While winter calls for dinner that comes in a piping hot bowl for comfort, warmth and nourishment; and this January we’re taking that coziness and putting it into a handheld meal: the soft taco.
Join us in celebrating our Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soft Taco recipe of the month as a quick, healthy and affordable way to bring dinner to the table!
Because sweet potatoes leave the food bank by the pallet and are distributed en masse to feed the community, we are always looking for ways to cook up this color rich root veggie. And just as we root for tasty sweet potato ideas because they are a key staple at the food bank, we suspect that one or two leftovers may be rolling around in your own cupboards as relics from the holiday season.
We hold this low cost high flavor taco near and dear because it’s:
Basic!
Sweet potatoes, black beans, onions and chili powder. Pretty basic stuff. We have faith in staples because with a little imagination, so many meals can be made. If one of these key ingredients are missing on the shelves, they can easily be swapped for another type of bean or potato, or purchased at the store at a reasonable price.
Stackable!
The add-on possibilities are endless here. Cheese, avocado, a fried egg, salsa, slaw. The sky’s the limit to what you can add on top.
Kid Friendly!
Allowing kids to choose how they will fill their taco is a friendly invitation to try new things; and assembling a meal themselves equals happy little hands and happy little bellies.
Food Waste Friendly!
Onions about to go bad? Sweet potato spots resembling craters on the moon? No problem. It will all taste just the same chopped up and cooked with spices.
Full of Flavor!
Chili powder is the key warming spice. You can also add a pop of fresh flavor with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice for a lively lift.
Timely!
This comes together in 30 minutes. If the weeknights require food that is faster, prepare the filling over the weekend and then the tacos are ready for assembly at a moments notice.
Flexible!
Swap out potato for sweet potato, brown lentils for the black beans, and curry powder for the spice and you have an Indian inspired doppelganger of this recipe. Top it with plain yogurt and cilantro and you’re good to go.
Try the recipe for yourself.