vegan taco recipe

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victory dance

I learned very early on (thankfully) that living a vegan life didn't have to mean going without my favorite foods. Sometimes creating a replacement recipe takes time, considerable experimentation, and unending patience, but in the end I always emerge victorious. I loved tacos, like really loved, and this vegan version turned out to be incredibly easy once I started using mung beans as the base. Top it with some chili sauce, a healthy dollop of cashew cheese, some fresh avocado slices, and my taste buds aren't missing a thing!

I do have a new wrap recipe that I'll share next (even after 15 years, I'm still adding recipes to my stash!), but I usually just enjoy eating a bowl of this spicy vegan taco recipe topped with cold slices of avocado. Eating it this way gets me two-thirds of the way to my cup-and-a-half of beans per day, which is always fabulous. If you're new to veganism or simply considering it, I'd suggest checking out Dr. Greger's daily dozen; upping my bean intake made an enormous difference in my energy levels and overall health. Originally, a cup-and-a-half of beans per day sounded unreasonable, but it actually ends up being pretty easy—especially when tacos are involved ;)

vegan taco recipe

Taco ingredients

• 2 cups organic mung beans (soaked overnight)

• 1 organic onion (diced)

• 2 organic tomatoes (diced)

• 3 teaspoons organic chili powder

• 3 teaspoons organic ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Prepare your mungs beans by soaking them overnight. Make sure you add more water than is needed to just cover them because they will expand as they absorb.

2. Rinse and drain the mung beans and add them to a large soup pot along with 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer.

3. Once simmering, add in the diced vegetables and spices.

4. Simmer, uncovered, for 60 minutes or until the water is mostly absorbed.

Chili Sauce Ingredients

• 1¾ cup water

• 1 small jar organic tomato paste (7 ounce)

• 2 tablespoons organic coconut flour

• 2 teaspoons organic chili powder

• 1 teaspoon organic ground cumin

• ¼ teaspoon organic ground cayenne pepper

• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Add all of the chili ingredients to a small saucepan; whisk until well-combined.

2. Gently bring the mixture to a low bubble, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened to the consistency that you prefer.

3. This freezes beautifully, so any leftovers can be tossed into the freezer for the next taco day!

Vegan cashew cheese (served over chickpea parm which I'll share at a later date!)

Cashew Cheese Ingredients

• ½ cup organic raw cashews (soaked for at least 1 hour, preferably longer)

• 1½ cups water

• 2 teaspoons organic lemon juice

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

  
  

• ½ cup water

• 1 tablespoon organic potato starch

Directions

1. Soak the cashews for at least one hour; rinse and drain. Add the cashews, 1½ cups water, lemon juice, and sea salt to the blender. Blend on high until completely smooth. Pour the contents of the blender into a small saucepan and, over medium heat, warm the mixture until it begins to bubble.

2. While the cashew mix is warming, add the remaining ½ cup water and the potato starch to a small bowl and stir until fully dissolved. Once the cashew mix is bubbling, pour in the potato starch and whisk until desired thickness (this usually takes only seconds if your cashew mix is nice and hot, and make sure to see the cheese note below). Remove from heat and serve.

   
   

cheese notes

Stir the potato starch immediately (and thoroughly) before adding to the saucepan, otherwise you’ll end up with gelatin–like lumps in your cheese!

And that's it for today, folks! Hope your day is a happy one :)

Much love,

Melinda