Taco Tuesday

Roasted Eggplant and Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Quinoa,

 Tofu Queso Fresco, Peppers and Onions

 

I live in Austin, Texas. I should make tacos. Tacos are awesome. Okay. Tacos. Let's make some. 

That was my inner monologue this morning. It's high summer, and everyone seems to be making tacos - soft tacos, crunchy tacos, breakfast tacos, taco salad, etc. Every other recipe I seem to come across lately is for tacos. Plus, as stated above, I live in Austin, and if there's one thing Austinites are crazy about, it's tacos. So, it felt only natural to try and come up with a new recipe of my own. After my Roasted Eggplant Lasagna, I've developed a bit of an obsession with roasted eggplant. I love the texture and the way it absorbs flavors, and have been trying to come up with other recipes to toss it into. Taco filling seemed like a grand idea. I pared my slightly smoky roasted eggplant and black bean filling with flavorful cilantro lime quinoa, creamy tofu queso fresco (admittedly, I take great liberty with the term), and slow sauteed red bell peppers and onions. I used small corn tortillas which makes this recipe gluten free, however feel free to use whatever you'd like! Top with traditional taco fixins -green onions, tomato, sliced avocado or guac, picante, and I especially love sliced black olives on my tacos! The results were pretty darn tasty :)

There are quite a few elements here, so this is the order I made things in. First, start the quinoa and roast the eggplant. While they're cooking, saute the onions and peppers, and make the tofu queso fresco. Finish the filling, then you're ready to assemble. You could also make this in stages - you could certainly make the tofu queso fresco the day before to give the flavors a chance to marry.

Roasted Eggplant Black Bean Filling

• 1 eggplant, ¼" dice
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• Half of a 10 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapeno and cilantro (I used Whole Foods 365 brand because that's what I had on hand, but you could also use Rotel, or 1/2 cup of salsa instead)
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 cups no salt added or reduced sodium black beans, drained
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• ¼ - ½ tsp Chipotle Mrs. Dash, or chipotle powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Spread the diced eggplant on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil, salt and pepper and mix about with your hands. Spread it evenly, and bake for 15 minutes. Stir, cover with tin foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a cold saute pan. Add remaining ingredients, and heat the pan to medium high.

All of the ingredients ready to be mixed.

Cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the bean mixture is bubbly and heated through.

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

• 1 cup quinoa
• The other half of your can of jalapeno and cilantro diced tomatoes (or ½ cup salsa)
• 1 ½ cups water
• ¼ tsp Chipotle Mrs. Dash, or chipotle chili powder
• Juice of half a lime
• 2 TBS cilantro, finely chopped 

Everything in the rice cooker

Either place all ingredients (except for the lime juice and cilantro) in a rice cooker according to manufacturers directions (i.e., using the rice cooker's cup measure and liquid measure), or in a medium saucepan. If using rice cooker, cook according to manufacturers directions. If cooking on the stove, bring quinoa mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the quinoa is light and fluffy. Remove from heat, add lime juice and cilantro. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

Finished Cilantro Lime Quinoa

Tofu Queso Fresco

• 1 lbs firm tofu
• Juice of remaining half a lime
• ½ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp garlic powder
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 TBS nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp salt

Using your (very clean) hands,  press as much liquid out of the tofu as you can. In a medium sized bowl, crumble the tofu with your fingers. Add remaining ingredients and smash everything together with your fingers. Taste for seasonings and adjust in needed. Cover, and set in the fridge to let the flavors meld until you're ready to assemble.

Onions & Peppers

• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1/8 tsp salt 

Heat the oil in  a medium saute pan. Cook the onions and peppers on medium high heat for about 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. You want to cook them until the onions have begun to caramelize, and the time this will take may vary depending on your stove (electric vs. gas, etc.). I like to cover them about half way through the cooking process, and add the salt. Once they are caramelized and smell delicious, spoon them into a bowl, cover, and set aside.

Before

After :)

Assemble!

This part is really up to you, but I like to go: corn tortilla, quinoa, beans, peppers & onions, queso, toppings, om nom nom. You could just as easily throw everything on top of a bed of lettuce and crushed tortilla chips for a nice taco salad, or use whole wheat tortillas  - whatever floats your boat!