Taco Recipe

This is a vegan taco recipe developed to resemble the ground meat tacos I grew up eating in Western Canada, with a few flavour twists for the toppings.

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils & 2 cups broth or 400 ml can brown lentils, drained

1 medium cauliflower
2 packs of mushrooms (about 24-30)
2 cups whole walnuts
4 T of taco seasoning
1 red onion, diced
1 T garlic, minced
Coconut oil, as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Rinse and cook the lentils in the broth for 12-15 minutes on a low simmer till tender. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside. Alternatively, you can use a can of drained brown lentils, and set aside.
2. Pulse walnuts in a food processor until the mixture is evenly “ground” and set aside.
3. Shred mushroom into the same food processor. Set aside.
4. Saute diced onion in oil over high heat till softened and translucent. Add garlic & taco seasoning. Add walnuts and mushrooms to sautéing onions.
5. Shred cauliflower in food processor and add to sautéing mixture, adding more oil or a couple tablespoons of water if it’s too dry or starts to stick. Sauté over medium high heat till it reaches a slightly mushy uncooked ground “meat” texture. If it sticks to the pot, add a little more water and scrape browned bits into the mixture. Taste and add more taco seasoning if desired.
6. Transfer to a silicone mat on a baking sheet (with a lip) and spread out evenly. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, flip mixture halfway through to brown evenly. Add an extra 5-10 minutes if not browned.
7. Let cool completely, then break up into a container. Mix in cooked lentils.
8. Reheat to serve in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, salad and rice bowls, etc…
9. My favourite taco combo is a soft tortilla heated on a dry cast iron pan, smeared with some sour cream or chipotle aioli, grated monterey jack jalapeno or crumbled feta cheese (use vegan alternatives to make dairy free), taco filling, avocado or guacamole, pico de gallo, and red cabbage slaw.

Optional Toppings:

Red Cabbage Slaw: shred half a red cabbage, toss with the juice of 1 lime and a bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped.

Corn Salsa: toss some corn kernels in a pan and saute until roasted-looking. Mix with black beans, marinated jalapeño pieces, salt, lime juice, and cilantro.

Pico de Gallo: toss chopped tomatoes with chopped red onion, salt, lime juice, and cilantro.

Guacamole: toss mashed avocados with chopped red onion, salt, lime juice, and cilantro.