Black Bean and Rice Tacos w. Toasted Corn Tortillas

This was something I whipped up when I had very little in my pantry. These ingredients are all staples in my pantry.

The only item that isn't necessarily a staple would be the quick-cooking wild rice blend. I always have a lot of brown rice on hand, and sometimes minute white rice. This particular brand is really easy to make: I boil one small can of veg stock (about 1.75 cups, not sure on ounces) and add a little olive oil or butter. Add in one cup of the rice and drop down to a simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from heat and keep covered for another 15 minutes or so.

I seasoned up a can of drained and rinsed black beans with some standard sauteed onion and garlic and cumin as well as salt.

Sauces and condiments are a huge staple in my house, and El Yucateco green habanero sauce is a favorite of mine. According to the company's website, this particular flavor of hot sauce registers 9,000 on the Scoville Scale. For reference, according to the scale as listed in Wiki, a bell pepper rates as a "0" and a jalapeno is in the 2,500-8,000 range. This sauce is the radioactive-green looking stuff on the tacos.

Another pantry staple in my house is a stack of corn tortillas. They are pretty cheap and can be frozen so long as you fry or, in my case, toast the tortillas after defrosting. Corn tortillas fall apart pretty easily if they don't get some structural integrity from frying or toasting. I came up with toasting as an alternative to pan-frying for a healthier alternative. I remove the tortillas from the freezer and pry off 4 (or less/more) tortillas. I then microwave them in a stack until they are *just* defrosted. Then place in toaster oven until they become more sturdy. Don't toast for too long or you'll get a crispy tostada rather than a usable taco shell.

one more pic: