Cauliflower and black bean tacos
This vegetarian Mexican-style meal is easy to make and full of protein from the beans. Pay attention to the little details to make the most of this recipe. Seasoning the cauliflower and beans generously and little touches like warming the tacos will make a big difference.
This recipe is part of a vegetarian batch cook meal plan. It is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard . If you are making it independent of the meal plan you only need half the cauliflower.
Each serving provides 601 kcal, 29.4g protein, 70g carbohydrate (of which 12.2g sugars), 18g fat (of which 4.9g saturates), 20.9g fibre and 1.08g salt.
Ingredients
For the batch-cooked roast cauliflower
- 2kg/4lb 8oz frozen cauliflower florets
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 4 tsp garlic granules
- salt and ground black pepper
For the crushed black beans
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 2 x 390–400g tins black beans, drained and rinsed
- 200ml/7fl oz boiling water
- ½ of the batch-cooked roast cauliflower, about 400g/14oz cooked weight (see above)
To serve
Method
To make the roast cauliflower, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
Put the cauliflower on a large non-stick baking tray and drizzle over the olive oil and garlic granules. Season generously with salt and pepper. Use clean hands to toss everything thoroughly so that the cauliflower is coated. Bake for 1–1¼ hours, checking after 30 minutes to move the pieces around so they cook evenly (if you have any particuarly large pieces cut them up now). The cauliflower is ready when tender and just starting to blacken at the edges (it might not take the full cooking time). Set aside.
Meanwhile, make the crushed beans. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium–low heat. Add the onions and garlic and fry for 5 minutes until just softened. Add the cumin, paprika, chilli flakes, black beans and boiling water. Cook for about 10 minutes. As they cook, use a masher or fork to press down, breaking up the beans until they are roughly mashed.
Set aside the remaining cauliflower for the other recipe in this meal plan. Heat the tortillas in the microwave or in the oven (or as described in the Tips). Serve the tacos with the refried black beans, cauliflower and avocado piled in. Drizzle over the yoghurt.
Recipe Tips
If you have a gas hob, I like to blacken the wraps over the open flame. Just use metal or fireproof tongs to carefully place them over the flame for a couple of minutes on each side. It adds flavour and texture. Otherwise you can warm them through in a dry frying pan or griddle, or wrap a stack in kitchen foil to warm in the oven for a few minutes.
This recipe can easily be made vegan by swapping the yoghurt for a dairy-free alternative. This will increase the cost though.
If you have cooked the cauliflower in advance, reheat half of the roast cauliflower either using the microwave or in a small frying pan on the hob.
If you are following the meal plan, half a lemon is used here and the other half is in the cauliflower and lemon pasta.
Related Recipes
