Taco Tuesday

I don't know about you, but I love tacos. So when it comes to Taco Tuesdays, I have no problems. Here are six taco recipes to help you through the day, including Stir-Fry Vegetable Tacos and Crunchy Black Bean Tacos. Enjoy!

CRISPY THAI ROASTED CAULIFLOWER TACOS [VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE]

This comes from One Green Planet, and starts off, “These cauliflower tacos are an explosion of flavors and textures that will leave you wanting more. The crispy Thai cauliflower is mellowed by a tasty slaw and the whole taco is tied together with a delightful avocado-lime sauce. These tacos are sure to be crowd pleasers.”

This recipe is: Dairy-Free and Vegan; Serves 4.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

For the Tacos:

1 tablespoon red curry paste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

4 cups cauliflower florets

2 teaspoon Thai seasoning (see below)

4 small, gluten-free tortillas

For the Slaw:

3 cups purple cabbage, shredded

1 carrot, shredded

3 tablespoon cilantro, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon flaked toasted coconut

2 teaspoon each extra virgin olive oil and lime juice

1 teaspoon agave

1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced

For the Avocado Lime Drizzle:

1 avocado, pitted

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup water

2 limes, peeled (flesh only – take the skin and white bits off with a knife)

For the Thai Seasoning:

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dried lemon zest

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon powdered ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

A few pinches of dried chili flakes

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a bowl, whisk together the curry paste, olive oil, and lime juice to make a thinner paste.

Toss the cauliflower in the mixture and stir it to coat.

In a small jar, combine all spices for the Thai seasoning and shake them together to blend.

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the Thai seasoning over the cauliflower and stir it to coat.

Line a baking sheet with foil and scatter the cauliflower florets in a single layer.

Roast them for 15-20 minutes or until they are crispy.

Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for the cabbage slaw in a large bowl.

Stir the olive oil, lime juice, and agave together. Then, pour it over the slaw and stir everything in.

In a blender, puree all ingredients for the avocado drizzle. Transfer it to a bottle with a squeeze top, or a sealed jar as you’ll have extra to store in the fridge.

When the cauliflower is ready, remove it from the oven.

Divide the cabbage slaw between 3-4 tortillas, then evenly distribute the roasted cauliflower. Drizzle the tacos with avocado sauce and garnish with additional cilantro and toasted coconut if desired.

BLACK BEAN TACOS WITH ROASTED PEPPERS AND ONIONS

This comes from Vegetarian Times. This one begins, “For a fast meal that’s a surefire crowd-pleaser, these tacos fit the bill.” Yield: Serves 8.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

Roasted Peppers and Onions

3 red bell peppers, thinly sliced (3 cups)

1 large onion, thinly sliced (1 1/2 cups)

1 Tbs. olive oil

Tacos

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped (1 cup)

6 cloves garlic, minced (2 Tbs.)

2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz. can diced organic fire-roasted tomatoes

1 Tbs. chili powder

1 Tbs. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. hot sauce, or more to taste

16 organic corn taco shells, warmed

Toppings

3 cups shredded lettuce

1 16-oz. container prepared salsa

2 large tomatoes, diced (2 cups)

2 avocados, diced (2 cups)

1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese

1 cup low-fat sour cream

Instructions:

To make Roasted Peppers and Onions: Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss peppers and onion with oil on large baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes, stir, and roast 15 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender and peppers are beginning to blacken. Transfer to small bowl.

Meanwhile, to make Tacos: Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 to 7 minutes, or until soft. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant. Stir in beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, and 1 cup water. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Mash beans until filling is thickened, but chunky, and most beans remain intact. Adjust seasonings, if necessary. Transfer to serving bowl. Pass taco shells, filling, Roasted Peppers and Onions, and Toppings around the table.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 482; Protein: 16 g; Total Fat: 22 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 57 g; Cholesterol: 17 mg; Sodium: 665 mg; Fiber: 12 g; Sugar: 14 g

CRUNCHY BLACK BEAN TACOS

This comes from The Kitchn’s e-newsletter. If you haven’t signed up for The Kitchn’s e-newsletter yet, I highly recommend that, as well as its sibling site, Apartment Therapy.

This recipe serves 3 to 4, or makes 8 tacos; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes and can be found online by clicking here.

2 cups cooked black beans

1/2 cup minced red onion

2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

Pinch of salt

4 to 6 ounces (1 heaping cup) grated Pepper Jack cheese

2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

8 corn tortillas

Toppings

Avocado

Hot sauce

Salsa

Sour cream

In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, cumin, and paprika. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all the ingredients together. Grate the cheese and have it ready as well.

In a large, nonstick or cast-iron skillet, add the 2 tablespoons oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese. Try not to overfill the tacos, or you might have issues flipping them without losing filling.

Using a spatula, carefully fold the other half of the tortilla over to form a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape. If some cheese spills out, don’t worry — it will get crispy and delicious.

As the first taco cooks, move it to the side and begin a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you can cook two or three tacos at once. A griddle will hold even more.

Cook each taco until they are nicely browned and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out. If your pan is very dry between batches, add another drizzle of oil.

Place the cooked tacos in a warm oven while you finish the rest. If the tacos are very greasy, blot them with a paper towel before moving them to the oven.

Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream.

Recipe Notes:

Corn tortillas are resilient to heat. Don’t worry about burning them; they are very sturdy. Just be sure to cook tortillas on each side long enough to get them really crispy.

POTATO TACOS

Potato Tacos? Sure, why not? This comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, "These tasty tacos are spicy! Feel free to reduce the amount of chipotle if you prefer milder flavor." Serves 2.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. vegetable oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 small red bell pepper, diced

1 small clove garlic, minced

1/2 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 medium potato, baked and diced

1 to 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

2 whole wheat tortillas, warmed

Instructions:

In large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring often, until almost tender, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add chipotle, cumin and oregano and stir 30 seconds. Add potato, toss well to coat and heat through. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro and remove from heat. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Divide potato mixture among tortillas and serve hot, garnished with condiments as desired.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 226; Protein: 6 g; Total Fat: 3 g; Saturated Fat: 0 g; Carbohydrates: 51 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 181 mg; Fiber: 6 g; Sugar: 0 g

STIR-FRY VEGETABLE TACOS

This one also comes from Vegetarian Times, and begins, "Spice up these tacos with sliced pickled ginger, crushed wasabi peas, and sriracha chile sauce, for garnish." Yield: Serves 4.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients:

3 Tbs. peanut oil

2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced (6 oz.)

1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed

1 cup frozen shelled edamame

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

3 Tbs. white miso

2 Tbs. orange juice

2 tsp. rice vinegar

2 cups broccoli slaw

4 6-inch corn or flour tortillas, warmed

2 Tbs. sliced green onions

Instructions:

Heat oil in nonstick skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms, sugar snap peas, edamame, and cayenne pepper; cook 7 to 9 minutes, or until vegetables start to turn golden, stirring occasionally. Transfer to bowl, and cool 10 minutes in refrigerator.

Meanwhile, whisk together miso, orange juice, and rice vinegar in small bowl. Drizzle over mushroom mixture. Stir in broccoli slaw. Fill tortillas with vegetable mixture, and garnish with green onions.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 272; Protein: 8 g; Total Fat: 13 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 35 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 386 mg; Fiber: 7 g; Sugar: 10 g

LIME CILANTRO PORTOBELLO TACOS

I first found this at Nosh On.It, along with several other vegetarian taco recipes (you can check out all nine here). This one is from Sarah Yates Mora, who has a cool blog called A House in the Hills, where she posted this recipe.

Sarah started off this recipe by writing, “I don’t want to come across all braggy braggerson, but i made those tortillas. with my BARE HANDS! ok, my bare hands and a tortilla press.” She continued on by writing that “making tortillas is mind blowingly simple. like, really really really simple. i had NO IDEA.” (I love her enthusiasm!)

Anywho, the link to this recipe on her blog is https://ahouseinthehills.com/2013/7/10/lime-cilantro-portobello-tacos/. I seriously suggest checking it out!

Ingredients

2 large portobello mushrooms

3/4 cup shredded purple cabbage

1 avocado

1 bunch cilantro

1 jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced and de-seeded (unless you want some extra kick in which case leave the seeds be!)

1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 cup masa

grapeseed oil

Directions

Rinse and thoroughly clean two large portobello mushrooms.

Prepare mushroom marinade by combining olive oil, fresh squeezed lime juice, 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro and 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.

You’ll want to marinate the mushrooms for as long as possible, preferably 8 or more hours. I started mine in the early evening and made them for an early lunch the next day. To marinate, place mushrooms and marinade in a large plastic ziplock, give them a few shakes and refrigerate.

When mushrooms are marinated you’ll grill them (I used a grill pan) over medium heat until cooked through (a couple of minutes on each side)

To make tortillas:

Combine 3/4 cup masa with 1/2 cup of hot water and knead with hands. Add more water if needed, or add more masa if mixture seems too wet. You’re looking to achieve the consistency of brand new play-doh. You’ll know you’re spot on when you’re able to pull a full tortilla out of the press. I played around for a bit to get it just right, but it only took fussing with the mixture a little bit at a time to get there!

Lightly coat a cast iron pan in grapeseed oil and heat on medium low.

Cover the top and bottom of the tortilla press* with large ziplock bags or saran wrap. Roll a ball of masa dough about 1 1/2″ big in the palm of your hands in place in the center of the press.

Gently use the top press to flatten the tortilla, then peel away and add to the pan.

Cook for 30 seconds or so on each side.

Continue with the rest of the dough (this amount of masa makes roughly 7 tortillas) until all are dough is used. Keep cooked tortillas warm by wrapping in a damp tea towel and placing in a dutch oven over LOW heat.

* if you do not have a tortilla press, use your hand or a rolling pin to flatten tortillas!

To make tacos:

Assemble tacos by laying tortillas with slices of the grilled portobellos, slices of avocado, cilantro, cabbage and jalapeno. Squeeze with lime juice. Serve hot and enjoy!