The cravings strike often and usually out of nowhere….
No, I’m not talking about my craving for sweets (although I crave sweets often, too)….I’m talking about my cravings for Mexican food! The cravings are sometimes so intense that if I don’t satisfy them immediately then I turn into the Incredible Hulk and people begin screaming and running away in fear. OK, so that might be a slight exaggeration, but I think my husband would agree that it’s a pretty accurate description.
Aside from making the occasional plate of nachos at home, my husband and I usually go out to a restaurant if we want to eat Mexican food.
One of my favorite things about Mexican food is that it’s easily customizable and offers tons of options for someone on a special diet. For example, most foods can be made without meat or cheese. Also, corn is naturally gluten-free, so I can opt for corn tortillas rather than flour tortillas. I bought these organic sprouted corn tortillas about a week ago and have been dying to use them.
So, when another one of those intense Mexican food craving struck with a vengence the other night, I finally decided to put my yummy new corn tortillas to good use! I wanted hearty, filling tacos without all of the traditionally heavy and food-coma-inducing ingredients. After rummaging through my pantry and fridge I decided that quinoa and Adzuki bean tacos would be perfect!
I’ve eaten quinoa nearly every way possible, but I’ve never had quinoa tacos before. I figured it would be worth a try….and it definitely was! In fact, I can’t believe I haven’t tried this sooner–these tacos were insanely good! I ate them two nights in a row and I can already tell I’ll be eating these again very soon…
So, if you have cravings for Mexican food like I do, please give these gluten-free and vegan tacos a try! I promise you’ll be hooked, too!
- 8 corn tortillas
- ⅓ cup dry quinoa
- ¼ cup dry adzuki beans
- ⅔ cup tomato, chopped
- ¼ cup onion, diced
- 3-4 Tbs. serrano pepper, finely chopped
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice (approx. ½ a lime)
- ¼ tsp. cumin
- ¼ tsp. dried oregano
- ½-1 tsp. salt
- cayenne pepper, optional
- ½ large avocado, sliced thin
- ⅓ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- First, soak the quinoa and the adzuki beans for at least 8 hours by placing them in separate bowls, filling with filtered water, and setting the bowls in the fridge. (This is a simple step that makes a big difference in flavor and texture. It’s easy to do as long as you remember the night before or the morning that you plan on making the tacos for dinner)
- When you’re ready to make your tacos, rinse and drain the adzuki beans. Bring approx. 1 cup of water to a boil in a small pot/sauce pan. Add adzuki beans to the boiling water and reduce temperature to low. Cover and allow the beans to simmer for at least 45 minutes. Don’t peek! After 45 minutes, check the beans and see if they’re tender. If not, let them simmer for another 10-15 minutes and check again. I usually use a fork to see if I can easily mash the bean–if so, then they’re ready. Drain the beans in a strainer and set aside.
- When your beans are nearly done, begin cooking the quinoa. Bring ⅔ cup water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Once the water begins to boil, turn the heat down to low and add the quinoa. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Again, don’t peek! Check after 15 minutes to see if the water has been absorbed. Once it has, re-cover the pan and remove from heat. It’s best to let the quinoa sit for at least 5 minutes to allow it to fluff.
- While the quinoa and adzuki beans are cooking, prepare the tomato, onion, serrano pepper and garlic. Toss them all into a large bowl and season with lemon juice, cumin, oregano, salt and cayenne pepper. When the quinoa and beans are done, add them to the bowl and use a spoon to mix everything well.
- Heat a skillet on medium heat. Place the tortillas on the skillet one at a time and heat both sides for about 10-20 seconds. Remove from heat and fill the tacos with the quinoa/bean filling. Top with avocado slices and cilantro.
- Serve and enjoy!
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I’ve really wanted to try those tortillas!
They’re SO good! This was my first time buying them and they were gone within a couple of days
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