It’s almost Cinco de Mayo! Let’s make some tacos.

No, those aren’t carrots. They’re pieces of sweet potato, cut into carrot-like shapes. Stick with me here.

Back in Annapolis, Toby and I got into the habit of going out for Taco Tuesday. Most of the time, that meant meeting our friends at Paladar for margaritas, fresh guacamole, and my favorite tacos ever: Sweet potato. I had been meaning to try to make something similar since we moved away, but I couldn’t seem to get everything together until this week. On Tuesday, of course.

These aren’t an exact replica of the amazing Paladar tacos, but they’re still delicious. Plus they’re super easy, and they’re vegan (I think?), although you can totally add a bit of queso fresco or another type of Mexican cheese, or use a creamy slaw, if you’re into that sort of thing. Oh, and while the sweet potato pieces are roasting, you can make margaritas. Fiesta!

Sweet potato tacos (Serves 2-3, slaw adapted from Epicurious)
1 large sweet potato
Olive oil spray (optional)
2 cups cole slaw lettuce mix
small handful of fresh cilantro (optional)
1 tablespoon lime juice (fresh preferred)
1 tablespoon canola oil
freshly ground pepper
1 can pinto beans
8 corn tortillas
1 small avocado
green salsa (I used a jar, but you can also make your own)

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into small pieces (about 1/2 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Spread the pieces of sweet potato out on a rimmed cookie sheet and spray lightly with olive oil spray (if you have it), then bake the sweet potato for 10-15 minutes, until tender (but not burned!). Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, place the cole slaw lettuce mix in a bowl. Rinse and roughly chop the cilantro and add to the lettuce mix. Stir the lime juice, canola oil and about 1/2 teaspoon of pepper together, then add to the lettuce-cilantro mix and stir to combine.

Drain and rinse the pinto beans. Slice the avocado into small pieces.

Heat a corn tortilla on a clean hot skillet for a few seconds (5-10), then turn and heat a few more seconds so the tortilla is pliable. Assemble the taco by adding several pieces of sweet potato, some pinto beans, a generous helping of slaw, green salsa and a few small pieces of avocado, then folding the tortilla in half with everything in the middle. Continue until you have assembled all the tacos, then eat immediately.