POTATO & BEAN TACOS WITH HOMEMADE SEASONING

I dearly wish that I could take credit for this unique recipe, but unfortunately I must admit that the idea of this creation came from the cookbook ‘LivWise’ (by Olivia Newton John).  Whilst I did tweak the ingredients a little, the potato and red kidney bean mixture is all Olivia. For anyone that wants a break from meat but still wants to eat a protein packed and filling dinner, this is the meal for you. Whilst making your own taco seasoning may not appeal to everyone, you can of course use a prepackaged taco/burrito seasoning. As I have far too many spices lying around in my pantry and on my disorganized spice rack, I love utilizing these and making something truly homemade. However, if time is not your friend, a preprepared seasoning will do just fine. Go light on the cheese and sour cream! Less is more people.

INGREDIENTS


Filling

• 600 sebago potatoes, washed and diced into 3cm pieces 
• 1 x 400g tin red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 60g red onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 10 taco shells, warmed for 5 minutes in a 200 degree celsius oven right before serving
• Optional:
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges 
• 50g snow pea sprouts or shredded lettuce 
• Reduced-fat grated cheese (your choice of quantity, but remember that less is better, calorie wise!)
• a small dollop of extra-light sour cream 

Homemade Taco Seasoning 

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder 
• 1 teaspoon garlic flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 

COOKING 

1. Place all the taco seasoning ingredients in a small bowl or container and mix to combine. Store in a container with a lid until step 3. 

2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

3. Bring a medium to large saucepan of water to the boil. Add diced potato pieces and cook for around 12 minutes or until potato is tender but not mushy (A fork should be able to slide through a piece of potato easily without the potato crumbling). Remove the potato from the heat and drain well, pouring cold water over the potato and draining again. Place the potato in a medium bowl, add olive oil and 3/4 of the taco seasoning. Toss around until the potato is well covered in seasoning and oil. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until potato is golden. 

4. Place the kidney beans, lime juice, red onion, remaining taco seasoning and garlic cloves in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly for around 5 minutes or until ingredients are heated through. 

5. Serve the warmed taco shells with cooked potato, warmed bean mixture and optional toppings. 

Makes / 10 tacos 

x E