Cheesy Bean-oa Tacos

Over the holidays, members of my family gave me some extra black beans and quinoa they had laying around and didn't want to eat. Blessed with a plethora of these nutritious foods, I had to decide what to do with it all....hmmmm what might go with those???

After a little pondering, I quickly decided to develop a perfect recipe that involved both foods, and which was both quick, tasty, and absolutely full of nutrients.

I am calling the end result: Cheesy Bean-oa (Get it?) Tacos!

If you have some canned black beans, quinoa, and a few scattered other ingredients, try them yourself! Below is the recipe (sorry, forgot to take pics). I even had my 22 month old daughter assist me in making everything so ANYONE CAN COOK IT.

First, cook the quinoa, which generally involves boiling one cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water, then covering and simmering for ~15 minutes, taking care to fluff the quinoa every 3-5 minutes. Very similar to cooking brown rice.

While the quinoa is boiling and simmer, you need to make refried black beans. To do so, open the can of black beans and set the liquid from the can aside. Then heat up one tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat, and add some diced onions. Cook until the onions are translucent and tender, then add some minced (or diced) garlic, about one tablespoon. Let those cook together for 2-3 minutes and turn the heat to low. Add the beans and begin mashing them into the onion and garlic mixture. Add the bean liquid as you go to get the desired consistency. You may or may not use all of the liquid, but the mixture will be very creamy if you do use it all. The beans will be done when you are satisfied with the texture.

Next, heat up some corn tortillas. I prefer heating them on the stove, but the microwave works too if you are in a pinch for time. You need to heat them enough to be able to wrap them as a taco shell, generally about 30-45 seconds. Once those are ready, spread a spoonful of the refried black beans onto the tortilla, followed by a spoonful of quinoa, then sprinkle some shredded cheese on everything and voila - Cheesy Bean-oa Tacos!

Very tasty, very healthy, and super simple. It also makes a very tasty dip if you have some tortilla chips laying around. Enjoy!