I have always LOVED tacos, but from traveling a ton to Texas and California and even Mexico once or twice, I am well aware of what makes a good taco. Living in Western New York for the past 30+ years meant getting the very best tacos I could on the road and when I was really craving them at home, just making them myself. I have made soo many different tacos, some vegan, like these, some with slow cooked meat from our farmer, some loaded just with grilled veggies, and so on. I am not saying my homemade tacos are THE very best and most authentic, but for the most part they were better than any I could get in Buffalo. (Though Lloyds Taco Truck were damn delicious and the best in WNY outside of my kitchen, for sure!)

I find the key to authentic tacos (or at least for my taste) is skipping on the loads of cheese and chopped iceberg lettuce like most Americans love. You want good quality ingredients like slow cooked beans or a meat, spiced to perfection. Add some fresh cilantro, a quick homemade pico de gallo or other salsa and add a few other simple but yummy things like quick pickled red onions, (diced onions or green onions are always great to) or maybe a simple chipotle cream. Less is more in a lot of ways.

OK so now I am living in Southern California, the land of amazing tacos. Why did I make tacos at home, you ask? Almost every week for Taco Tuesday we have tried a different place out, since you can get amazing prices/deals at most places. Last week, we didn’t wanna go out and we still wanted tacos, so this was the next best thing.

These tacos feature super flavorful slow-cooked black beans, that do their thing ALL day in the crock pot. Load it up in the morning before work and by dinner time it’s all ready for you. You can make the pickled onions and chipotle cream the day before, the morning of when you are loading up the crock pot or just a couple of hours before you serve dinner. I highly suggest making your own corn tortillas whenever possible, they are so simple to make and once you do, you will realize what you have been missing. I  was forced to skip on it this time as I wasn’t able to find non-GMO masa harina around here, so I just bought some pre-made organic non-GMO corn tortillas that were very good and very fresh.

**BONUS ADDITIONAL MEALS: The great thing about this recipe is that it  makes a decent amount of black beans and other goodies. So make tacos for 4 – 6, or more – or make tacos for 2 one night, then make delicious black bean and brown rice bowls another night. Instead of tortillas start with brown rice in a large bowl, top with the slow cooked black beans, add any other veggies or toppings, top with the pickled red onions and chipotle cream sauce and you have another deliciously incredible meal.

Slow-Cooked Black Bean Tacos with Vegan Chipotle Cream {Gluten-free + Vegan}

[print_this]Slow Cooked Black Beans

• 1 lb organic dried black beans – soaked overnight, drained and rinsed*
• 4 cups water and/or vegetable broth (if you aren’t using canned tomatoes, you may want a bit more water)
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 1-2 dried chipotles, left whole
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small can diced fire-roasted tomatoes (I like Muir Glen organic) you can also use fresh tomato
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

Salt to taste at the end of cooking

Soak the beans overnight. Drain and rinse well.

Add all of the ingredients to the crock pot. If you aren’t using canned tomatoes, add another 1-2 cups of water. You want to make sure there is enough liquid so the beans don’t scorch or burn.

Stir well. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Salt to taste and the end.

*If you forgot or didn’t leave time to soak the beans overnight, no problem. Put them in a large pot, and cover completely with water. Bring to a rapid boil for 10 minutes, then turn off stove and cover pot. Let your beans sit for 1 hour, then drain water and put beans into crockpot) [/print_this]

[print_this]Quick Pickled Red Onions (and Jalapeños)
These simple pickled onions can be made ahead, it will keep for 2 weeks.

• 1/3 cup red wine or apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon raw sugar (if you are totally sugar-free try a splash of maple or other sweetener of your choice)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeño, cut into rings

Whisk first 3 ingredients and 1 cup water in a small bowl until sugar and salt dissolve. Place onion and jalapeños in a jar, pour the vinegar mixture over. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Cover and chill. Drain onions before using or just pull right out of the jar and add them to your tacos. [/print_this]

[print_this]Vegan Chipotle Cream
This sauce is great on these tacos, but also delicious in place of mayo or other spreads on sandwiches or wraps.

• 1/2 cup organic raw cashews (soaked for at least an hour), drained then rinsed well
• 1/4 cup water (you may need more)
• 2-3 chipotles (the canned kind in adobo sauce)
• 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
• 1 large clove garlic
• squeeze or two of fresh lime
• salt, to taste

Add all of the ingredients to your blender. Start on a low speed. You may find you need to add more water to get it moving and to reach your desired consistency. Gradually increase the speed of the blender until the desired creaminess is reached. If you add to much water and it’s too thin, just add a couple more cashews. Pour into a jar, cover and place in the fridge. [/print_this]

[print_this]Assembling Your Tacos – All The Add-Ons
These are the other ingredients you will need:

• Slow Cooked Black Beans (above)
• Pickled Red Onions and Jalapeños (above)
• Chipotle Cream Sauce (above)
• 6-8 Corn Tortillas (more if serving more)
• Organic baby greens, shredded lettuce or cabbage
• fresh cilantro
• lime wedges

Optional:

• sliced avocado
• roasted corn
• pico de gallo, salsa or fresh tomatoes
• Tapatio or Sriracha or other hot sauce
• etc

Assemble. Heat up your corn tortillas. Add the beans, lettuce, pickled onions and jalapeños, cilantro and drizzle the chipotle cream over top. Serve with a fresh lime wedge.[/print_this]