I absolutely love Mexican inspired food. If you’ve been following me for a while you will know that I absolutely love dishes, both sweet and savoury, that a packed with flavour, colour and textures. I find these the most satisfying meals. These Taco bowls, or Taco salad if you prefer, meet all of these criteria. Packed full of veggies but super flavourful and the bonus, it’s quick to make, vegan friendly and gluten free.
Don’t get me wrong, I love tacos, whether soft tortillas or crunchy, but for me these Taco Bowls ensure that I consume more of the veggies. I still love having some organic GF corn chips on the side, but this is the slightly more veg forward option for me.
Convenience is key:
I have a few little hacks too that save me time. This meal is mostly made up of frozen or tinned/canned ingredients, with a few fresh elements added. The cooking time is only around 10 – 15 minutes, and about the same for prep. Quick meal is right up my street, maximum yumminess for minimum time and effort.
I almost always have a pack of roasted Mexican style corn mix in my freezer. Or when it’s out of stock, a bag of frozen corn will do. The same goes for the beans. A tin of black beans or red kidney beans are always on my shopping list. I often buy the dried kind, but since they need prep they aren’t really suitable for a quick meal or a last minute craving, so I love to keep the tinned version on hand.
As mentioned, I love meals that make use of basic pantry and freezer items. I have included the substitutions in the notes if you can’t find a corn mix similar to the one I use, which is just as delicious.
Taco Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Mexican Spice Mix
- ½ tsp Chili powder or 1 x small chili de-seeded and finely chopped
- 500 grams Mexican Corn Mix* Substitution in notes
- 400 grams 1 x Can of black beans, drained or 400g of dried black beans soaked and cooked
- Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
Optional extras
- 2 Avocados (½ per person) or guacamole
- Fresh Salsa** or chopped tomatoes
- 1 Lettuce (of your choice) Roughly chopped
- Fresh coriander or parsley for garnish
- Fresh lemon/lime wedges for garnish
- Corn chips I use an organic gluten free version
Instructions
- Drain the beans and/or corn and set aside
- Prepare your sides/extras, such as the salsa, lettuce and herbs and set aside
- In a large pan, add the olive oil, Mexican spice mix and chili powder and bring to medium heat
- Add the corn mix and beans, or the individual ingredients, stir through the spices and cook for around 5 – 10 minutes until tender (cooking time will depend on if you're cooking from frozen)
- Season with salt and pepper and taste. Then remove from the heat
- Serve with optional extras as mentioned or sides of your choice
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