Allow me to start by saying holy freaking shiz nugget…a term my sister often uses. This 10000% Vegan dish blew my mind. And no, I am not Vegan.
Last Thursday I celebrated my 21st birthday (yay!). And while it was fun to legally order my first glass of Pinot Noir and take part in a wine tasting at a Malibu vineyard, one of the most exciting events to occur was receiving the But I Could Never Go Vegan! cookbook by notable food blogger Kristy Turner. Her blog, Keepin’ It Kind, linked here. Having been born a food lover like me, I must say I was quite intrigued by her life decision to give up not only meat, but cheese. She gives insightful reasoning that keeps animal cruelty, the planet, and personal health in mind and revels in the fact that she’s managed to keep her meals exceptionally delicious.
Emphasis on the exceptionally, though, because these Falafel Tacos were incredible. I plan on making them every week until I am sick of them. Although, I will probably never become sick of them because they are that good. So let’s get to it! Keep in mind you can fill your tacos with whatever you’d like and even add meat or cheese if Vegan or Vegetarian ain’t yo style. Make sure it’s lean and low fat though 😉
Sriracha-Tahini Sauce INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Sriracha (any other hot sauce will suffice)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
Sriracha-Tahini Sauce INSTRUCTIONS:
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. Chill until ready to use.
Falafel Tacos INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas OR (my route) one 15 oz. can, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup medium red onion, chopped (I use Trader Joe’s pre-chopped…saves all the time and the tears)
- 2 to 3 garlic cloves (I used the minced stuff like in the sauce. 1 tsp = 1 clove)
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour (if gluten-free, use chickpea flour)
- 1 1/2 tsp dried dill
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (warning, its super spicy…you can add a less spicy seasoning or skip this ingredient if you have a low tolerance for heat)
- 1 tsp cumin
- Black pepper
- Salt
- Trader Joe’s organic stoneground yellow corn Taco Shells
Falafel Tacos INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all falafel ingredients and throw them in a food processor…or if you don’t have a food processor like me…flatten out chickpeas with a fork until they become like a paste then add them and the rest of the ingredients into a blender and select PULSE. This may take a few minutes as you’ll have to stir the ingredients around with a spoon in between pulses to make sure they are mixed and ground thoroughly. It should come out to a dough-like structure. If not, add water by the tsp until it does.
- Take a tablespoon of the dough at a time and roll them into a ball in your hand. Flatten slightly and place onto baking sheet. You should be able to make about 18-20 balls. I think I made, like, 12 or 14. Good enough.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Take out. Flip. Bake for another 10 minutes.
- Fill your taco shells with the ingredients of your choice. I used fresh spinach and chopped roma tomatoes. Stuff in the falafels and drizzle on the sauce.
Your welcome 🙂
rebijord 