A simple yet delicious vegan, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, soy-free and potentially gluten-free recipe for filling burritos and tacos that everyone in the family will enjoy, including the little ones. Freeze any extras or keep for a taco night meal another day in the week!
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (or other vegetable oil)
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup diced onion [28 g]
- ½ cup diced tomato [70 g]
- 2 cups canned or cooked black beans [166 g] (or one 16-ounce can of black beans)
- 1 ½ cups diced small pineapple pieces [263 g] (fresh or a 398 mL or 14 fluid ounce can of pineapple ring slices diced up, with juice reserved)
- ¾ cup canned pineapple juice, divided [180 mL] (basically the juice from the can of pineapple ring slices)
- ¾ teaspoon salt (more if desired)
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch (or corn flour)
- fresh shredded lettuce or grated red cabbage
- diced tomatoes
- sauteed sliced onions
- bell pepper strips
- grain of choice (examples are cooked quinoa, brown rice, millet)
- vegan cheese shreds
- salsa
- chopped avocado
- vegetarian refried beans
- guacamole
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Drain and rinse the can of black beans (if no pre-cooked black beans are available to use) and measure the amount to use in the recipe.
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Mince the garlic cloves, then dice the onion and tomatoes.
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Heat up a teaspoon of oil in a medium-sized skillet on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, sauté the garlic and onions in the oil for 2-3 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
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Add in the diced tomato pieces and sauté for another 2-3 minutes (you may want to use a lid to protect yourself and prevent spatters when the tomato pieces hit the bottom of the skillet.)
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Add the measured amount of black beans, along with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
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Meanwhile, cut up the pineapple ring slices into small pieces. Don’t discard the pineapple juice from the can. Add in the 1 ½ cups of chopped pineapple chunks into the skillet, along with half a cup’s worth of the pineapple juice (or water) into the skillet with the black bean mixture.
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Stir the mixture well and let it summer for 10 -15 minutes. Turn down the heat setting if necessary to maintain a gentle continuous bubbling. Add more water or pineapple juice at intervals if the contents are starting to look very dry. The pot contents should start to thicken up naturally over time as the contents are cooked and water is lost. If you would like a thicker consistency to the filling, see step 8 for adding in the cornstarch.
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Optional step: Mix a teaspoon of cornstarch thoroughly into a ¼ cup of pineapple juice (or cold water) in a separate cup. About 5 minutes before serving, stir in the cornstarch mixture into the skillet and stir to combine well. After a few minutes, the liquid in the skillet will start to thicken up into a sauce.
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Taste the dish and adjust seasonings if needed. Top with some freshly chopped basil or cilantro (optional). Ready to be added into the burrito or taco with other fillings of your choice, like diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, avocado slices, cooked quinoa, bell pepper slices, salsa and non-dairy vegan cheese shreds!
In general, the longer you simmer the black bean and pineapple mixture on low heat on the stove, the richer and more flavorful it becomes.
For an oil-free version, simply sauté the garlic and onions in 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable broth (heated first until hot on medium heat in the skillet). Add 1-2 tablespoons more vegetable broth if the skillet contents are getting very dry.
If you are using freshly chopped pineapple cubes, you can use water or vegetable broth in this recipe to substitute for the pineapple juice, if you don’t have much juice accrued from chopping up the pineapple. Just use water or vegetable broth then simmer the black bean pineapple concoction on the stove a bit longer so that the flavor of the pineapples can get into the sauce mixture more.