I have been seriously craving some taquitos lately, but I wanted to find a vegetarian recipe that didn’t use refried beans as the base for the tortilla. Who knew that mashed sweet potatoes would act as the perfect substitute!?
Over the weekend I was describing this recipe to a friend of mine, after I had brought in left-over taquitos to eat for my lunch at work. We were chatting about the high Vitamin A content found in sweet potatoes, and she asked me whether or not this nutrient is lost if you get rid of the water after boiling the potato. Short answer: Nope! Since Vitamin A is one of the four fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), this nutrient will not be lost after discarding the water used in the cooking process.
Sweet potatoes actually contain a pro-vitamin and antioxidant called Beta Carotene, which is converted to Vitamin A in the body through a series of reactions. When most people think of Vitamin A, typically carrots come to mind, but interestingly, sweet potatoes contain a higher amount of Vitamin A per serving than carrots. As you may have heard before, Vitamin A is helpful for maintaining healthy skin, maintaining good vision and for preventing night blindness.
For those of you out there who are blind-as-a-bat without their glasses like I am, let’s all take cheers to this information and introduce some sweet potatoes into our lives! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 3 sweet potatoes, cubed (peeled or not; your preference)
- 1/2 red onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups black beans, cooked or canned
- 20 – 6″ corn tortillas
- 1 1/2 cup of cheddar (or other) shredded cheese
- 1 Tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp. Chili powder
- 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- Optional: Cilantro to garnish
Directions:
- Begin by pre-heating your oven to 425 degrees F. Next, heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cubed sweet potatoes, and cover. Boil for about 10-12 minutes, or until you are able to easily pierce through the potatoes with a fork. Then, drain the water and add the sweet potatoes to a large bowl.
- Use a fork to mash the sweet sweet potatoes completely. Add the red pepper, black beans, and the seasonings to the bowl. Stir everything together completely.
- Next, get a large baking sheet and spread parchment paper over the top if it (for a reduced mess / easier clean up). One by one, take 1 corn tortilla and fill about 1/3 of the tortilla with the sweet potato filling. Spread about 1-2 pinches of cheese over the filling. Roll the tortilla up tightly, and place on the baking sheet with the creased side facing down. Repeat this until you run out of filling.
- Use the remaining cheese to top the taquitos. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until crisp on the outsides of the tortillas. Recipe yields about 20 taquitos.
| Sweet potato & Black Bean Taquitos Portions: 10 – (two taquitos per serving) |
|
| Food Groups | Amount Per Portion |
| Grains | 2 ounce(s) |
| Refined Grains | 2 ounce(s) |
| Vegetables | ½ cup(s) |
| Red & Orange | ¼ cup(s) |
| Beans & Peas | ¼ cup(s) |
| Dairy | ½ cup(s) |
| Cheese | ½ cup(s) |
| Calories | Amount Per Portion |
| Total Calories | 242 Calories |
| Saturated Fat | 35 Calories |
| Nutrients | Amount Per Portion |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Carbohydrate | 36 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 g |
| Total Sugars | 3 g |
| Added Sugars | 0 g |
| Total Fat | 7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 2 g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1 g |
| Linoleic Acid | 1 g |
| α-Linolenic Acid | 0.1 g |
| Omega 3 – EPA | 0 mg |
| Omega 3 – DHA | 0 mg |
| Cholesterol | 18 mg |
| Minerals | Amount Per Portion |
| Calcium | 187 mg |
| Potassium | 367 mg |
| Sodium | 259 mg |
| Copper | 207 µg |
| Iron | 2 mg |
| Magnesium | 63 mg |
| Phosphorus | 302 mg |
| Selenium | 6 µg |
| Zinc | 2 mg |
| Vitamins | Amount Per Portion |
| Vitamin A | 248 µg RAE |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.2 mg |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.1 µg |
| Vitamin C | 18 mg |
| Vitamin D | 0 µg |
| Vitamin E | 1 mg AT |
| Vitamin K | 3 µg |
| Folate | 42 µg DFE |
| Thiamin | 0.1 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.2 mg |
| Niacin | 1 mg |
| Choline | 24 mg |
Healthy-Gutt Nutrition & Wellness 