Recipes

(Recipe) Crispy Cauliflower Rice Tacos

28
May

Introduction

These Crispy Cauliflower Rice Tacos are layered with flavor – chipotle walnut taco “meat”, refried beans, crispy shells and vegan ranch!

I don’t know what else to say about these tacos other than they are freaking delicious. The “meat” is a flavor-packed combo of cauliflower rice, crushed walnuts, and seasonings. The tortillas get an extra dose of flavor by being dunked in enchilada sauce before being layered with refried beans & taco “meat” and fried until crispy. Served up with my favorite vegan jalapeño ranch. Doesn’t get better than that.

Recipe from thissavoryvegan.com

Crispy Cauliflower Rice Tacos

Prep Time:20 mins

Cook Time:50 mins

Total Time:1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

FOR THE CAULIFLOWER WALNUT TACO “MEAT”

1 cup walnuts
1/2 yellow onion roughly chopped
2 chipotle peppers in adobo or to taste
1 packet taco seasoning
3 cups cauliflower rice
2 tbsp red enchilada sauce
1 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE JALAPEÑO RANCH

1/2 cup vegan mayo
1/4 cup olive oil
1 jalapeño roughly chopped, remove ribs & seeds if you’re sensitive to heat
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 clove garlic peeled
1/4 cup parsley roughly chopped
1 tbsp dried chives
salt if needed

FOR THE TACOS

12 corn tortillas*
1 15-ounce can vegan refried beans**
red enchilada sauce
oil for frying
cilantro, lime wedges for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking sheet. Add the walnuts, onion, chipotle peppers and taco seasoning to a food processor. Pulse until combined. Transfer the walnut mixture to a large bowl with the rest of the taco “meat” ingredients and toss to combine. Spread out on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway.
Meanwhile, prepare the jalapeño ranch. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until combined. Set aside.
Heat some oil in a pan*** over medium heat. Pour some enchilada sauce in a bowl. Dip one side of a warm tortilla in the enchilada sauce and place it in the pan, sauce-side down. Spread some refried beans on one half of the tortilla and top with a spoonful of the cauliflower taco “meat”. Use the spatula to fold the tortilla over the beans/cauliflower and cook until slightly crispy on both sides.**** Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
Serve with cilantro, lime wedges and the jalapeño ranch.

Notes

*Before dipping the tortillas, heat them up. I like to wrap them in a moist paper towel and microwave them for 30-60 seconds.

**To make the beans easier to spread, I like to place them in a bowl with a splash of water and mix until smooth.

***If you are using a GOOD non-stick pan, you can use less oil. For all other pans, be sure to add an even layer of oil to the bottom of the pan to ensure they don’t stick.

****This aren’t meant to be SUPER crispy. They will stay slightly tender from the enchilada sauce. I cooked 2 tacos at a time.

The nutrition info includes all of the jalapeño ranch – you probably won’t use all of the ranch, so the numbers are slightly higher.