Orange-Mango Black Bean Tacos

When I decided to embark on this Season of Vegan adventure my daughter, Miss M, exclaimed

"I want to be vegan too! But there's no way I'm giving up tacos."

I created this recipe last night in attempt to win her over. I failed. 

But I loved them, so win for me! 

Awhile back, my dad had given me some ground beef from a local organic farm which I used to make regular beef tacos as well last night, since my father and brother were joining us for dinner. M didn't like those either. I'm not sure if I should be upset that she dislikes my cooking in general, or if I should be relieved that at least it wasn't just my veg tacos she thought sucked...

I guess you can just decide for yourself. 

There are 3 parts to these tacos.

For the Fire Roasted Citrus Salsa you will need:

FIRE ROASTED TOMATOES. JALAPENO. SWEET ONION. ORANGES. 

Mix together 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes., a finely chopped jalapeno, 1/4 C finely chopped vidalia or some other sweet onion, zest and juice of 1/2 an orange. 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper. Let sit in fridge while preparing remainder of meal to let flavors marry. 

For the Jicama Mango Slaw you will need: 

JICAMA. MANGO. CILANTRO. LIME. 

Cut 1/2 of a jicama into matchsticks and toss with 1 C. chopped mango, 1/2 C chopped cilantro, the juice of one lime, and salt & pepper to taste. Send it off to rendezvous in the fridge with the salsa. 

For the black bean filling you will need: 

ORANGE BELL PEPPER. MANGO. ORANGES. CUBAN STYLE BLACK BEANS. CUMIN, BROWN SUGAR. CAYENNE. 

Saute' 1 diced bell pepper and 1/2 diced mango in a skillet with some olive oil. When they are a nice caramel-y color add 1 can of cuban style black beans ( i found these at Trader Joes), juice of 1 1/2 oranges, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. brown sugar, pinch of cayenne... or more if you like things kicky... I DO!!... 

but remember  I was trying to win over Miss M with these and I didn't figure burning her tongue off would aid me in that mission.

Warm through, and your beans are ready to go.

I then sprinkled some veggie cheese shreds onto corn tortillas and broiled until warm. (my first go with this product, by the way. Not too shabby!)

Then I built my little tacos from there. They were so light and crisp and refreshing. Hope you like them as much as I did... as for Miss M... We'll keep trying girlie!

Peace & Love, 

Chandra Nicole

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