Vegan Street Tacos: Black Beans and Zucchini

Vegan Street Tacos are small and loaded with homemade pico de gallo, black beans and zucchini for a delicious and casual feast. A meatless and authentic Mexican street tacos recipe.

Can a milder chili be used

Yes, you can use any chili that you like but hot ones are authentic so that is why they are in this recipe.

Ingredients

• Black beans are a great contrast with the softer zucchini.
• Zucchini or mixed summer squash gives a little bit of crunch with a lot of nutrition.
• Red onion is sweet and gets even sweeter when sautéd.
• Ground coriander
• Mustard powder is the opposite of the other seasonings and adds a really nice tangy flavor.
• Cayenne is hot so start with just a little bit.
• Salt is the perfect seasoning.
• Cinnamon has a nice undertone and you can substitute traditional Ceylon cinnamon too. It’s also a bit milder but is equally delicious.
• Lime juice is not as tart as lemon and lifts the flavors to more of a gourmet filling.
• 10-12 small corn tortillas will hold all of that delicious filling.
• To fry the tortillas you need some oil and I prefer extra virgin olive oil.

Pico de Gallo:

• Tomato is a bit acidic with lots of juices.
• To get a flavor punch use garlic.
• Jalapeno peppers (or serrano chiles) are hot and traditionally that is what street tacos call for.
• Red onion is raw and adds a crunch and slightly sweet taste.
• Fresh Cilantro (optional) is a great herb but does not agree with some palates. If this is the case with some of your family and friends then substitute parsley.
• Salt adds taste that we all crave.
• Get the tangy citrus flavor that tastes so good by using lime juice.

Instructions

• Make the pico de gallo first. That will give it some time to rest and meld in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
• Dice the tomato and onion small. Mince the garlic, and chop the cilantro or parsley. A lot of people don’t like the taste of cilantro. It’s a genetic trait and it actually tastes like soap to them. 

• You can wear kitchen gloves for this next step. You don’t have to just be careful to not touch your eyes. Jalapenos and serrano chilies are very hot.
• Slice the stem end of the chili and then slice down the center lengthwise. This opens up the chili so you can clearly see the seeds and ribs. Scrape out the ribs and get rid of the seeds.
• The seeds are very hot so if you want to have spicier pica de gallo then leave some seeds in.
• Dice very small.

• Combine the tomato, onion, chili, lime juice and salt. Toss and taste to see if you’d like more lime juice or salt.
• Cover and set in the fridge.

Heat tortillas

• Heat a heavy pan or iron griddle on med-high heat.
• Add 1 tbsp/15ml oil and spread evenly.
• Cook the tortillas for only about 20-40 seconds per side. You want there to be a slight amount of browning. Add more oil as needed.

Cook zucchini

• Wash and dry the zucchini and squash if using any. Cut off ends and slice lengthwise into 1/2″ to 3-4” slices.
• Cut the onion in half through the stem as seen in the photo below. Next, cut into about 1/2″ to 3/4″ slices. They’ll be kind of fat slivers.

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large, heavy pan over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and cook for 30 seconds until slightly charred on one side.

• Add zucchini. Cook two to three minutes more. They’ll be a little browning which is good but don’t overcook. They cook very quickly and there is still a little bit of cooking to do.
• Add beans and spices cooking 1-2 minutes more and stirring regularly to distribute spices and to get everything hot.
• Remove from heat and squeeze in lime juice to taste.

Serve fresh with pico de gallo.

Filling and pico de gallo store well in sealed containers in the fridge for 1-2 days. Make tortillas fresh each time.