Vegetarian chili tacos with avocado salsa (Mexican)

Chili (usually chili con carne, so not a vegetarian one) is a spicy classical bean stew of Mexico. Filling up some taco shells with this yummy mixture and serving them along a avocado salsa (a crossbreed sometimes done between salsa and guacamole) is the perfect starter to a lovely afternoon meal or a snack treat. The weather is not as warm as we hoped, to be able to get out of town again, like we did last weekend (went for a walk into Pfungstadt and Eberstadt, had a lovely walnut ice cream I'm not going to forget very soon), so the warm spicy tacos were a nice consolation for staying indoors. Enjoy!

• 50 g dry white beans - you must boil them for at least 1 and 1/2 hours in this case - or 100 g boiled (from the can if you don't have time to pre-boil them)

• 100 ml tomato paste

• 1 small red onion

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon coriander

• 1/3 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

• 1 teaspoon chili powder (or 1 chili pepper)

• half a lime

• 4 taco shells (easy to find in large supermarkets)

• 25 g grated yellow cheese (preferably Queso Blanco, but any cheddar or emmentaler type will do)

• a little olive oil

• 1 avocado

• half a lime

• 7 cherry tomatoes

• 1/2 teaspoon coriander

• 1/3 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Ingredients (serves 2 as starter, 1 as main course):

For the tacos:

For the avocado salsa:

Peel the red onion, cut it in quarters and then slice them. Place them in a little olive oil in a pan and fry:

Peel and slice the garlic and add it. After they're softened, but not completely fried, in about 2-3 minutes, add the tomato paste and the boiled beans.

Stir gently and let it cook on medium intensity for about 7-8 minutes while you do the rest. Cut the cherry tomatoes in quarters and the avocado pulp in edible-size bites:

Put them in a bowl, add salt and squeeze half a lime over them:

Add the coriander and spices on top. The salsa is done. Back to the chili. Add the rest of the spices and squeeze the other half of lime over it, then mix. The sauce should have reduced by boiling and the whole composition should now look like this:

Turn off the heat. Fill the taco shells with the chili, then add the grated cheese on top:

Keep going until they're all filled:

Serve warm, next to the fresh salsa. It's done, dig in! :)