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Posted on May 2, 2011

good times

This weekend we had a backyard get-together to celebrate several big events amongst our circle of friends: a successful PhD defense, a birthday & a new job (that last one is for me!)

It took me all of 2 seconds to decide what to serve. Tacos are not only a crowd-pleaser but also, once served, they require no utensils. Less dishes to clean = more time to spend enjoying the company of my lovely friends.

One of my favorite renditions of black beans is a spin-off of beer-glazed black beans from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian.  Add in some cabbage and you have BBC tacos (Beer, Beans & Cabbage).

BBC Tacos

Makes ~4 servings

Materials

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  • 3 cups black beans
  • olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 cup beer
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 1 teaspoon key lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • chopped purple cabbage (as much as you want)

Methods

  1. Add onion to pan heated with several tablespoons of olive oil.  Cook over medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally.
  2. Add in garlic & cook for 1 minute; then, add in cumin seeds & cook for 1 more minute. Try not to notice how much the cumin seeds resemble small insects.
  3. Add black beans, beer, molasses, key lime juice, chili powder, chipotle powder & coriander.
  4. Cook at a gentle bubble (medium-med.low heat) for ~15 minutes or until mixture has thickened.
  5. Plate up: serve in warm corn tortillas, topped with purple cabbage & ginger-dill sauce*.

*recipe coming tomorrow!

Results & Conclusions

These tacos have a spicy kick that really brings out a rich combination of flavors.  Cabbage provides a light, refreshing crunch and a perfect base for ginger dill sauce.

These tacos come together quickly and taste even better the next day, so make sure to save some for tomorrow’s lunch!

 

  • 10 Comments

    1. Huzzah, I have found something to do with the extra black beans I have lying around AND some of my first home-brew. Thank you. 😀

      • Your first home-brew – how exciting!

    2. Beer and Black Beans sounds like a great combination. I’ll have to try these once we get back to the States.

      Do you notice the cumin seeds when you eat the tacos? I’m not familiar with using anything other than cumin powder but I’m not the chef in the family.

      • The cumin seeds are quite small so you don’t notice them; they mix in pretty well, adding to the texture of the tacos.

    3. These are so up my alley that it’s kind of ridiculous! I truly can’t wait to make them.

    4. I stumbled upon your blog through a random google search. Anyway, glad I found it! Im currently binging on grilled squash tacos. I’m kind of obsessed with them right now. Ha.

      • You had me at ‘grilled squash tacos.’
        Definitely going to have to give those a try 🙂

    5. Bookmarked, I love your blog! 🙂

    6. Wonderful material! I have already been hunting for something similar to this for a little bit now. With thanks!

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