Vegan Kidney Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

Every day is Taco Tuesday with these easy and healthy vegan tacos. Perfect as a family style weeknight dinner.

I feel like I have been spamming you with Instagram references, but if you have seen my Instagram stories, you'll know that I have been making some sort of vegan tacos almost weekly. I have a version of these very tacos saved on my Story Highlights and I share modifications every few days. And that's because these are the very best healthy vegan tacos, and I am here to spread the word about it.

I like making vegan tacos because they are just so healthy and versatile. First of all, they are sooo qick to make. In fact. we often make them for lunch and we have a vegan fiesta within half an hour. Secondly, I love them bevause their are a great way to sneak some veggies in and get your five-a-day fix. These tacos here have three of your five-a-day with zero effort. What's not to love about that? Third, they are damn cheap. I know that avocados might be a tad pricey, but everything else? Sweet potatoes, canned kidney beans and onions are so cheap! And you can always substitute the veg for whatever you have at home. Nice and easy. And last but not least: they are so delicious! We literally can't get enough of this stuff: the sweetness of the sweet potatoes mixed with the spices in the beans and the tangyness of the guacamole. Gosh, so fresh! Perfect for summer, really.

Before we dive in with possible tweaks you can make to this recipe, I wanted to make a little note about the beans: yes, I am using kidney beans and yes, I add some tomato paste to them. I know that black beans, are the beans to use in Mexican-inspired dishes. And in fact, I have nithing against black beans. But I do love kidney beans. I always stock up on them because I just throw them in so many dishes. And I do think they work so well in these tacos. SO feel free to use black beans if you have them, but do give them a try with kidney beans as well and let me know! And second, I have always put tomato paste in taco meat or vegan taco meat alternatives. I know it's not authentic, in fact I realised that when looking for taco meatrecipes and realising that absolutely none of them added tomato paste. But you see, my first experience eating tacos was when my aunt would organise Mexican-themed nights. I love those nights. My aunt would make a massive spread with guacamole, trotilla chips, pico de gallo, tacos, burritos, the lot (and my dad would make the cocktails!). And she would always add a little tomato paste to the meat. So that's just what I associate those memories with and that's why I still add tomato paste to beans, lentils and meat.

Alright, that's my spiel. Now let's see some substitutions:

Spices: I am using quite a few spices here such as smoked paprika, chipotle chilli powder, garlic powder and so on. If you miss one or two is not a big deal, just add more of what you have (it would be especially great if you added more smoked paprika: that stuff is magic).

Tortillas: I use corn tortillas, but plain flour tortillas will work just as well.

Salsa: I used some store-bought salsa to make this extra easy, but I do often simply use some hot sauce. You can make your own salsa as well. Or skip it and use sour cream. Or both. The world is your oyster!

Veg: and finally the veg. I use sweet potatoes and kidney beans, but I have also used red bell peppers which has worked a treat. Any type of bean will also work.

Whatever tweaks and twists you make, I can assure you that this vegan taco recipe will be your new addiction. And believe me, you will thank me for this recipe!

Ingredients:

Makes 8 tacos

For the roasted sweet potato:

8 corn tortillas

1 medium sweet potato (about 350-400 gr)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 garlic powder

1/2 chipotle chilli flakes (or chilli powder)

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

Extra virgin olive oil

For the beans:

1 can kidney beans

3 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 garlic powder

1/2 chiporle chilli flakes (or chilli powder)

1/2 cumin

1/4 tsp salt

For the guacamole:

2 ripe avocados

1 small red onion (or half a medium red onion)

2 garlic cloves

1/2 chilli powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

the juice of 1/2 lime

2 tsp olive oil

Extras:

Salsa (or hot sauce)

Extra lime juice

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Peel and chop the sweet potato into small chunks (about 2 cm or just under an inch).

3. Transfer the sweet potato chunks to a baking tray and add the spices, salt and olive oil. Mix everything together. Bake for 25-28 minutes.

4. In the meantime, open a can of kidney beans, drain them and rinse them before trasnferring them to a hot pan. Add a splash of olive oil and the spices. Cook on a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. At this point, add the tomato paste and a splash of water to loosen the paste. Cook for a further two minutes, then remove from the heat.

5. Finally, make your guacamole: transfer the flesh of two very ripe avocados to a bowl and mash with a fork until smooth. Cut the garlic and red onion very finely and add to the avocado along with the spices, lime juice, olive oil and salt. Mix everything together and leave in the fridge until ready to serve.

6. Once the sweet potatoes have done cooking, heat your tortillas on the pan for a few seconds or in the microwave for 15 seconds and assemble your tacos with all the components. Top with extra lime juice and some salsa (or hot sauce).

Enjoy!

Did you try this recipe? We would love to hear from you! Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below! Xx