My Sweet and Spicy Vegan Tacos are loaded with flavor and oh so craveable! They are packed with sautéed vegetables and seasoned to perfection with brown sugar, apple cider vinegar and spices for a deliciously sweet and tangy bite. You’ll forget all about standard tacos after trying this recipe!
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Homemade corn tortillas are used as the base for these tacos and offer a toothy, but tender texture that compliments the sautéed vegetables well. Eat these tacos open-faced with a fork and knife and don’t skimp on toppings, such as avocado slices, cilantro and fresh jalapeno. Yum!
To make the taco filling, thinly slice one onion, two small zucchinis and a bell pepper. Add the vegetables to a sauté pan along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and one cup of shredded carrot. Cover the pan and sauté the vegetables until they soften, about 20 minutes. Next, add 1 cup of chopped spinach and four cloves of minced garlic. Sauté the vegetables until the spinach has wilted and garlic is fragrant. Next, add one can of black beans that have been drained, 1 tablespoon of hot Mexican chili powder, 1 tablespoon of cumin, ¼ cup of brown sugar, ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar and ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir to incorporate the spices. Sauté, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens.
While your vegetables cook, make the tortillas. Mix 2 cups of instant corn masa with 1 ½ cups water in a bowl and let sit for two minutes. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat while the mixture rests. When ready, scoop a ¼ cup of dough in your hands and roll it into a ball. Place the dough ball between two pieces of plastic wrap and flatten the ball of dough on your countertop using a baking sheet. When flat, carefully remove the plastic wrap, setting it aside to reuse for the next tortilla. Place the tortilla in a dry cast iron skillet and toast the tortilla for about 30 seconds on each side. Repeat until you have cooked all 8 tortillas. Store the cooked tortillas on a baking sheet that has been lined with foil. Cover the tortillas with a top layer of foil to stay warm.
To assemble the tacos, lay two tortillas on a plate and generously top each with the vegetable mixture. Add the toppings of your choice. I highly recommend chopped cilantro, jalapenos and avocado. Yum!
In place of homemade tortillas, try La Tortilla Factory Yellow Corn and Wheat tortillas instead. They are a thicker tortilla and will offer the same toothy bite as the homemade variety. They are not gluten-free however, so keep that in mind if you have a gluten intolerance.
Sweet and Spicy Vegan Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 cups instant corn masa
- 1½ cups water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 small zucchini, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded carrot
- 1 cup spinach, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1, 14.5 ounce can black beans, drained
- 1 tbsp hot Mexican chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and add onion, zucchini, bell pepper and shredded carrot. Cover pan and sauté vegetables until soft, about 20 minutes.
- Add chopped spinach and minced garlic and sauté until spinach is wilted and garlic is fragrant.
- Next, add one can of black beans that have been drained along with sugar, vinegar, spices and salt. Sauté mixture for about 10 minutes or until mixture has thickened.
- While vegetable mixture is thickening, make corn tortillas.
- In a bowl, mix together masa and water and let rest for two minutes.
- While the dough rests, heat a cast iron skillet.
- Scoop ¼ cup of dough in your hands and roll into a ball.
- Place the ball between two pieces of plastic wrap and flatten on a hard surface using a baking sheet.
- Remove plastic wrap and set aside. Place flattened tortilla in the hot, dry cast iron skillet and toast for 30 seconds on each side. Wrap cooked tortillas in foil to keep warm.
- Repeat until you have cooked all 8 tortillas.
- To assemble the tacos, lay two tortillas on a plate and generously top with vegetable mixture. Add the toppings of your choice and enjoy! I recommend cilantro, fresh jalapeños and avocado slices. Yum!
