Black Bean Tacos with Cumin and Lime

In case you didn’t pick up on it here, here, here or here, I kind of really like cumin. I can’t get enough of the smokiness and slight spiciness that cumin brings to everything it touches, the quiet kick that it adds to dishes. It’s an occupational hazard of growing up eating Indian food seven days a week, where cumin seeds and cumin powder reign supreme.

A lot of Mexican food relies on cumin as well, which may or may not be why I love it so much. The sharp tanginess of many Mexican sauces brightens even the blandest of ingredients. (A nice heaping pile of cheese doesn’t hurt matters.) Yes, I’m talking about beans. While I know that they’re good for me and I should like them and blah blah blah, I often find them underseasoned, overcooked and just plain mushy.

But spiked with cumin and lime? They jolt out of their doldrums, awakened by the citrus and the spice. They hardly need anything else — just a wee bit of cayenne and a few cloves of garlic. Topped with a cumin- and lime-scented salad and salty feta, these are easy and delicious black bean tacos, perfect for any fiesta (but especially a Cinco de Mayo one … ).

Black Bean Tacos with Cumin and Lime
Serves 4

For the black beans:

– 2 tablespoons canola oil

– 4 cloves garlic, minced

– 2 tablespoons cumin

– 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

– 3 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained

– juice from 3 lime halves

– 1/2 cup water

– salt and pepper, to taste

To assemble the tacos:

– 8 small corn tortillas

– 2 cups salad greens (we used an “American” salad blend with iceberg, red cabbage, carrots, radishes, etc.)

– juice from a half of lime

– 1 teaspoon cumin

– 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles

1) Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic, cumin and cayenne and saute until the oil is fragrant.

2) Add the black beans, lime juice, water, salt and pepper. Simmer on medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, until the beans are soft and fragrant.

3) While the beans are cooking, toss the salad greens with the lime juice and cumin. Heat the tortillas on high heat in a nonstick pan, 2-3 minutes on each side.

4) To assemble the tacos, fill the corn tortillas with the beans, and top with the salad and feta. Serve with salsa and chopped cilantro.

[print in PDF form]