Black Bean Zucchini Tacos - with cilantro lime crema and salsa verde

I love making tacos for casual dinner parties: most of the work can be done before hand, and you can put out lots of little small bowls of condiments, dips, toppings, and sauces for your guests to make their own tacos. It’s a great interactive meal that involves your guests, and there’s always something for everyone. Tacos are specially wonderful during the summer when you really want to minimise your time in the kitchen, and eat delicious meals that aren’t greasy or accompanied with heavy sauces.

The ideal formula for a taco requires a filling, something spicy, something creamy, and any additional toppings.

Here we have black beans and zucchini spiced with cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika as the main taco filling. This can work with canned black beans, or plan ahead and soak them the night before for a quicker cooking time. Quick tip: when you have time over a weekend, soak and boil a large batch of beans — then cool them down and freeze them for instant beans whenever you’re in the mood for it. It keeps fresh in the freezer for months! If you don’t have black beans at home, use kidney beans (rajma) instead.

Along with the beans and zucchini, a quick cilantro lime crema adds just the right amount of creaminess. A Mexican crema is a thinned out sour cream of sorts, and instead of using packaged sour cream, use full fat Greek yogurt. It’s healthier and packs an additional dose of protein alongside the black beans.

For the “something spicy,” we definitely need a salsa. Salsa verde made with roasted tomatillos adds necessary zing + heat. If you can’t get your hands on the tomatillos, you can make a classic pico de gallo for instant freshness. Given that mango season is in full swing right now, you could also go the sweet + spicy route with a quick mango salsa, as it pairs really well with the black beans.

I also like to top my tacos with some diced avocado. In my opinion, avocados make everything taste better, and since they’re in season right now what better time to load up on them? I also think these tacos would be great with the pickled red cabbage slaw or the avocado chimichurri sauce we used in our portobello mushroom tacos. As you might see, tacos are endlessly customisable based on whatever you have on hand!

Finally, to wrap all these delicious fillings up, I prefer a soft flour or corn tortilla wrap, lightly warmed up on the skillet or on an open flame until brown spots begin to form. I know many prefer the crunchy hard shell tacos, and if you are one of those who do, feel free to use your choice of taco here.

Serve them with chilled beers or margaritas at your summer dinner party. For more summer entertaining ideas, check out this post.

BLACK BEAN AND ZUCCHINI TACOS

Serves: 2, 3 tacos each

INGREDIENTS

For the filling:

1 tablespoon oil
A full can (1½ cups) black beans
1 cup small diced zucchini
2-3 garlic cloves, grated
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
A large pinch of smoked paprika
Few tablespoons water
Salt, to taste

For the cilantro lime crema:

½ cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander
2 tablespoons lime juice
Salt, to taste
1-2 tablespoons water, to thin

For serving:

6 tortillas, lightly charred or warmed
Salsa verde (or any other fresh salsa)
Diced avocado, chopped coriander

INSTRUCTIONS

Make the black bean zucchini filling: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the zucchini and garlic, cooking for a minute. Add the black beans, spices and a few tablespoons of water, along with a pinch of salt. Simmer on low for a few minutes until cooked.
To make the crema, whisk together Greek yogurt, coriander, lime juice, and salt. Taste and adjust flavour. Add water to thin it out until it reaches desired consistency.
Make the tacos: Over an open flame or in a skillet, heat each tortilla until warmed and slightly charred. Assemble tacos with black bean and zucchini filling, cilantro lime crema, salsa, avocados and coriander leaves. Serve with additional salsa.