Picked Veggies
1 cup white vinegar
½ cup sugar
3 garlic cloves, whole
½ cup water
½ cup water
2 carrots, sliced thinly
½ red onion, sliced thinly
½ red onion, sliced thinly
½ teaspoon cayenne
2 jalapenos, sliced
¼ cup Cilantro, chopped
In a medium sauce pan, add the vinegar, sugar, garlic and water and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is slowly bubbling, add the carrots, red onion, cayenne, and jalapenos to the pot. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes until the carrots are slightly tender, but not soft. When complete, turn off the heat, add the cilantro and cover with a fitted lid. Let mixture cool before transferring to a storage container. Place in fridge for at least 1 hour before eating. The longer you wait, the stronger the taste!
Coconut Braised Beans
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 jalapeno, sliced in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 cup full fat coconut milk
3 cans of black beans, washed and drained
Kosher salt
Pepper
Place a medium stock pot over medium heat and add the coconut oil. Once melted, add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes). Once onions have softened, add the grated garlic to the mixture and sauté for 1 min until fragrant. Next, add the lime zest, cinnamon, cumin, and smoked paprika to the mixture and sauté for 1 minute to release a deeper, earthier flavor. Once complete, add in the coconut milk and stir until combined – ensure you are scraping the bottom of the pan to get the browned bits for flavor. Next, add black beans to mixture and reduce heat to low. Add a ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper and leave simmering on low heat uncovered for 20 minutes stirring frequently. As you mix, mash up some of the beans to create a thicker consistency. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat, add the juice of 1 lime and additional salt and pepper to taste (if preferred).
Making the Tacos
1 bag corn tortillas
Cheese
Heat a skillet to medium heat. Lay the tortilla on the skillet and heat until the side is warm. Flip the tortilla over and sprinkle the heated side all over with cheese – for this recipe I used a mixture of cheddar jack, pepper jack, and mozzarella. If you have to choose 1 cheese, I would choose shredded mozzarella, as I like the chewyness and the long cheese pulls when eating (derrrr). Once the cheese begins to melt add a few tablespoons of the bean mixture in a line along the middle of the tortilla. Fold the tortilla in half and press down to spread out bean mixture. Once the taco is golden brown, take off heat and add pickled veggies to top opening.
