Baking 3 Test

If you’ve been craving simple, plant-based meals that don’t require a ton of time in the kitchen (like me), this is the recipe for you!

My love affair with plantains continues with these 30-minute Spicy Plantain Black Bean Tacos!

This recipe is quick and easy, requiring just under 30 minutes and 10 ingredients. And with all of this summer heat, you’ll love that there’s little heat required.

It begins with spicy-sweet plantains sautéed to caramelized perfection. In the meantime, black beans simmer away while you prepare your desired toppings.

I found jalapeño, onion, and cilantro to be the perfect texture and flavor additions. And of course, who can forget the sauce? Salsa and hot sauce go great here.

I think you guys will love these summer-friendly tacos! They’re:

Super flavorful
Simple
Spicy-sweet
Satisfying
Plant-based
Customizable
& Simple

These would make a great weeknight meal when you want something quick, flavorful and hearty. You could even sub large tortilla shells and make this into a burrito, or put everything atop salad greens for a more vegetable-heavy dish.

If you try these tacos, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment, rate it, and take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram (our favorite) so we can see. Cheers, friends!

Spicy Plantain Black Bean Tacos Print Friendly Version Prep time 10 mins Cook time 10 mins Total time 20 mins Simple, flavorful, 30-minute tacos with spicy-sweet sautéed plantains and smoky black beans. A satisfying and quick plant-based meal! Author: Minimalist Baker Recipe type: Entree Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan Serves: 4 Ingredients PLANTAINS

• 2 very ripe large plantains*, peeled and cut on an angle into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil
• 2 Tbsp (18 g) coconut sugar (plus more to taste)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
• 1/8 tsp cayenne

BLACK BEANS

• 1 15-ounce (425 g) can black beans (if unsalted, add more salt)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• pinch cayenne (or chili powder)

TACOS

• 8-10 yellow or white corn tortillas or taco shells

FOR SERVING optional

• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and sliced
• Fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• Hot sauce / salsa
• Lime juice

Instructions

1. Add black beans to a small saucepan over medium heat and add spices. Once it reaches a low boil, turn heat to low to keep warm, stirring occasionally.
2. Peel and chop plantains and heat a large metal or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add plantains to a mixing bowl and toss with spices.
3. Once pan is hot, add coconut oil and plantains and spread into a single layer. Sauté on one side for 2-3 minutes, then flip and sauté on the other side for 2-3 minutes more. Turn down heat if browning too quickly. You’re going for a caramelized effect. Set aside.
4. In the meantime, prep desired toppings and warm tortillas by wrapping in a damp cloth or paper towel and warming in the microwave for 20 seconds (or place tortillas directly on an oven rack for 1-2 minutes in a 350 degree F oven).
5. To assemble, top tortillas with black beans, plantains and desired toppings. I preferred salsa, hot sauce, red onion, cilantro and jalapeño. Ripe avocado would also make a great addition.
6. Best when fresh. Serves 3-4 generously.

Notes *Make sure your plantains are deep yellow with brown spots and tender to the touch. Otherwise, their flavor won’t be as developed and they can be chewy in texture. Nutrition Information Serving size: 1/4 of recipe (2 tacos) Calories: 339 Fat: 5g Saturated fat: 3.3g Carbohydrates: 71g Sugar: 19g Sodium: 465mg Fiber: 9.6g Protein: 9.2g 3.3.3077
Loved this recipe? Check out our cookbook, 31 Meals Here! via Spicy Plantain Black Bean Tacos

So, important question.

What do you think is the BEST burger you’ve ever eaten? What were the toppings? The sauces? Maybe even… the sides? (Yes I know I’m getting sidetracked from burger life there.)

Okay okay. It’s no secret that I love insane burgers with more toppings than should be legally allowed (currently obsessed with: onion straws), but I think I can say that the BEST was the burger at The Spotted Pig that Eddie and I split (only because we ordered like 4 things to try) and devoured. It was pretty simple with lots of blue cheese.

That, or, um… maybe my first Shake Shack burger. Like the VERY first one.

Don’t hate me.

Am I losing you?

Maybe it was the cheese fries. (Definitely.)

I guess my rambly point is that sometimes I actually do just want a simple burger. And I hated veggies so much when I was growing up that up until I was, oh say… 28(!!!!!), I was ordering every burger without lettuce, tomato and onion. Just PLAIN.

I’m kinda over that now. AKA, sort of a grown up. But barely.

I know that I keep telling you how we’ve been grilling a ton this year – much more than we have in the past – firing up the grill probably 5ish times a week. Eddie has made some killer burgers and while he does the grill, I will occasionally sauté some mushrooms or caramelize onions in bacon grease (no, I did not order a heart attack, why do you ask?) to throw on top.

But then one day, we didn’t really have any cheese.

Well – that is a big, fat, gigantic lie because my cheese drawer is what sins are made of. It consists of an embarrassing amount of every kind of cheese. But you know how you need to have the RIGHT cheese to melt on a burger? Like I don’t want to try and slice this parmagiano-reggiano and then attempt to melt it, where the heck did my fontina go?

That kind of day of having no cheese. That’s what I meant.

But we had pimento cheese! I knew this was a thing. Pimento on a burger? At least I think I knew. Maybe I saw it on a menu somewhere? I had never tasted one though.

See.

I’ve turned Eddie into a pimento cheese monster. Remember before when he was all “I will never eat pimento cheese, I hate olives!” and I had to kindly tell him that no olives made an appearance?

Well. Since then. He has been hoooooked. Very often on the weekends I will look up and see him practically standing inside of the fridge dipping pretzels into a container homemade pimento cheese. It’s comical. Because I was right. I knew he’d love it!

But aren’t I always right? Yes. Of course!

Do you think he loves living with me?

Let me just say that his day was MADE when I turned these into double cheeseburgers. His eyes actually lit up. I’m thinking I need to make these when he finds out that I’ve been shopping from my freaking iPhone in bed when Max wakes up at night.

Hey 2015, you’re the worst.

So what are you guys doing this weekend?!

I can’t even WAIT for our 4th of July party this weekend. Summer, sun (hopefully), watermelon beer (maybe, does that make me a faux beer drinker?), hot dogs (I want like three of them), fireworks, swimming and Max in the most adorable baby swim shorts looking like a loveable chunk o’ nugget.

Why am I now this person? Please tell me.

Pimento Cheese Burgers

Yield: makes 4 single burgers or 2 doubles, is easily multiplied

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound 85% lean ground chuck
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons diced pimentos
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup pimento cheese (I used yellow cheddar this time)
4 multigrain or brioche buns, butter and grilled
ketchup for serving
green leaf lettuce for serving
sliced red onion for serving

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the beef with the salt, pepper, garlic, cheese and pimentos. Gently mix with your hands a few times until the ingredients are evenly spread throughout the beef. Form 4 equal sized patties from the beef. I like thinner burgers and pressed mine fairly thin until they were the size of my bun. Your size may differ a little bit!

Obviously you can grill these burgers, but I also love to cook mine in a buttery skillet. I heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter (sometimes with a drop of vegetable oil so it doesn’t burn), then place the patties in the skillet. Cook until your desired temperature/doneness is reached – we like ours medium well. About 1 to 2 minutes before the burger is finished, spread about 2 tablespoons of pimento cheese on top and cover the skillet with a lid. Let the cheese melt until the point when it’s about to drip down the burger.

Serve immediately with grilled buns, ketchup, lettuce and red onion. I like to skip the tomatoes for this version, but it’s up to you!

^happy place.^

©How Sweet It Is.

via Our Favorite Cheesiest Pimento Cheese Burgers.