Contrary to what my Instagram or Facebook may be indicating lately, I am by no means a vegetarian. For starters, I have a degree in meat science that I use in my day job at a production facility that makes deli meats.
But, when the weather starts to heat up and the Iowa humidity starts to get crazy, I crave all the veggies. My craving for tacos on the other hand, knows no season.
Enter: Cauliflower Taco Filling. It’s hearty enough to keep you full through an afternoon of swimming or an evening by the campfire, but it’s not so heavy that it slows you down.
You can sub it in pretty much anywhere you’d use regular taco meat. It’s good in a tortilla, a lettuce wrap, a burrito bowl, on a smear of plain Greek yogurt, or straight out of the pan.
I cheated a little and used a one pound bag of cauliflower crumbles, but you could buy a head and chop it up or give it a couple pulses in the food processor. You don’t want these to be too small. About the same size as crumbled ground beef.
I also buy the pre-chopped garlic in the little baby food jars in the produce section, so I always have fresh garlic ready to go. I love to cook, but I all about getting dinner on the table quickly, so I can spend more time playing with my sweet girl.
The only thing I had to do was dice up half an onion, throw everything in a pan, warm up a can of black beans and some tortillas and dinner was on the table in under 20 minutes.
It also makes really good leftovers, so you can make a double batch and have dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. Yay for less time in the kitchen and more time summering it up!
Cauliflower Taco Filling
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of your favorite sautéing oil (I just used olive oil)
1 lb cauliflower crumbles
1/2 a medium onion – diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Salt and pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper)
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Cilantro
Heat oil over medium high heat in a large skillet. Sauté cauliflower and onion until they start to get soft. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper and continue sautéing until the cauliflower is tender and everything has started to brown. Remove from heat, top with lime juice and cilantro.
Serve over prepared rice with guacamole and black beans, in a tortilla with sour cream and your favorite hot sauce, or in a lettuce wrap with Greek yogurt and a side of broccoli slaw tossed in Ranch dressing with cilantro and lime.
