Plants on the Menu
Crispy Avocado Tacos
I love a vegan taco with a clever and saucy mushroom/bean/lentil/tofu/tempeh filling. If the taco has an avocado-based topping though—either simply sliced, made into a crema, or some kind of guacamole, that’s always my favorite part. For this main dish, I coat the wedges of ripe avocado in crushed-up, seasoned rice crackers for a very satisfying crunch. The finish of my Creamy Garlic Dressing is the perfect complement.
Ingredients
Creamy Garlic Dressing
- ¼ cup raw cashew butter
- ¼ cup filtered water
- 2 cloves garlic, finely grated with a Microplane grater
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Avocado Tacos
- 2 cups rice crackers
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 large ripe, but firm, avocados
- 16 small (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 2 to 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 batch Creamy Garlic Dressing
- Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
- Lime wedges, for serving
Print Recipe
- Make the Creamy Garlic Dressing: In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the cashew butter and water. Stir with a spoon or small spatula until the cashew butter is broken up and slightly incorporated. Press the chunks of cashew butter up against the sides of the jar to get it as integrated as possible.
- Add the garlic, lime juice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Tightly secure the lid, and shake the jar vigorously until the dressing has a smooth and creamy consistency.
- Make the tacos: Place the rice crackers in the bowl of a food processor. Blitz the crackers on high until they take on the texture of breadcrumbs. Pour the cracker crumbs out into a pie dish or other plate with a lip. Mix the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into the cracker crumbs.
- Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and extract the pits. Cut the halves into quarters. Then, cut those quarters in half as well. You should have 16 wedges total. Carefully remove the peel from each avocado wedge.
- Place the avocado wedges in the dish with the cracker crumbs, and carefully turn them over to coat with crumbs on all sides. Lightly press the crumbs into the avocado to make them stick. Once you have all wedges coated, transfer them to a clean plate.
- For each taco, take one warm corn tortilla and lay an avocado wedge down the middle. Pack a small amount of cabbage next to the avocado wedge. Scatter some red onion slices, cilantro leaves, and radish slices on top. Finish the taco with a drizzle of Creamy Garlic Dressing, some dabs of hot sauce if you like, and lime wedges. Enjoy immediately.
Reprinted from The First Mess Cookbook by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2017, Laura Wright.
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Posted in March 2018, Recipe on Jan 04, 2018