Hey vegan friends, Idriss here, it’s been a while but I’m back with another delicious summer-friendly vegan recipe. This one is sure to delight you and your friends, it’s spicy, it’s sweet, these are my favorite vegan tacos.
Vegan Meaty Filling:
I have said this before, and I will say it again, I love tofu. I’m a meat eater who is unapologetic about his love for Tofu.
It’s so versatile and in my mind, it’s the best vegan protein out there. However, when you are shopping for Tofu, please make sure that you only get organic & GMO free.
The reason is pretty simple, soybeans are notoriously known for being heavily sprayed with pesticides. Furthermore, genetically modified soybeans are bred to withstand unholy amounts of pesticides.
That my friend, is No Bueno.
You don’t want that in your body especially when organic Tofu is only a few cents more expensive than regular tofu.
That’s about all I have to say about tofu.
In order to make the meaty filling for these tacos, I relied on 4 things to build up both flavor and texture.
- Tofu: for protein and texture.
- Walnuts: they pair-up nicely with tofu. Walnuts have a nice crispiness and natural sourness which goes nicely with the smooth crumbly tofu.
- Leeks: used to build up flavor. I sautéed them in olive oil and let them caramelize a little in order to release the natural sweetness leeks contain.
- A blend of spices that consists of: garam Masala, smoked paprika, cayenne and black pepper.
As far as toppings go, all you need to remember, that a good taco needs a crispy element (lettuce & fresh tomatoes in our case), a creamy element (avocado in this case) and a sauce to top it (I used sweet and spicy vegan mayo).
That’s it.
Let’s jump to the recipe
Sweet & Spicy Vegan Tacos
Ingredients
Taco filling
- 1 454g extra firm tofu pack drained and patted dry
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 large leek
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika you can use regular paprika too
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
Toppings & Tortillas
- 16 small corn tortillas
- 2 romain lettuce heads roughly chopped
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 6-8 avocados
Sweet & Spicy Mayo
- 4 tbsp vegan mayo refer to recipe notes
- 2 tsp sriracha
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp chilli paste
Instructions
Taco filling
- Heat a non stick pan on medium heat and add your olive oil. Finely chop your leek and add to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until it gets a little translucent.
- Place your tofu, walnuts, salt and spices your food process and blend until you get a crumbly texture. Add to your pan and cook again for another 4-5 minutes and remove from heat. Set aside.
Sweet & Spicy Mayo
- Add your mayo, maple syrup, Sriracha and chilli paste in a bowl and mix. Taste, if you find it a little too sweet, add a little more Sriracha. If you find it a little too spice, add 1 tsp of mayo to bring the heat down.
Assemble
- Lightly warm up your tortillas, scoop 2 tbsp of filling, a small handful of lettuce, 1 tbsp of cherry tomatoes, 3 avocado slices and 1-2 tsp of mayo.Serve with a cold beer and enjoy!
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