Hi there! How is Monday morning treatin’ ya?
We had quite the weekend. Between entertaining friends who stayed with us all week, my birthday on Thursday, a friend’s housewarming party on Friday, my company’s annual party on Saturday, and 20 inches of fresh powder in the mountains (that Nate took advantage of but I did not), we were pretty much out of commission by the time Sunday morning rolled around. These days I have to admit I don’t usually go out on both Friday and Saturday nights (and definitely not wearing monstrous heels), so this weekend was a reminder that I’m not as young as I used to be… and that sleeping in is necessary sometimes.
As a side note, I still can’t feel one of my toes after wearing those heels all night. Maybe I’ll forget about this and bring them the next time I go to Vegas… but until then, I’m pushing them to the back of my closet. Flats are the way to go!
Anyway, after a busy weekend, I seldom feel like slaving over a hot stove all day Sunday. I much prefer going to yoga and then tossing together a quick meal like this, that involves just a little chopping and a few minutes of cooking time.
We loved these tacos because they’re so fresh and light. Nothing is as refreshing as homemade salsa, and using lettuce leaves instead of taco shells lightens up the meal. No sense in cancelling out all those chaturangas I just did!
I based these off my chickpea tacos, using beans, onions, garlic, and the same spice mix. I know the ingredient list looks long, but honestly you just need a few fresh ingredients for the salsa, and the rest you most likely have in your pantry. I swear these come together quickly! If you’d rather use guacamole or regular salsa + cheese + sour cream, etc., go for it! But fruit salsa is allllways a good idea.
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, finely diced (yellow or red)
- 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or about 1 1/2 cups cooked)
- 6 leaves bibb or iceberg lettuce
- 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cornstarch
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 mango, peeled and diced
- 1 avocado, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
- 1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
- 1/4 red onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- First prepare the salsa. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine all taco seasoning ingredients. The tacos come together quickly, so I like to do this before anything goes on the stove.
- Add olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Once shimmering, add garlic and onion and saute until soft, 4-5 minutes.
- Pour in black beans and taco seasoning and stir to coat. Saute, stirring occasionally, until beans are heated through and some of the water is evaporated, 2-3 minutes.
- Serve with lettuce leaves to be used as taco shells and mango avocado salsa.
- Enjoy!
You know, REB and I make tacos at least once a week and we almost never just make them this simple and refreshing! We always use meatless crumbles because we feel we need that “meatiness”, but really, black bean son their own with that delicious, fresh salsa sounds perfect! Thanks for sharing :) Can’t wait to try it this week!
Let me know how you like these if you try them out!
Those heels are so cute! Love the bright colors :)
That sounds like an exhausting weekend, lol. I’ve turned into a bit of a grandma myself! I will choose having friends over for wine over going out 9 times out of 10 these days. But you’re right, a clean tasty meal is always so refreshing for Sunday :) Love the sound of that salsa!
Lettuce wraps are such an awesome treat. It’s all the fun of tacos, without all the processed corn. Love it.
I agree with Aparna’s comment above. This looks very refreshing. I love how simple it looks, but I don’t have any doubts that it tastes very good.
mango avocado salsa – sounds heavenly!
Thanks! I definitely dipped some chips in it after I finished these tacos – I can’t get enough :)
I love vegetarian “taco” lettuce wraps and your look fantastic! I missed your birthday while I was on vacation – Happy late birthday, Erica!! :)
Thanks Becky! Hope your vacation was as much fun as it looked in your pictures!!
I love lettuce wraps and this one looks really great for a meatless meal. Black beans paired with mango and avocado sounds delicious.
These look fantastic!! Mango and avocado sounds like a super delicious sweet pairing. Nice job :).
Yippee!!! I’m posting lettuce wraps tomorrow! I have to admit, yours are making me want to make up another batch and I love that yours are vegetarian. Your salsa looks iiiiiincredible!
Yay! Looking forward to seeing yours!
So excited to try these black bean lettuce wrap tacos. My husband and I love tacos and I’ve (SLOWLY) convinced him to try a healthier version. I’m not a fan of sweet things in my foods so I’ll make a spicy tomato-jalepeno salsa but I’m very excited to have these for dinner tonight!! :)
Hope you and your husband enjoy them, Nune!
These are AMAZING! They are so fresh tasting, and incredibly easy to make. I really love the mango salsa. We will be having these very often from now on!
Yay sister!
These turned out great! I loved the mango salsa and it is an inexpensive but very delicious dinner!
So glad you enjoyed them, Sue!
I made this recipe for my husband and I–we both loved it! The mango-avocado-cucumber is such a light and refreshing combination. I’ve made it several times already and plan to make it again tonight. My husband likes tacos and will eat them often–this is a healthy, similar alternative. Thanks for sharing (great photography as well–probably the main reason I followed this recipe over similar ones that popped up on google–a picture says a thousand words).
Hi Charity, so glad you and your husband enjoyed these “tacos”! Appreciate the comment :)
I made these taco wraps last night and they were fantastic! Even my meat-loving husband was a big fan. This is definitely a keeper for us.
It was FANTASTIC, I love this recipe. I’ve been making this at least once a week.