Description
These vibrant Black Bean Quinoa Tacos with Cilantro Lime Cashew Crema offer a wholesome, vegan, and dairy-free meal perfect for a quick, nutritious weeknight dinner. Packed with protein-rich quinoa and black beans, seasoned with smoky spices, and topped with a zesty and creamy cilantro lime cashew sauce, these tacos deliver bold flavors and satisfying textures in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
For the Quinoa and Black Bean Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (or water)
- 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 lime, juiced
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
For Serving and Toppings
- Charred corn tortillas
- Sliced avocado
- Chopped cilantro
- Salsa of choice
- Lime wedges
For the Cilantro Lime Cashew Crema
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro
- Optional: 1 small jalapeno, deseeded and roughly chopped
- Juice of 1 large lime (about 2 tablespoons)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ¾ cup water
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Sweat the onion: Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
- Toast the aromatics: Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, and tomato paste. Mix well, coating the onion and garlic, and cook for another 1-2 minutes until very aromatic.
- Cook the quinoa: Add dry quinoa to the skillet and stir to combine with the onion mixture. Toast the quinoa for about 1 minute. Pour in the vegetable broth and increase heat to high to bring to a boil. Add drained black beans, cover the skillet, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently for 15 minutes until quinoa is cooked and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, squeeze fresh lime juice over the mixture, and fluff with a fork. Set aside for taco assembly.
- Prepare the cilantro lime cashew crema: While quinoa simmers, add raw cashews, garlic, chopped cilantro, optional jalapeño, lime juice, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth and creamy, adding more water as needed to reach desired consistency. Set aside or refrigerate up to one week.
- Assemble and serve: Warm corn tortillas and fill with a generous scoop of the quinoa and black bean mixture. Top with sliced avocado, a drizzle of cilantro lime cashew crema, chopped cilantro, a spritz of fresh lime juice, and your favorite salsa or additional toppings. Enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Using low-sodium vegetable stock instead of water adds more depth of flavor to the quinoa filling.
- Soaking cashews for 2 hours or overnight before blending will create an even smoother crema, though it’s optional.
- To char the corn tortillas, warm them directly over a flame or in a dry skillet until slightly blackened and pliable.
- The recipe yields 4 servings and can be doubled to serve a larger crowd with ease.
- Quinoa cooks by absorption here, ensuring fluffy grains rather than watery texture.
