This was an attempt at the recreation of the delicious veggie tacos I had at our neighborhood mexican restaurant, and while they were good, they didn’t taste as tasty as theirs. I’m guessing it’s because they used a tad (ton) of canola oil and salt in their version and I used a spray of olive oil and sprinkle of salt so at least these were healthier! I usually prefer flour tortillas instead of corn, but due to the health benefit and trying to stay away from white flour I decided to have corn. While my taco burst open all over my plate I remembered why I don’t like corn! Next time I’ll either have to toast the tortillas to make them crunchy, use lettuce wraps, or just go ahead and make nachos out of it because that’s pretty much what it turned into. I also quartered some corn tortillas, sprinkled them with spices, and baked them until crunchy as our side of healthier non-fried chips. With some of these changes, I think that they would work better but they’re a great way to pack veggies in to a Mexican meal.

*side rant- I’m trying this very low oil and salt way of cooking because I talked to a popular vegan blogger this weekend, and he mentioned his weight loss success was partly due to eating this high carb, low fat plant based diet that he saw from High Carb Hannah. She has a Youtube channel so I spent a day watching her videos and she’s lost 70 lbs eating this way. I really do not understand how eating multiple potatoes for dinner makes you lose weight, but I’m trying to figure out what will. I’m vegan, eating mostly plant based home-cooked meals, and not losing weight. Now I don’t know if I’m supposed to be high carb or low carb? Am I supposed to be eating 1800 calories a day like she said or stick to the less than 1500 I have now? Am I supposed to be snacking between meals or just having 3 big meals? Lots of fruit or limit it? Should I count my calories or eat intuitively? Now I’m beyond confused and not sure where to go to start losing weight so if anyone has heard of High Carb Hannah or has had success losing weight going vegan, help a sister out please!

Black Bean and Veggie Tacos

1 can organic black beans, no salt added, rinsed and drained

1 avocado, sliced

2 zucchini, diced

2 yellow squash, diced

1 large onion, diced

3 bell peppers, I used yellow, orange, and red

10 oz button mushrooms, diced

1-2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried cilantro

1 tsp lime juice

salt and pepper to taste

spray olive oil

1. Spray a large saute pan over medium heat and add onions and peppers, and cook for a few minutes while you continue to dice other veggies.
2. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and squash. Add the spices and cook for about 10 minutes until vegetables are soft and cooked through then add the beans.
3. Turn off heat and add a squeeze of lime juice and sprinkle of cilantro.
4. Use for tacos, burritos, taco salads, or nachos and top with a few slices of avocado, mango or regular salsa, and cilantro.

Baked Tortilla Chips

These were so easy and quick! I don’t know why I’ve never done this before. They were a great way to have chips without all of the fried-oil part. You can sprinkle with any spices you want!

corn tortillas, however many you want, quartered

spray olive oil

sprinkle of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder

tiny salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425* and spread quartered tortillas on a sprayed baking sheet then lightly spray the tortillas.
2. Mix spices together and sprinkle them on top then bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.