Butternut Squash & Black Bean Vegan Tacos

THE BEST VEGAN TACOS EVER!

Butternut Squash & Black Bean Vegan Tacos

These vegan tacos are a Villa Kali Ma staple. The clients and staff love them! We served these vegan tacos at our one-year anniversary party and even the carnivorous men loved them! Packed with nutritional, health-promoting dietary ingredients, they are stuffed with Butternut Squash, Black Beans, Sour Cream, Cabbage, Cilantro, Avocado Slices, and Salsa. There are three recipes; one for the Butternut Squash, one for the Beans, and one for the homemade Vegan Sour Cream. If you want the whole experience, make all three! You will also need to prep the condiments so give yourself at least an hour to get the whole job done.
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PREP TIME: 30 – 40 minutes               COOKING TIME: 20 minutes             SERVES: 6

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Download Our PDF Guide Here!

Shopping List

TIP: Make sure you buy everything organic and BPA-free canned beans.

For the Butternut Squash

• 1 medium butternut squash or 2 packages of already cubed
• 1 medium white onion
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 jalapeño
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup vegetable broth (may substitute with water)
• 2 tablespoons of cumin
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 1/4 tablespoon of cayenne (omit if you don’t wait it spicy)
• 1 tablespoon of celtic sea salt
• 2 tablespoons of coconut or avocado oil
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For the Black Beans

• 2 cans of black beans
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cilantro (stems removed)
• 1/2 of a small red onion
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle pepper seasoning (more if you like spicy)
• 1-2 teaspoons coconut sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
• 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of coconut or avocado oil
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For the Sour Cream

• 1 cup of raw, unsalted cashews
• 2 teaspoons of apple cider
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon of celtic sea salt
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups of ice water
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For the Tacos

• 1 package of soft corn tortillas (should have 8)
• Salsa (your choice – I like fire roasted tomato salsa)
• 1-2 avocados
• Red or green cabbage (optional)
• Cilantro
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Helpful Items

• Vitamix or similar blender
• Slap chop
• Mini-prep processor
• Swivel peeler
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These vegan tacos turned out so good!

Cooking Instructions

1. First put the cashews in a small pot and fill with 2 cups of filtered water and place on the stove over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then set timer for 15 minutes.
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2. While cashews are boiling, prep the veggies for your beans. First chop the onion, red pepper, cilantro, and garlic. If you have a mini food processor, I just chop the onion and red pepper into 2-inch chunks and throw them in the mini-prep with the whole garlic cloves and cilantro and process into tiny dice. Otherwise chop the veggies by hand (or use a slap-chop) into a fine dice.
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3. If you bought a whole Butternut Squash you need to peel it with a swivel peeler. You need to use firm pressure because the skin is thick and tough. After you peel it, cut it in half and remove the seeds, then cut it up into 1-inch dices. If it’s already chopped, you get to skip this step!
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4. Your cashews should be done by now so pour them into a strainer and rinse them and set aside to cool. Now prep your condiments for your tacos. If using cabbage, shave your cabbage into very thin shaves and you only need to shave what you think you will use. Place it in a bowl for serving. Now pick the cilantro leaves off of the stems and place in a bowl for serving with your tacos.
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5. Now prep the onion and jalapeño for your Butternut Squash recipe. Dice the onion into medium size dice. Cut the stem off of the Jalapeño and cut it in half lengthwise. Then cut the halves in half lengthwise, then cut out the seeds and pith so it won’t be too spicy (unless you like spicy, then leave them in). Now dice the jalapeño into tiny dice. (wear gloves so you don’t burn your skin with the jalapeño juice or use a slap-chop if you have one)
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6. Now make your Sour Cream. Pour your Cashews into a blender. Now add your Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Salt, and about half of the ice water. Start blending at a slower speed and slowly increase to high speed. As the cashews break up they will begin to turn into cream. Add water to desired consistency. Taste it. If it needs more sour taste, add more vinegar or lemon juice. If it’s too thick, add more water. Blend until you have a completely smooth and creamy sour cream. Pour into a bowl and put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.
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7. Time to start your beans. Using a 3-quart pot, put the oil in and heat over medium heat for a minute. Put your chopped onion, red pepper, garlic, and cilantro into the oil and cook until it begins to brown and onion is translucent about 5 minutes. Now add the Beans and the rest of the ingredients and stir. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then cover and reduce heat to simmer. Go ahead and move on but keep coming back to stir your beans occasionally and if they start to become thick and pasty, turn them off.
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8. Now begin to cook your Butternut Squash. Heat the oil in a large deep sauté or frying pan, add the onion and jalapeño, and cook on medium heat until onion is translucent about 5 minutes. Now add the Butternut Squash and stir. Cover and let cook for another 3 minutes. Stir again and cook another 3 minutes.
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9. While the Squash is cooking, peel and slice your avocado. Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed. Place both halves cut side down on the cutting board and slice them in half lengthwise. Now peel the skin off of each half with your fingers. Keeping the two halves cut side down, begin to make thin slices from one side to the other of each avocado half. Place the sliced avocado in a dish for serving as a topping for your tacos.
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10. Now add all the spices to your Butternut Squash and stir again. If the pan is becoming dry, add some of the vegetable broth or water. Cover and cook another 3 minutes. Add some more broth or water if needed and stir again. Your Squash will begin to soften around the edges and the onion and spices will begin to stick to the squash. This means it’s almost done. Take out a piece of Squash and taste it. As soon as it has lost its crunchiness and becomes easy to chew, it’s done. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
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11. Now heat your tortillas. I do mine right on the burner of my gas fire stove. Put heat on medium-low and place the tortilla directly on the grate. I usually use 3 burners and heat 3 at a time. Place each heated tortilla on a plate inside a towel to keep warm. Once all the tortillas are ready it’s time to serve!
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12. Put a couple of tortillas on your plate and fill each with a little of the Butternut Squash, Black Beans, Cabbage, Sour Cream, Avocado slices, Cilantro, and top with Salsa.

Enjoy!