Black Bean Tacos with Mediterranean Salsa (Gluten Free)
Prep time
Total time
A chunky and full-bodied Mediterranean salsa complements lightly spiced black beans in a gluten-free corn tortilla.
Author: Kelly
Recipe type: Main Dish
Serves: Serves 4
Ingredients
- For the Tacos:
- 12 small (5" x 5") soft corn tortillas
- 4 cups cooked black beans
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- For the Salsa:
- 2 lbs (about 6 large tomatoes), seeded and cut into ¼" or so pieces
- 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers depending on heat tolerance (seeded for less heat), finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed, salted and finely chopped
- ½ field cucumber (skin on), chopped (about ½ cup)
- ¼ red onion, chopped (about ⅓ cup)
- 8 large Italian gourmet green olives in oil, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
Instructions
- Place cooked and cooled black beans in a mixing bowl. Spritz with a touch of olive oil and season with cumin, paprika, garlic and coriander. Hand mix or gently mix with spoon taking care not to mash the beans.
- In a large bowl, combine jalapenos, garlic, onion, cucumber and olives. The olives should be oiled. If they are on the dry side, add a touch of olive oil to the mixture.
- Add the tomatoes and lemon juice to the bowl and carefully mix to combine.
- Fold in the fresh cilantro and parsley.
- Allow the flavors to permeate in the fridge for 30 minutes or so. Remove from fridge, taste and make any flavor adjustments desired.
- Place in a serving bowl and enjoy with tacos or as desired. Store any remaining salsa in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Notes
Dry vs. Canned Beans: I prefer cooking dry (dehydrated) beans over using precooked canned beans for at least three reasons:
1) Home prep allows you to soak your beans before cooking which can ease common digestive distress associated with eating beans ~ simply soak beans overnight in a pot of covered water and then drain and rinse the next day. You can also use a quick soaking method which is to boil the beans in water for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let stand for an hour.
2) Home cooked beans have a superior taste and texture. Canned beans tend to be overcooked and mushy - preparing your own beans allows you to cook them just to the point of being al dente so they retain their spring and resilience.
3) Most canned beans continue to be made with Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is a known toxin that is used in the lining of many food and beverage cans. Studies have shown that this industrial plastic is absorbed by canned foods and when ingested can give rise to significant spikes in urinary levels of BPA.
Why Seed the Tomatoes: don't be tempted to leave the seeds in the tomatoes when prepping this salsa. The seeds contain most of the water and if included, you will end up with salsa soup :)
How to Seed the Tomatoes: my preference is to simply cut the tomato in half and then quarters and use a spoon to scoop out the seed sac in each segment - if you squeeze the tomato to extract the seeds, you will bruise the skin of the tomato which stars in the salsa.
Jalapenos: Jalapenos vary in heat. The ones I used in this recipe are from our garden and very hot. We started with two but quickly realized one was ample. You can always add more if you feel it is too mild but removing the heat is difficult. You can also experiment with other peppers (serrano, poblano, aleppo) as desired or skip the heat element all together.
Olives: I love Kalamata olives but they are so robust in flavor, I chose not to use them here because I didn't want them dominating the other more subtle and delicious flavors going in the salsa. Green olives are better team players that way ;-).
1) Home prep allows you to soak your beans before cooking which can ease common digestive distress associated with eating beans ~ simply soak beans overnight in a pot of covered water and then drain and rinse the next day. You can also use a quick soaking method which is to boil the beans in water for 2 minutes, remove from heat, cover and let stand for an hour.
2) Home cooked beans have a superior taste and texture. Canned beans tend to be overcooked and mushy - preparing your own beans allows you to cook them just to the point of being al dente so they retain their spring and resilience.
3) Most canned beans continue to be made with Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is a known toxin that is used in the lining of many food and beverage cans. Studies have shown that this industrial plastic is absorbed by canned foods and when ingested can give rise to significant spikes in urinary levels of BPA.
Why Seed the Tomatoes: don't be tempted to leave the seeds in the tomatoes when prepping this salsa. The seeds contain most of the water and if included, you will end up with salsa soup :)
How to Seed the Tomatoes: my preference is to simply cut the tomato in half and then quarters and use a spoon to scoop out the seed sac in each segment - if you squeeze the tomato to extract the seeds, you will bruise the skin of the tomato which stars in the salsa.
Jalapenos: Jalapenos vary in heat. The ones I used in this recipe are from our garden and very hot. We started with two but quickly realized one was ample. You can always add more if you feel it is too mild but removing the heat is difficult. You can also experiment with other peppers (serrano, poblano, aleppo) as desired or skip the heat element all together.
Olives: I love Kalamata olives but they are so robust in flavor, I chose not to use them here because I didn't want them dominating the other more subtle and delicious flavors going in the salsa. Green olives are better team players that way ;-).
Recipe by Inspired Edibles at https://www.inspirededibles.ca/2015/08/black-bean-tacos-with-mediterranean-salsa-gluten-free.html