Ingredients

For the beans:
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • Salt
  • 1 can pinto beans or black beans
  • A small handful of fresh cilantro
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce (Rach's go-to is Frank's Red Hot)
  • Juice of 1 lime
For the meat filling:
  • 1 tablespoon neutral oil
  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ pound Mexican chorizo
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • ½ cup water
For the salsa:
  • ½ white or red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 large jalapeño or 2 serrano peppers, seeded and finely chopped
  • Salt
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 2 cups seeded fresh tomatoes or canned cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
To serve:
  • 8 ounces Pepper Jack
  • 8 ounces cheddar or Colby-cheddar
  • 10 to 12 large flat-bottom, hard shell tacos
  • Chopped iceberg lettuce
  • 2 small ripe avocados
  • Chipotle paste
  • Lime juice
  • 1 ½ cups sour cream mixed with chives or chopped scallions

Yield

Serves: 5 to 6

Preparation

For the beans, heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat, soften onions, garlic, jalapeño peppers, cumin and salt, add ½ cup water and let it absorb. Add beans, cilantro, hot sauce and lime juice. Add to a food processor and process to smooth. Transfer back into the skillet and keep warm on low heat.

For the meat filling, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add chicken and brown and crumble, add cumin, coriander, chili powder, oregano, and salt and pepper, combine well, add chorizo, brown and crumble, add onions, garlic and stir to soften, add water, let it absorb.

For the salsa, in a bowl combine onion, garlic, jalapeño, salt, and lime juice, let stand 10 minutes, add tomatoes and cilantro.

To serve, heat oven to 325˚F and shred cheeses.

Mash the avocados with a bit of chipotle paste and lime juice (to taste). Fill taco shells with cheeses. Bake to toast shells and melt cheese. Fill shells with beans, then meats, lettuce, avocado, salsa, and small dollops of sour cream with chives and serve.