Thank the Lord for Tacos. The range of flavors and the possibilities with these ingredients make vegan eating delectable, creative & so flavorful. The colors come easy and the techniques are many. Today we’re going to be pulling off a brilliant taco ground beef made of the healthiest stuff on earth, plants. Specifically: cauliflower, mushrooms & walnuts. We’re gonna get them so tiny and flavorful, it’ll mimic the best Mexican ground beef around. And it is.
What you need:
For the Taco Beef:
1/2 head of cauliflower
Small (8 to 10 ounce) package cremini mushrooms or mushroom of choice
2/3 of a cup walnuts
3 tablespoons soy sauce, tamari or liquid aminos
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 tablespoons water
Pinches of salt and pepper
For the pickled red onions:
Half a red onion, thinly sliced
Red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Guacamole:
2 ripe avocados
Four garlic clothes or half a teaspoon of garlic powder
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt to taste
2-3 sweet potatoes
One small package tortillas
Salsa (naturally vegan or easily homemade)
Optional: cashew sour cream (pictured in photo but we cut it out of the video in the interest of time)
1/3 c cashews (soaked in advance if not using a Vitamix),
1/2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves
6 tbl water
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
What you do:
Cook the sweet potatoes first - you can either cook them for around an hour at 450 degrees or longer at 350 degrees along with the beef.
Make the beef -
Chop the cauliflower and mushrooms and pulse in a blender (don’t over-mix!). Pulse the walnuts. Combine in a mixing bowl.
In a small bowl or measuring cup combine all of the beefy seasonings and mix into the the veggie/nut blend.
Spread into a single layer, on a parchment-lined (preferably, or well-greased) baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove & mix the beefy crumble to cook evenly throughout and then bake another 10 minutes.
For the last 5-7 minutes of your beefy crumble cooking crank the oven to 375, and set up your tortillas on oven grates (as seen in the video) to cook into slightly crisp/still somewhat soft perfection.
Remove and serve with all the glorious taco toppings you can handle.
Pickled red onions come together quick and keep getting better - combine thinly sliced red onion in a container - fill with 1/3 red wine vinegar, & cover with water. Add one teaspoon of both salt & sugar.
Guac, that’s all you!
Cashew sour cream: combine all ingredients in a high speed blender
Other garnish ideas: roasted corn, hot sauce, green onions, jalapeños..
Change it up, have fun with it, and let me know if you love this beef!
Ole!
