Chipotle Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Guacamole Soft Tacos

Savory black beans, roasted sweet potato, fresh guacamole on whole wheat tortillas: these are the makings of a good lunch or dinner right here.  Especially if you add ground chipotle to your sweet potato and make your own tortillas.

Before we get down to roasting sweet potatoes, I want to tell you about these tortillas.  If you are anything like me, chances are good that you grab a bag of ready-made tortillas from the store whenever you are in the mood to make a soft taco or burrito at home.  The thing is, those store bought tortillas are never really that great.  They are tolerable, but not awesome, and after all the love I put into preparing what goes into or onto the tortilla, let me tell you, awesome is definitely what I am hoping for.  So I did what I always do when I start my search for some needed information these days: I googled it.

Fresh, homemade whole wheat tortillas

After scrolling through several recipes, I came across one titled “Best Ever Homemade Flour Tortillas”.  It’s a bold claim, but after reading the post and reviewing the recipe, this felt like something I could get behind.  I made them for dinner that night according the recipe.  AMAZING.  I made them a week or so later, substituting 2 cups of wheat flour for the white and olive oil for the cooking oil.  Really awesome, and I liked that I was able to sneak in some of the whole grains that make me happy.  And now?  I make them every single time I need a flour tortilla for a quick soft taco, use them as a pizza crust if I am too lazy to make it separately, fill them with eggs and salsa for a Good Morning Huevos Rancheros. Seriously people.  You need to make yourself a batch of these.  They freeze well and any leftovers can be reheated in a frying pan in a matter of seconds (dry, hot pan; no oil).  So thank you Chris for sharing this recipe.  They really are the best ever.

Now with that out of the way, let’s get down to talking about sweet potatoes.  Roasting a sweet potato is a simple, straight-forward affair:

Peel it

Slice it

Add seasonings & onion, then roast

As the sweet potatoes roast, simmer your beans, make your guacamole, and even your own tortillas, and in 45 minutes, you’ll be staring down at this:

Chipotle Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Guacamole Soft Tacos

Chipotle Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Guacamole Soft Tacos

1 sweet potato
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle powder (can sub 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper)
1 yellow onion, cut in half and then into slices
1 cup cooked black beans
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 red onion, minced
1 Haas avocado
1/4 red onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
4 whole wheat tortillas, homemade or store bought

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F.

Peel the sweet potato, cut it into half, slice it, and then cut into matchsticks.  In a medium size bowl, combine the sweet potato, onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, chipotle powder and salt.  Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Put the sweet potatoes into the hot oven and bake for 30 minutes until fork tender and slightly crispy.

While the sweet potatoes bake, prepare your beans and guacamole.

In a small saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add the onion and simmer for 5 minutes until the onion is soft.  Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.  Add the black beans, water, and cayenne pepper.  Heat the beans to a boil; then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, mash the beans slightly with the back of a fork.  Turn off the heat and cover.

Make the guacamole:  Scoop the avocado flesh into a small bowl.  Add 1/4 red onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and lime juice.  Stir to thoroughly combine, taste and adjust lime juice and salt to your preference.  Set aside.

Once the sweet potatoes are done, pull them out of the oven to rest briefly.  Spread the tortillas out across the oven rack to warm for 1-2 minutes.

To assemble, lay the tortillas out on plates.  Spoon 1/4 of the bean mixture onto the center of each tortilla.  Top with sweet potato-onion mixture (you may not need all of it, depending on the size of your sweet potato), and then divide the guacamole over the top of the sweet potato on each tortilla.

Serves 4, or if you are really hungry, 2.

Celeriac, Apple and Tarragon Soup

With the wind howling outside the window, and the fog settled heavily across the landscape today, I am reminded of the simple masterpiece of one of my favorite poets, American Carl Sandburg:

Fog

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over the harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

– Carl Sandburg, first published in Chicago Poems, 1916

Here’s a simple soup for a foggy day like this one, or to make at any moment during the chilly months ahead when you need warmth from the inside out.  While the celeriac is the dominant flavor in this soup, it is sweetened by the apple and well complemented by the mild licorice flavor of the tarragon.  You can leave the cream out if you wish as it doesn’t impact the flavor one way or the other; however it does provide a nice, creamy finish for a pleasant texture in the mouth.  Serve with a hearty wholegrain bread for the perfect meal.

Celeriac, Apple and Tarragon Soup

Celeriac, Apple and Tarragon Soup

2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup peeled, diced carrot
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 bay leaf
2 cups / 200g celeriac root cut into a large dice
1 large potato, diced
1 medium sized apple, piled and sliced
3 cups / 750 ml water
1.5 teaspoons dried tarragon or 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons minced, fresh Parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 tablespoons half-and-half or kahvi kerma (coffee cream)

In a heavy pot over medium-low heat, pour in the oil, add the onion, carrot, garlic and bay leaf and simmer for 10 minutes so that the vegetables soften and the flavors deepen, caramelizing slightly.  Meanwhile, prepare the celery root, potato and apple.

Once the the onion mixture has cooked, add the vegetables, pour over the water and stir in the tarragon, parsley, salt and pepper.  Bring the mixture to a boil, lower to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat and either blend with an immersion blender in the pot, or transfer to a heat-proof blender and blend until completely smooth.  Pour the soup mixture back into the pot and add the cream.  Stir to combine completely.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste, as needed.  Finish with a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of parsley or tarragon.

Serves 4.