Plant Based Tacos or Quesadillas
Delicious plant based taco or quesadilla filling anyone will love. Yield: 32 oz. Assume 1-2 oz of taco mix per person or more.
Servings: 8 People
Calories: 495kcal
Cost: 5
Equipment
- 3 quart soup pot
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Blender
- Chef knife
- Spice grinder
- Griddle or cast iron pan (for making quesadillas)
Ingredients
Plant Based Taco Filling
- 1 lb mixed leafy greens like spinach, kale, amaranth and purslane
- 1 medium white onion diced ½ inch (4-5oz chopped onion)
- 2 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 32 oz can whole peeled tomatoes or a similar substitute
- 1.5 teaspoons fresh ground cumin seed or to taste
- 4 guajillo chilis or 3 tablespoons mild chili powder
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil or lard
- ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro basil, mint, epazote, or a mix, to taste
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
Optional Additions (Choose One)
- 6 oz russet potato peeled and diced
- 1 cup lightly toasted nuts or ground pumpkinseeds coarsely chopped
- 1 cup poblano peppers roasted, seeded and diced
Serving
- Corn tortillas or flour tortillas as needed
- Mexican cheese like cotija or queso Oaxaca for quesadillas
- Edible flowers and leaves such as nasturtiums
- Fresh herbs like cilantro leaves and flowers
- Diced avocado
- Finely chopped white onion
- Hot Sauce
- Sour cream
Instructions
Plant Based Taco Filling
- Wash the greens and remove any tough stems if using greens like kale, mustard greens or watercress.
- Blanch the greens in boiling salted water until just wilted, then refresh in cold water and squeeze dry as best you can.
- Chop the greens in a 1inch cross-hatch pattern to ensure they’re of an even length and reserve.
- Toast the dried chilis if using in a 325 F oven for 10 minutes or until aromatic and crisp. Cool, break open and discard the seeds and reserve.
- Squeeze the seeds from the tomatoes and discard. Combine the chilis and tomatoes in a blender and puree until very smooth.
Assembly
- Heat the oil in a 3 quart pot with high sides and a lid. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cumin and cook for a minute more. If you want to add potatoes to the mixture, add them now and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the greens and tomato-chili mixture along with the salt, mix, bring to a simmer, cover, and bake in a preheated 325 F oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid, stir, and bake another 20 minutes more, or until the pan is nearly dry and the greens are tender and taste good to you. Some greens take longer than others and I have baked some batches for over an hour.
- Add the herbs and mix. Taste the greens mixture and adjust the seasoning for spiciness, cumin and salt until you like the taste. If adding nuts like walnut or ground pumpkinseeds, stir them in now.
- Cool the taco mixture and refrigerate until needed. It will improve in flavor overnight and reheats like a dream.
Serving as tacos
- Serve the mixture as filing for building street tacos with your favorite garnishes.
Quesadillas
- To make plant based quesadillas, heat corn tortillas in a cast iron pan sprinkled with cheese. Put some of the plant mixture on each tortilla and fold them over with a spatula, cooking until the tortillas are lightly toasted and hot throughout.
Video
Notes
If you remember one thing it should be to add potatoes when the onion is cooking or walnuts after the mixture is done. The added texture is a great contrast to the soft plants.
Nutrition
Serving: 2oz | Calories: 495kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 61g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 149mg | Sodium: 890mg | Potassium: 2910mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 1260IU | Vitamin C: 100mg | Calcium: 346mg | Iron: 12mg