Today happens to be National Taco Day! Yup, it's the best, most real of all the Taco Tuesday's we're going to celebrate this year. To get the party started, my friend Jacky and I from vegan apparel company BEETxBEET have teamed up to to share with you one of our favorite, easy Taco Tuesday recipes paired with a 'Lesbi Vegan' taco t-shirt giveaway - perfect for anyone who loves a good taco!
 
I love the vegan clothing and awareness company BEETxBEET and that they stand up for our animal friends, but I love owner, activist and girl boss Jacky Wasserman even more. We've been friends for a few years now after meeting at a vegan Oktoberfest and interviewing her about her company back where she first started. She works her ass off saving animals and making rad clothing, which has expanded from a few humble t-shirts to hats, notebooks and sometimes even customized cup cozies! She's had some great new, clever shirts come out lately so we decided to team up and create a recipe based on each of her most popular styles - and pair them each with a giveaway of the t-shirt itself! We made some great meals we think you guys are going to love - and then got to eat them ALL. Haha, but only to make sure they tasted perfectly before we shared them. Promise. (Ahh, the life of a food blogger. It's rarely glamorous, but it is full of taste-tests!) 

You can get the recipe by scrolling down a  bit. To enter the giveaway to WIN your very own 'Lesbi Vegan' tee, scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and fill out the widget. We'll let the widget randomly choose one winner and we'll email that person directly for size information + gender preference. GOOD LUCK! ​

INGREDIENTS
2 - 15 oz. cans black beans, drained (OR about 2 cups cooked black beans)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
3 cups broccoli slaw (store bought OR just shredded broccoli, carrots + red cabbage)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
tortillas, for serving
pepitas, for garnish
fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish 

DIRECTIONS
​In a medium cast iron or sauce pan combine the beans, coconut oil, lime juice, cider vinegar, soy sauce, cumin, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika and chili powder.  Stir to combine, and simmer over low-medium heat. 

​While the beans cook, make the broccoli slaw by tossing together the shredded broccoli, carrots + red cabbage with lime juice, olive oil, and salt. Set aside.

​Prepare the tortillas by heating them on a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot, then flip and heat through. Keep warm tortillas wrapped in a clean towel or a tortilla warmer until ready to serve. 

Once the beans have cooked, portion them evenly into the tortillas then top with broccoli slaw, pepitas and freshly chopped cilantro. Serve immediately! 

NOTES
Serves 2-4.

Leftovers can be refrigerated separately for up to a week. 

I'm big on comfort food. Growing up my favorite food was mashed potatoes with gravy, and I ate them as often as I could. Lucky for me, I grew up in a state where some counties took the month of September off from school to harvest potatoes! They were on the table 5 nights a week, and I just learned to love 'em. I try to eat more of a variety of a color palette now, but I still LOVE comfort foods. And this week, I've been feeling pretty under the weather. As a nanny, I get sick nearly every time the little ones do, no matter how much vitamin C I've consumed, and this week I went down hard. Some combination of tummy trouble/ chills/ sore throat + an awful cough had me down and all I wanted was a warm, creamy, cheesy bowl of soup to make me feel better. This soup is perfect. The carrots and celery add great flavor and the potatoes keep it creamy, and the addition of cayenne kicks it up just a bit. Just serve with fresh parsley, a bit of crusty bread, & a Netflix marathon and call it an afternoon.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
3 small potatoes, cut into small cubes
2 heads broccoli florets with stems removed (about 4 cups), chopped
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon each salt & pepper
1 cup vegan cheese (we used Blode Kuh's White Cheddar, but any cheeze capable of melting should work here!)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped 

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté garlic with onions, celery, and carrots in a mirepoix until they begin to soften. Add potatoes and broccoli florets and sauté all together for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat, add the cheese, and blend with an immersion blender or in a regular blender in batches to desired creaminess. We like to leave some chunks! Stir in the freshly chopped parsley, then serve. Makes 6-8 servings, and lasts up to a week in the fridge. Freeze for long-term saving. Enjoy!