Cauliflower tacos

Taco Tuesday seems to be a popular trend, enticing people’s appetites with the ever clever trick of alliteration – who would have ever thought it would be so simple to get people to eat a certain food? Well, it’s Monday, so we must have a meatless meal; Tuesday, tacos must be on the menu!; Wednesday, of course means wine….you get the picture. We are all too easily influenced by our culture! But whilst in the midst of this persuasive power, we might as well embrace it…at least some of it!

In case you’re wondering, no, hubby and I don’t actually eat tacos every Tuesday; but, if I happen to be making tacos on a Tuesday, I’m not mad about it. Recently I discovered yet another gem from our Thug Kitchen cookbook: cauliflower tacos. The recipe calls for braising the cauliflower in beer, but, for my fellow gluten-free friends, beer is a no-can-do. This is where I get creative! I always adapt a recipe to make it my own anyway, so naturally, I make these “Mandy-friendly”. Hubby loves his fair share of beer, but even he doesn’t miss the booze in these tacos.

As I mentioned before, the recipe calls for briefly braising the cruciferous vegetable, then roasting it. Even though the braising time is a short 2-3 minutes, I omit this step altogether. Your oven is a Willy Wonka factory for vegetable candy. Any vegetable, whether it’s cauliflower, carrots, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, you name, becomes a golden masterpiece when roasted, and it’s all about texture. Roasting vegetables from their raw state keeps the skin or outer layer intact, thus creating a perfect self-basting vessel. The vegetable essentially maintains a bit of its outer crunch, while the moisture from its inner layers steams out, and any oil coated on the vegetable acts as a browning agent, encouraging the natural sugars from within to caramelize. Your end result: a slightly browned, slightly crunchy on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside jewel from the earth; in other words, deliciousness! So, that’s why I roast my cauliflower from its raw form – I don’t want to compromise the exquisite texture of a perfectly roasted white tree.

I roast the cauliflower at 400 F with a slew of spices and a tad bit of avocado oil (suitable for higher-temperature cooking due to its high smoke point). While the cauliflower is roasting, I prepare the righteous slaw that accompanies this dish. And surprisingly, I really don’t deviate much from the recipe on this one. It’s a simple slaw of cabbage, carrot, lime juice, cilantro, rice vinegar, olive oil, and salt. Preparing the slaw about 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving allows the flavors to marinate and the cabbage breaks down ever so slightly for a delicate crunch.

When the cauliflower is finished roasting, I pile it high into soft corn tortillas, and top it with fresh salsa, the homemade slaw, and sliced avocado. You can even serve all this jazz over brown rice instead of inside corn tortillas too. If that’s taco Tuesday, can Tuesday be every night?!

Here’s the recipe for my version of cauliflower tacos with cabbage-lime slaw, adapted from the original Thug Kitchen cookbook:

For the tacos:

1 large head of cauliflower

1 large lime, zest and juice

1 ½ tsp. tamari

1 small jalapeno, minced OR 1 chipotle in adobo, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. avocado oil

For the slaw:

½ head green cabbage (about ½ lb.)

1 small carrot

1 lime, zest and juice

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar (unseasoned)

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp. salt

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

For serving:

Corn tortillas

Avocado

Salsa

First prepare the cauliflower. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cut the cauliflower into small florets and toss into a large bowl. Add the lime zest and juice, tamari, jalapeno (or chipotle in adobo), garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, and avocado oil. Gently toss to combine. Spread the mixture out onto 1-2 making sheets (depending on how large the baking sheets are) being sure not to overcrowd the pan(s). Roast in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, or until the cauliflower is slightly browned, but not burnt.

While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the slaw. Using the shred attachment piece of your food processor, shred the cabbage and carrots. Place into a large bowl. Gently toss with the lime zest and juice, rice vinegar, olive oil, salt, and fresh cilantro. Set aside in the fridge to marinate until the cauliflower is finished roasting.

To serve, spoon a heaping pile of cauliflower into a soft corn tortilla, and top with a generous serving of slaw, sliced avocado, and salsa. Enjoy!