I am not a taco snob. What do I mean by that? If you or your family like those crisp shells from a box sold at the grocery store, I am not one to criticize. Go for it! That’s what some members of my family prefers. Now I wouldn’t order tacos that way in a restaurant. But at home, they are perfectly fine and save me a lot of trouble when I’m trying valiantly to get dinner on the table. I myself prefer a soft whole wheat or gluten free tortilla that I can roll into a big fat burrito; the bigger the better. I want to have to eat it with a knife and fork.
Tacos are great because you can put out the fixings on the counter and let everyone customize it to their own taste. That way of putting dinner on the table is also ideal if you have a mix of vegans, vegetarians, and meat lovers to feed. A taco bar is a lot of fun, you can let you imagination run wild (or not if it’s one of those days). All you need is a wrap of some kind, filling, salsa, cheese (vegan cheese is not bad), and some sliced cabbage or lettuce. Anything else is icing on the taco so to speak. But do try the pickled onions, their sharpness is very welcome against the smooth and creamy black beans.
This version of a vegetarian filling came from the blog Smitten Kitchen. I have increased the amount of seasonings, otherwise I followed the recipe fairly closely. It features one of my favorite vegetables, cauliflower. And it’s prepared in my favorite way, roasted until brown and charred in spots. It really is the most amazing vegetable and it’s good for you as well.
Roasted Cauliflower with Black Beans
You add the drained black beans to the sheet pan when the cauliflower first comes from the oven, warming them and further flavoring the beans in the seasoning in the pan.
The pickled red onions are definitely addictive. I keep a jar of these in my fridge. They are wonderful on a grilled cheese sandwich (any kind of sandwich for that matter), quesadilla, salad or taco. You can pickle them for 30 minutes to several days, they get better and better.
Pickled red onion
Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos
Pickled onions:
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (rice vinegar results in a milder pickle)
- 1-1/2 tablespoons cold water
- 1/4 teaspoon of granulated sugar
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
Cauliflower and black beans:
- 3 tablespoons of olive or other neutral oil
- 1 large head of cauliflower, trimmed, broken and chopped small (they need to fit into the taco)
- Red pepper flakes
- 2 heaping teaspoons of ground cumin
- Kosher salt
- 1 lime, halved
- 1 15-ox can of black beans, drained and rinsed
- tortillas
- 1/2 to 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- crumbled or shredded cheese
- optional – salsa, hot sauce, chopped cilantro, pickled jalapeños, sour cream, thinly sliced cabbage or lettuce, sliced radishes, etc.
Method:
- Make the pickled onions by combining the vinegar, water, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl. Add the onion and toss to coat. Set aside or refrigerate until you are ready to eat.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Line a sheet pan with baking or parchment paper.
- Put the cauliflower in a large bowl, toss to coat with the oil, cumin, salt, and red pepper to taste.
- Spread on the sheet pan and roast for a total of 25-30 minutes, turning them midway through.
- Remove from the oven and squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lime over the cauliflower. Add the black beans to the warm sheet pan. Taste and add more lime juice if you want.
- Heat whatever vehicle you want for eating, top with the cauliflower and beans, add avocado, pickles onions and whatever else your taste desires.
Roasted Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos
For us it was slim pickings that night, no avocado, no cabbage (I did have a lonely head of romaine), and no cheese. But the cauliflower and black bean filling was delicious and easy. We still counted this a wonderful dinner which was worth repeating.
And the leftover cauliflower and black beans were delicious tossed into a salad the next night, this time with crumbled tortilla chips, shredded cheese, avocado, pickled onions and cherry tomatoes. I would consider making a batch just for the leftovers.
