Sweet Corn And Black Bean Tacos

Sweet Corn And Black Bean Tacos

These hearty summer tacos feature lime-marinated fresh corn, jalapeño and radishes on top of warm black beans. Feta and avocado make these complete! Recipe yields 10 tacos (a lot!).

Ingredients:
Corn and feta salad:
2 ears of corn, shucked (about 2 cups fresh corn 

   kernals).
¼ cup chopped cilantro
3 medium red radishes, thinly sliced into small strips
1 medium lime, zested and juiced (to yield about 1  

    teaspoon zest and  2 tablespoons lime juice)

1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ to ⅔ cup crumbled feta, to taste (optional)
Black beans
2 cans black black beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 

   cups cooked black beans)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow or white onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
⅓ cup water
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Everything else
10 small round corn tortillas (gluten free for gluten-

   free tacos)
1 large avocado, sliced into thin strips
Optional garnishes: pickled jalapeños, salsa verde 

    and or hot sauce
Directions

To prepare the corn salad: Use a sharp chef’s knife to slice the kernels off all four sides of the corn cobs. 

Transfer the kernels to a medium-sized mixing bowl and add the chopped cilantro, radishes, lime zest and juice, jalapeño, olive oil and sea salt. Mix well. 

Stir in ½ cup crumbled feta, taste, and add a little more if you’d like. Set the bowl aside to marinate while your prepare the beans.

To prepare the black beans: Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and a sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are turning translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes.  Add the cumin and cook for about 30 seconds while stirring. Pour in the beans and ⅓ cup water. Stir, cover and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then remove the lid and use the back of a fork to mash up at least half of the beans. 

Remove from heat, season generously with salt and pepper, to taste, and cover until you’re ready to serve.

To warm the tortillas: Heat a cast iron or non-stick skillet over medium heat and warm each tortilla individually, flipping occasionally. Alternatively, you can warm them directly over a low flame on a gas range. Fold a tea towel over the warmed tortillas to keep them warm.

Put it all together: 

Spread black beans down the middle of each tortilla. Top the beans with corn salad. Place a slice of avocado to the side of the beans and serve with optional pickled jalapeños, salsa or hot sauce on the side.

NOTES
Corn salad adapted from Sprouted Kitchen’s sweet corn ceviche. Black beans adapted from my arugula and pickled radish tacos.

Make it Vegan or Dairy Free: Skip the feta and add pickled jalapeños or pickled radishes to make up for the feta’s salty punch.