Are you on the hunt for a quick and easy recipe, that just so happens to be vegan? Who am I kidding? Who doesn’t love a meal that can be put together in under 20 minutes? You might remember my Day #4 post of my “What Vegans Eat” week where I made tempeh and black bean tacos. Well, the wait for the recipe is over and it is time to get cooking!
Vegan Tempeh and Black Bean Tacos
Servings: Makes 4 tacos
Ingredients
water, for cooking
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 green bell pepper, diced
2/3 of a block of tempeh (I used Trader Joe’s brand)
1/4 cup black beans
1 TB low-sodium soy sauce
juice of 1/2 lime
1 1/2 TB taco seasoning
1/4 cup water
4 tortillas
Optional Toppings:
lettuce
onions
tomatoes
nutritional yeast
salsa
Directions
1. Line a medium skillet with a thin layer of water. Heat over medium-high heat until very hot. Once hot, lower the heat to medium and add the garlic and peppers. Cook for approximately 6 to 8 minutes, or until the peppers have softened.
2. Add tempeh to the skillet. Break the tempeh up with a spatula. Add soy sauce and lime juice. Cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the tempeh is warm.
3. Add black beans and cook an additional 3 minutes, or until the beans are warm.
4. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for approximately 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Assemble tacos by placing lettuce and onions onto each tortilla. Top the lettuce with the taco-seasoned tempeh and black beans. Finally, top the tempeh with tomatoes, nutritional yeast, and salsa.
I ate two tacos, which made for a very protein-rich and filling meal. Not to mention that I got in a great deal of veggies, too!
The use of nutritional yeast added a delicious cheese flavor to these tacos. You could certainly use vegan shredded cheese (like Daiya) in its place, but the nutritional yeast easily met my cravings for a cheesy flavor.
I really loved using the taco-seasoned tempeh and black beans in a more traditional taco form, but the versatility of this recipe also enabled me to change things up a bit with my leftover ingredients.
For lunch the next day I made a tempeh and black bean taco salad. I nixed the tortillas, added extra lettuce, and loaded on the salsa in place of dressing. If you are looking for a low-carb Mexican recipe, then this may be the route that you want to take. I, however, prefer to eat this dish both ways! What can I say, I get bored easily! 😉
Have you always thought that Mexican food and a vegan diet do not go together? This recipe proves that that is most definitely not the case!
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I love fast vegan recipes like this – thanks for sharing!
I hope you like it! 🙂
Yum, yum, and yum! You had me at Tacos and Under 20 minutes 😉 I’ve never cooked with tempeh before, but I would love to try this recipe.
You should definitely try tempeh. It is beyond easy to cook with!
My husbands favorite night of the week is taco night! Thank you so much for posting a vegan recipe for our typical “meat” night 🙂 this is on the menu for next week!
Awesome! I hope you like it!! 🙂
I love having leftover taco ingredients for salads!
Isn’t it the best? They definitely jazz up a plain salad.
I love tacos! You are inspiring a seitan feast over here! 🙂
I meant tempeh…actually, seitan and tempeh…lol
They are both fairly new to me and I am loving the texture and flavor of both, so you can expect a lot more recipes ;).
Tempeh makes the perfect taco filling, other than black beans, so I love that you incorporated both here!
Yes, I could not decide which one to use so I decided on both! 🙂
Yay! I’ve been waiting for this recipe! It’s actually been years since I’ve cooked with tempeh, but you’re definitely inspiring me to change that! I love the simplicity, and the fact that it comes together in under 20 minutes. Win-win!
Some of my favorite Mexican food is actually vegan! When I lived in Mexico during college, I learned a lot about the cuisine, and it’s actually quite different than the “Tex Mex” that we know so well in this country. Lots of corn, beans, salsas, mole sauces etc. The flavors are so complex! One of my favorite dishes is mushroom tacos!
I have never had mushroom tacos, but they sound amazing!! Awesome idea! 🙂
Tempeh is great for tacos, isn’t it? I love using it instead of ground meat whenever I’m craving a vegetarian meal.
It is awesome. This is the first time that I ever used it to make tacos and I will definitely be using it again!
ohhhh tacos, how i love you! these sound like some amazing noms and i love the addition of some soy sauce– somehow, it always makes me think things taste meaty (well..what i very vaguely remember meat tasting like, haha).
Soy sauce is awesome :).
Mmm. That looks awesome.
Mexican is actually an awesome cuisine for vegan diets! When I was a strict vegan, I lived in NYC and there was an amazing Mexican restaurant a couple of blocks from my apartment that had incredible vegan selections.
That restaurant sounds amazing! I love when restaurants have several vegan options :).
A meal I can put together in 20 minutes? absolutely! Looks great and Mexican is my favorite, so it’s perfect!
Quick and easy meals are some of the best, for sure!
Ohhhh yum I just picked up some tempeh too ! Thanks!
How perfect!! Tempeh is awesome :).
This looks so good! I want to try it? What is tempeh? I have never heard of it!
Tempeh is a soy-based meat substitute. I just started cooking with it for the first time about a month ago and I LOVE it!
Weeknight meals MUST be under 20 minutes. Who’s got time for more!? Haha but seriously this looks like a great quick meal!
Thanks! Let me know if you try it!
I actually find its easiest to go to Mexican restaurants as a vegan and feel safe about my choices! You’re the vegan “meat” queen!
Haha, too funny!! I will gladly accept that title! 😉
how did you get the tempeh to look like it was ground up? i always have trouble cooking that stuff and it turns out weird
I just break it up with a spatula, much like you would do with ground beef. It is a bit more difficult, but it seemed to work pretty well for me.
Aww, thank you for sharing this! I’ve meant to ask you about that taco salad and voila – it’s all there. I try to make it. Definitely 😉
Please let me know what you think!
These look so delicious! I’ve only tried tempeh once and I wasn’t impressed… but I think I may need to give it a second chance! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
You should definitely give it another shot! 🙂
Looks really good! I finally bought tempeh and now have to try all of these
I hope you like the tempeh recipes that you try! 🙂
I’ve never had tempeh before but it sure looks tasty!
You should absolutely try it. It is delicious and is a great source of protein!
Great recipe. Good idea adding soy sauce!
Soy sauce makes everything better, right? 😉
Tempeh is totally the best filling for tacos–yum! This is the perfect meatless dinner. 🙂
It really is so good for vegetarian tacos. I will definitely be making these again.
Quick, nutritious and flavorful dishes like this are perfect for me right now! Thanks for the recipe
You’re welcome! Please let me know if you try it!
How delicious! I want to try tempeh. Love a quick meal! So much nutrients too!
You should absolutely give it a try!
Sure looks tasty!
Legumes like black beans are so healthy, I like to eat them on a daily basis. 👍😊