Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Taco Salad

Here's a vegan taco salad recipe that is not necessarily great for you, but is loads better than its meatgrease-laden alter ego. You know, the 2,000 calorie taco salad described in that Budweiser commercial years ago. This one is probably 1,500 calories. Just kidding, it's probably not that bad! However, it is chockfull of protein, and because it's made with tempeh you need not fear the presence of any suspicious, processed faux ground beef. It has minimal cholesterol and saturated fat. Actually, has a good amount of veggies too. 

You can substitute romaine lettuce for the spinach if you like, but for heaven's sakes please don't use iceberg. Nutritious=not iceberg lettuce. Also, it would be pretty delicious with pinto beans rather than black beans as well! 

Taco Salad

makes 4 servings

For the Tempeh Mixture

2 packages tempeh (1 lb or 16 ounces), finely diced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce)
4 tablespoons canola oil
3 teaspoons red chile powder
1 teaspoon cumin
3/4 cup light colored beer 
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn

Put tempeh in a microwave-safe container, cover with water, and microwave for about 10 minutes, until water has boiled for a few minutes. Drain, and return tempeh to container. Add garlic, lime juice, shoyu, 2 tablespoons oil, red chile, and cumin. Mix to combine. Pour beer over mixture and stir. Marinate for an hour.

Heat remaining oil in a large pan. Add marinated tempeh and saute until browned, mashing with spatula to achieve a texture similar to ground beef. Add beans and heat through. Add corn and saute until all ingredients are warmed.


For the Guacamole

2 avocados, peeled
2 teaspoons granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 1/2 lime
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Mash all ingredients together.

For the Relish

2 large tomatoes, diced
1 red onion, diced
1/2 cup jarred sliced jalapenos, drained
3 diced scallions
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

For the Sour "Cream"

1 cup cashews
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon lime juice
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Soak the cashews in water overnight or boil and cool. Place in blender with the rest of ingredients and blend until smooth.

To serve

1 bag of corn chips 
1 cup cheddar Daiya
6 cups spinach
1 8 oz jar salsa 

Place desired amount of chips on individual plates. Sprinkle with Daiya and place in oven. Heat oven to 200ºF. Turn oven off, conserve energy! You just want chips warmed and cheese melted.

Once the tempeh-bean-corn mixture is ready, remove plates from oven. Place 1 1/2 cups spinach on each plate and distribute the tempeh mixture evenly on top of the spinach. Top each with relish, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa. 

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