frypan over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic until soft, then add the beans, chipotle chillies, stock, cumin, and maple syrup. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes or until soft and cooked through. Taste for seasoning and add salt if necessary.

Before serving, stir the lime juice through the beans, then serve the bean mixture in warm corn tortillas and top with slaw and the rest of the coriander. If you like, add an extra squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Note

• You can substitute tofu for 1 cup of raw cashews, soaked overnight and drained.

• The heat of the jalapeño pepper is mostly in the seeds, leave the seeds in for a chilli kick or discard if you prefer a mild chilli flavour.

• If you don’t have dried beans, use two cans of black beans, rinsed and drained.

• Chipotle chillies are hot, rich and smoky jalapeño peppers that have been smoked and dried, and the adobo sauce is a tomato-based sauce with garlic, onion and spices. You can find them in leading gourmet food stores. If you can't get them, replace with fresh chillies and about 1 tbsp of smoked paprika, or a very good, smoky chilli sauce to taste.

Photography by Benito Martin. Food styling by Alice Storey. Prop styling by Lynsey Fryers. Food preparation by Alice Storey & Georgina Larby.

Stacey Roberts started her blog, Veggie Mama, on a whim, documenting her foray into vegetarian cooking. Once a journalist teaching at university, she now blogs full-time, telling tales of simple living and homestyle cooking.

Recipe by Stacey Roberts from The Veggie Mama.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.