Vegetarian Tacos

Well, I do try to eat healthy and after several days of turkey leftovers and corned beef and cabbage yesterday, I wanted something lighter.

We had gotten some celery root at the farmers market last week and I had made something similar before so this is what I came up with.  I grow sunchokes in the garden, mainly because I have to.  Once you have them established they are impossible to get rid of and they come back every year.  They aren't necessary but I think they help with the texture.

Also this recipe is completely vegan friendly, however you can easily substitute ground beef, chicken or turkey for the celery root, walnuts and sunchokes for a traditional taco Tuesday.  The seasonings used are my standard Taco mix however feel free to use Ortega or your favorite seasoning mix.

Finally you can use store bought corn tortillas.  We just got a microwave Air fryer combo and I wanted to try it out.  And I had the ingredients so... you know why not?

Now, Get in the Kitchen and Cook Something!

Vegan Tacos with Tequila Lime Slaw

      1/2 c Walnuts

      2 c Celery Root, coarsley chopped

      1/2 c Sunchokes, coarsley chopped(optional)

      1 T Chili Powder

      1/2 T Cumin

      1 t Corander

      1 t Granulated Garlic

      1 t Granulated Onion

      1 t Salt

      1/2 t Pepper

      1 c Water

   To Serve

      Corn Tortillas (Store bought or recipe below)

      Lettuce, shredded

      Tomatoes, diced

      Black Olives, sliced

      Scallions, minced

      Jalapeno Peppers, sliced

      Tequila Lime Slaw (recipe below)

1. Heat a skillet on the stove and toast the walnuts over medium heat for about 5 minutes, tossing gently so they don't burn.  Remove from heat and let cool..
2. In a food processor, chop celery root in batches until it is roughly the texture of ground beef.  Put in a bowl.
3. Process walnuts the same way and add to the celery root.
4. Process the sunchokes if you have them the same way (You can substitute jicama, radishes, or water chestnuts if you want)
5. In a large skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil
6. Add celery root mixture and saute about 15 minutes over medium heat until heated through but not brown yet.
7. Add seasonings and mix well
8. Add water and bring to a boil
9. Reduce heat to a simmer and let it reduce until almost dry.   You want the consistency of Taco Meat.
10. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Tequila Lime Slaw

      1 c Tequila

      1/2 c Lime Juice

      1/2 c Vegetable Oil

      1 T Whole Grain Mustard

      1 T Honey

      1 T Sugar

      1 t Cumin

      1/2 t Granulated Garlic

      1 t Salt

      1/2 t Pepper

      6 c Cabbage, shredded

      2 c Carrots, shredded

1. Heat tequila in a small pan and reduce to about 1 tablespoon.  Becareful of flareups as the alcohol boils away.  Especially if you have a gas stove.
2. Add lime juice, oil, honey, sugar, cumin, granulated garlic, salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Pour dressing over cabbage and carrots and mix well.   I like to do this with my hands so I can really make sure it is mixed well.

(I used one orange carrot and one purple carrot that I got at the market.   You could also use red cabbage for color if you wanted.   Sometimes I like to add a little zestiness with some red bell pepper and scallions.)

Homemade Corn Tortillas

      2 c Corn Meal or Masa Haring

      1 c Warm Water

      1 t Salt

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.  If should form a very soft dough.
2. Cover and let the dough set for at least an hour, or overnight.  This will help the cornmeal hydrate and make it easier to work with.
3. Sprinkle more cornmeal on the counter and break off a one inch blob of dough and roll it out to about 1/8th of an inch thick.
4. Heat a skillet over medium heat, spray with cooking spray and grill tortillas about 3 minutes per side.
5. If you have an air fryer, I put some parchment paper in the basket, spray with cooking spray and place tortillas on it then spray them.  
6. Cook 5 minutes, then flip them and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, watching do they don't burn.