I’m working on building up my savings, and cooking at home is Saving Money 101. So, I’m cooking at home as much as possible.
…and I’m doing it in the comically small studio I live in. I look at Pinterest posts with 400 square foot studios and drool over how spacious they are. I’m not exaggerating. My kitchen appliances consist of a small fridge, microwave, toaster oven, Crockpot, and single induction burner. Oh, and there’s not space for them to all be out at the same time.
Ready for the Chickpea Cauliflower Taco recipe? Just keep scrolling 🙂
My Kitchen in a Nutshell
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Time to Get Creative
All this really means is that what I cook has to be pretty simple. It can actually be fun to figure out how to work within the confines of what I have. This week I made cauliflower chickpea tacos inspired by a meal a date once made me. They were easy and one of the best things I’ve made or even had in a while (and I’m not a vegetarian so that includes meat based dishes).
So, thought I’d share the sort-of recipe for them. I say sort-of recipe because I’m not that into following exact recipes and am not sure if I’ve ever made a dish the same exact way twice. Play around figure out the proportions and details that work for you!
Sort of Recipe: Chickpea Cauliflower Tacos
Ingredients
Filing
- Canned chick peas, drained and patted down
- Bite site pieces of Cauliflower
Filing Seasoning
- Cumin (key! This gives it the taco flavor)
- Garlic Power
- Salt & Peppa’
- Cayenne Pepper
- Olive Oil
Toppings
- Avocado
- Lime
- Shredded cabbage
- Salsa (optional)
Sour Cream Sauce
- Sour cream
- Filling ingredients except for salt
- Hot sauce
Shell
- Any taco shell or pita. I’ve used traditional soft taco shells as well as Trader Joe’s Middle Eastern flatbread.
Steps
(1) Preheat oven to 400 – 425. I used a toaster oven that doesn’t get quite as hot as its temperature says so I did 450. Cook for 30 – 40 minutes. Check it a few times. Ovens vary so it may take a little trial and error to figure out the best length of time. 40 minutes worked well in my toaster oven.
(2) Toss the filling with the filling seasoning. Spread on a baking pan. I covered mine with aluminum foil because I hate cleaning. Spread the filling out as much as possible and pop that pan in the oven. They won’t get as crispy if they are too close together. Since I was baking in a toaster oven, that wasn’t really an option for me.
(3) Mix sauce ingredients in whatever proportions you want. Play around until it tastes good then pop it in the fridge. Letting it sit lets the flavors blend.
(4) Prepare your toppings. I bought pre-shredded cabbage. I scored the avocado and squeezed some lime on it so I could just scoop it out when the filling was done.
(5) When filling is done, prepare your tacos put putting the stuff in the shell and enjoy.
Options
- Use a different type of shell. I like the ones I used because they are more substantial and hold filling well but you could def. go for a more traditional shell.
- Add different toppings.
- Use different style seasonings. For example, Mediterranean seasoning and top with tzatziki instead of the sour cream sauce.
- Mix up the sauce seasonings. A cilantro based sauce would work equally well.
- Use thick plain yogurt instead of sour cream. Or if you’re vegan, whatever plain vegan yogurt substitute you like.
- Use leftover sauce, shell and toppings for a different type of taco. I used chicken to make chicken tacos with the leftovers.
- Make it a bowl by swapping in rice instead of a shell and layering everything up.
Inspiration and More Vegetarian Cooking Ideas
If you’re more into exact recipes, check out the following similar recipes:
- Roasted Vegetable Tacos with Chimichurri by Minimalist Baker
- Vegan Gluten Free Chickpea Tacos by May I have that Recipe Please
- Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpea Tacos by Two Peas and Their Pod
If you’re more into books, these are good for eating more veggies without feeling like you’re eating more veggies, check out these top vegetarian cookbooks:
Happy Cooking, and feel free to comment below, or email me with your favorite vegetarian dishes.
