Vegan Tacos with Pico De Gallo & Sour Cream

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Vegan Tacos with Pico De Gallo & Sour Cream

The vegan tacos were demonstrated by MIH Chef Mauro Strumendo and Raha Eskfari at Vegan Life Live. The flavoursome taco filling is made with tofu, walnuts and maple syrup and topped with pico de gallo and plant-based sour cream.  

Ingredients

Vegan Taco ‘Meat’:

• 200g Walnuts
• 450g Extra Firm Tofu 
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• ½ teaspoon Cumin
• ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Dark Soy Sauce or sub tamari for gluten-free
• 1 Tablespoon Maple Syrup
• 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

Vegan Sour Cream

• 150g Raw Cashews 
• 80ml Water
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice Freshly Squeezed
• 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
• ½ tsp Sea Salt

Pico De Gallo

• 4 Large Tomatoes Chopped
• 16g Cilantro Chopped
• ½ Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
• ½ teaspoon Crushed Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice Freshly Squeezed
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil Extra Virgin
• Sea Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Tortilla

• 260g all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 160ml very warm water
• 5 tablespoons light flavored oil, melted shortening, melted lard or melted butter

 

Method

Vegan Taco 'Meat':

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Add walnuts to the food processor and process into crumbles. Mash the tofu with a fork. Add the crushed walnuts and crumbled tofu to a dish.
3. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, nutritional yeast, olive oil, soy sauce, maple syrup and tomato paste to a measuring jug and whisk into a thick sauce.
4. Mix the sauce in with the tofu and walnut crumbles and mix in until everything is coated in the sauce.
5. Transfer to a parchment lined baking tray and spread out evenly across the tray.
6. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, bring it out at the 15 minute mark and give it a stir and then put it back in.
7. Serve in tacos with shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole and vegan sour cream.
8. Serve in tacos with shredded lettuce, salsa, guacamole and some vegan sour cream for a seriously delicious dinner!

Vegan Sour Cream:

1. Add raw cashews, water, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast and sea
2. salt to the blender jug.
3. Blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Use wherever a sour cream is needed!

Pico De Gallo:

1. Add chopped tomatoes, cilantro and onion to a mixing bowl. Add crushed garlic, fresh lime juice and olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and ground black pepper.
2. Toss everything together until well mixed. Taste test and add extra salt and pepper if needed.
3. Serve as a side with all your favorite Mexican dishes or as a dip for some corn chips.

Tortilla:

1. Add the salt to the warm water and stir together until the salt dissolves.
2. In a large bowl, use a fork to combine the flour with the oil (or other fat) until it looks crumbly. 
3. Pour in almost all of the salty water and stir until a shaggy dough forms. If the mixture seems dry, add a bit more of the water.
4. When the dough comes together, transfer to a floured work surface and knead until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Cover with a clean dishcloth and leave for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours. Resting the dough makes rolling it out easier.
6. Divide the dough into ten equally sized blobs and shape them into small disks. Use a rolling pin to roll each small disk into 8-inch rounds. The thinner, the better. If you get 9-inch tortillas, don’t worry! 
7. Stack the rolled tortillas with a piece of parchment paper between them. Alternatively, you can roll and cook the tortillas at the same time. Roll one tortilla out, then roll the next tortilla out while it cooks.
8. Heat a wide, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the first tortilla. Within 20 to 30 seconds, you should start to see it puffing up with bubbles.
9. When the bottom of the tortilla has some brown spots, flip it and cook until the second side is browned in places and the tortilla looks dry around the edges. Each tortilla will take 1 to 2 minutes to cook. 
10. If this is taking a long time, increase the heat. If the pan smokes or browns the tortillas too quickly, turn the heat down.
11. Transfer the cooked tortilla to a dishcloth.