Fiesta Fiesta!

We don't know about you but we sure are happy to be celebrating spring. And what better way to celebrate than with a party favorite, tacos! Now sometimes when we say fiesta we mean spending all day in the kitchen cooking but we understand if you don't share this enthusiasm. That's why this recipe is an "easy eats" because we all need those quick but healthy favorites. Though we do want to warn you about what might be hiding in those processed tortillas first, okay we know - party foul, but you'll be thanking us later promise!

So you may have heard the term genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, as it has been a hot nutrition topic for quite a while. The debate around GMOs can be somewhat confusing so we want to provide you a brief guide as to why we are not fans. GMOs are organisms who's DNA has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally with the purpose of creating a crop that can withstand high levels of herbicides/pesticides to reduce the likelihood of crop loss due to disease, infestation etc. This essentially means that more herbicide/pesticide residue will end up in genetically modified (GM) crops; and I don't know about you but we definitely don't want more of these chemicals in our bodies. Not to mention that we are not the only ones affected; the environment and wildlife, specifically insects, can be harmed by certain herbicides/pesticides while they are pollinating crops. Also during pollination insects may travel between GM and non-GM crops possibly contaminating the natural crops (say what!). If you want to avoid extra chemicals in your food and not support this type of farming practice look for foods which contain the non-GMO project verified label seal (pictured here) and/or certified organic as these cannot contain GMO. This is most important for the top 5 GM crops in the U.S. because >88% of these foods produced in the country are GMO; soy, canola, corn, cotton (used for cottonseed oil), and sugar beets (used for processed sugar). These GM crops end up in many packaged/processed foods because of the low cost and large supply and are often found in the form of oil, corn syrup, sugar, flavor enhancers and thickeners. To top it off, it is estimated that >70% of packaged foods in the U.S. contain GMOs! So back to those corn tortillas....are you thinking you might want to but organic? Great! We found our at Whole Foods, the 365 brand organic corn tortillas for only 0.99 cents a package! You can shop your local market looking for brands with the seal and/or organic or use this handy database of non-GMO foods to get you started. Now let's get back to the party!

Sunshine Fiesta Tacos
PREP TIME: 25 mins
TOTAL TIME: 35 mins
Servings: makes 6 tacos

Ingredients
Tacos
1 can organic black beans
1 medium yellow onion
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp coconut oil
6 organic corn tortilla shells*
1 ripe mango, sliced into thin segments
sprinkle of chili powder/flakes

Crunchy Cabbage Slaw
1 cup red cabbage, shredded
2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar 
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 tsp sea salt

Cilantro Lime Sauce
3/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 lime, juiced 
1 Tbsp olive oil 
1 Tbsp raw pepitas 
1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 small clove garlic 
sprinkle of sea salt to taste 

Rinse black beans in a colander until water runs clear. Add coconut oil to a saute pan over medium high heat. Chop yellow onion and add to the hot pan. Cook onion until translucent, about 5 minutes, add the rinsed black beans and 2 Tbsp water and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and mash onion/bean mixture with a large fork, allowing the flat bottom portion of the fork to do most of the work. Please note, some full beans left in mixture are okay and provide added texture. Cover with a lid and set aside. Begin the cabbage.

Whisk vinegar, honey and salt in a medium bowl. Shred cabbage using a mandolin or large knife (pre-shredded is fine too), add to bowl and mix well until cabbage is coated in dressing. Set aside and begin the sauce.

Add cilantro, juice of 1 lime, olive oil, pepitas, maple syrup, garlic and salt to a food processor or blender and blend ingredients into a smooth sauce. Now it's time to assemble these festive tacos!

Warm tortilla shells in saute pan over medium heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from pan and cover shells with a tea towel to keep warm while you assemble each taco.  Add the following to each tortilla shell; 2 Tbsp black bean/onion mixture, 1/8 cup crunchy cabbage slaw, 1-2 segments of mango sprinkled with chili powder, and a drizzle of cilantro lime sauce.

*Organic tortilla shells-ingredient list should contain organic corn, water, lime, and maybe salt. Nothing more!

We hope these flavors put you in the mood for warmer weather and maybe an impromptu dance party in your kitchen.  That may or may not have happened during this making of this post! But really this taco won't disappoint you or your guests and now you can impress everyone with your GMO knowledge - you'll be the life of the party, well our party anyways. 

Party on,
Jess and Cecelia