Time to Enjoy Taco Tuesday With a Clean-Eating Twist
We made it! The start of the year is finally here, and with any new year comes new resolutions filled with promises of better habits, healthier eating and all around cleaner living. Just because you’re on track for becoming your best self, it doesn’t mean you need to give up all of your indulgences… like tacos (it’s no secret that we love our fair share of tacos). It just means it’s time to get more creative! In order to keep the time-honored tradition of Taco Tuesday alive in this new year, we’ve crafted tacos two ways that make clean eating fun, easy and oh-so-tasty.
Tacos Two Ways With Homemade Quinoa Tortillas
Homemade Quinoa Tortillas
Ingredients and Materials:
- 4 cups quinoa flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cups hot water
- wax paper
Instructions:
- Add your ingredients together in a large bowl and mix together. Roll into a ball.
- Form one-inch round balls. Roll out each ball until the dough is about a quarter inch thick. Shape into a circle or use a large round cookie cutter for more uniform tortillas.
- Once you have your tortillas pressed, cook them in a pan on medium heat. Set aside until they’re ready to be used.
Time to get your hands dirty! Add the ingredients together and mix with your hands until the dough is smooth and elastic. If it’s too sticky, add a touch more flour, and if it’s too dry, add a tad bit more water. It’s best to start slow, since you can always add more, but never take away.
Now make the cute, little tortillas. Make small, round balls with the dough and then press them with a rolling pin. It’s easiest to place the dough between two sheets of wax paper to limit the amount of stickiness. We used a cookie cutter to make uniform shapes, but you can always go with a more organic shape. It’s all about expressing your own creativity, after all! Lastly, fry up the tortillas using a little oil, but to keep it healthier, you can always skip it.
Set them aside to cool while you make your filling.
Black Bean, Sweet Potato and Kale Tacos With Cashew Queso
If you’re making both of these tacos as a two-course meal, might as well start with the savory dish. These black bean tacos really pack a healthy punch AND they’re totally vegan, but don’t let that turn you off… they’re still tasty AF!
Ingredients:
- quinoa tortillas
- 1 cup black beans
- 1 medium sweet potato
- ½ red onion
- ½ bunch kale
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 ½ cup raw, soaked cashews (for at least two hours), drained and rinsed
- 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 medium cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup water (more as needed)
Instructions:
- Prepare the vegetables. Dice the sweet potato and red onion into small cubes. Clean and shred the kale. Mince one clove of garlic.
- Add olive oil to a large frying pan on medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic and red onions together for about 5-7 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Add in the black beans and sweet potato.
- Once the sweet potato is cooked and softened, add in the kale. Cook for another 5-7 minutes. Set aside in a bowl to cool.
- Make your cashew queso by adding the cashews, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, remaining clove of garlic and water into a food processor. Blend until the mixture is a smooth consistency.
- Construct your taco. Add the sweet potato mixture and top with the cashew queso, and you’re ready to serve.
Chop, chop! Cut up those veggies into small bite-sized cubes, mince the garlic and shred the kale.
Next, cook it up! Be sure to sauté the onions and garlic together first and then add in your beans and sweet potato. Let the potato brown and soften before adding in the kale. They cook at different rates, so you’ll want to pace it accordingly. Once it’s done, set aside to cool.
Next up, the cashew queso! Some of you may be a bit dubious of this vegan cheese, but trust us: It’s sooooo good that you won’t miss the real thing. Puree the cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic and water together in a food processor and call it a day. It’s that easy!
Make a serving of tacos by adding your black bean and sweet potato mixture and topping with the cashew queso. Garnish with a touch of red chili and you’re ready to go!
We don’t know about you, but these look delish!
Coconut and Fresh Fruit Tacos
Next up on your healthy livin’ taco Tuesday menu are these sweet tacos filled with fresh fruit and coconut. They can be eaten for breakfast or even enjoyed as a dessert. It’s up to you to decide.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fresh coconut meat
- almond butter
- 1 Tablespoon coconut milk
- ½ Tablespoon agave
- quinoa tortillas
- sunflower seeds
- mixture of fresh fruit: strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, banana, kiwi and pomegranate seeds
Instructions:
- Prepare your coconut meat. Add shredded coconut to a small saucepan with the agave and coconut milk. Bring to a boil over a medium high heat and let simmer until the milk begins to reduce. Set aside to cool.
- Make your tacos by adding a spread of almond butter, coconut meat and then a mixture of fruit. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and serve!
Yum! I could probably eat this all by itself. It’s agave, coconut milk and fresh coconut mixed together. Bring it to a boil in a small saucepan on medium high heat and then reduce to a simmer. Allow some of the coconut milk to reduce, and set aside to cool.
Cut up your fresh fruit and construct your tacos! Spread some almond butter on the tortilla, add the coconut milk and top with fruit of your choice.
It’s a rainbow of deliciousness AND it’s all quite healthy for you!
Those are some guilt-free tacos, ready to be crushed!
Check out those tasty tacos! Time to get cooking.
What recipes will you be cooking with to keep to your New Year’s resolutions? Share your clean-eating meals with us on Instagram by tagging @BritandCo.
DIY Production + Styling: Lindsay Saito
Photography: Tory Putnam
