Pop Up! Taco Shop! Part 2 ~ The recipes!

Alright, in all their taco-y glory, the recipes for my fillings!

Chilled avocado chick pea filling

Or, "Damn, this shit is tasty"

 

I got the original recipe for this from the Oregonian Food Day. I made it for Mexican night while my family was camping, and that was the first and only time I actually followed a recipe for it.

 

You pretty much just mash up some avocados, add some spices to your liking, a bit of fresh lime juice, and a couple cans of chick peas that you rinsed off.

 

For Pop Up! Taco Shop! I used:

9 or 10 avocados

3 cans of chickpeas

1 teaspoon of chili powder

1 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne powder

1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika (because it was on the spice shelf)

A few shakes of garlic powder

A few shakes of onion powder

The juice of one lime

1/4 teaspoon of smoked black salt

Sea salt and pepper to taste.

 

I mashed up those bad boy avocados in a huge bowl with a pastry cutter (works great, way easier than a fork!).

Tossed in all the spices I have listed, stirred it all up, and taste it. I know I added more of some of the spices, but didn't actually write it down. Just give it a try, and add what ever you think it needs more of. You're eating this, not me.

 

Once the avocado part taste good, stir in the chick peas.

 

Let it chill for a while so the flavors all mingle, then make some damn tacos.

 

See how easy this recipe is, and it taste great, and only requires one bowl!

 

Now, for the really good stuff!

 

Asian Fusion Smoked Soy curls with Mango Slaw and a Green Curry Drizzle

 

For the smoked soy curls:

I smoked up a HUGE pan of soy curls, because I needed enough to feed 15 on Saturday, and also have enough to sample out 60 mini tacos on Sunday. If you are making this at home, probably two bags of the soy curls would be plenty. I soaked them, drained them (but didn't squeeze them out) and placed them in a big aluminum pan, and smoked them for a little over an hour.

 

If you don't have a smoker, you could try a little bit of liquid smoke to add a smokey flavor

 

Or, just use plain soy curls. These tacos would still be really tasty, even not smokey!

 

For the sauce:

1 cup soy sauce
¼ cup brown sugar
3-4 green onions, diced up
1 oz fresh ginger, peeled
about 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
1 oz lemongrass (I bought lemongrass in the herb section, and it came in a plastic container. About a 5 inch chunk was 1 oz on my scale)
 3/4 of a bunch of  cilantro
¼ cup rice vinegar
  1/4 cup sesame oil
1 cup orange juice
 2 cup veg stock

 

Directions:

 

Dice up the ginger and lemongrass into little teeny tiny pieces. Coarsely chop the cilantro (it's going to wilt when it get's cooked, so you probably don't big long stems in there, but it doesn't need to be micro chopped)

Add everything together in a bowl, stir it all up until the brown sugar has dissolved.

Pour over your smoked soy curls, then cook them up in a fry pan. I used a little olive oil so they wouldn't stick, and just pan fried them until they started to get a little crispy. The extra sauce will cook down in the pan and help coat the soy curls with all that flavor.

 

Once they are all cooked, pull them off the heat, spoon some in a tortilla, top with the mango slaw, and drizzle with the green curry!

 

Green Curry Drizzle

2 cloves worth of garlic (I just used minced garlic, since it's in my fridge)
½ oz ginger, peeled
½ oz lemongrass, coarsely chopped (it's going in the food processor, so it can still be big chunks)
 2-3 chilies in adobe sauce, with a big extra blop of the sauce
~2 bunches cilantro
 1/4 cup vegan cream cheese
 1/2 cup canola oil
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons agave

Directions for Green Curry:

Mince garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and chilies and sauté for a little bit. Add to food processor with cilantro and process for a little bit.. Add the chilies and extra adobe sauce, the vegan cream cheese, the vinegar, cumin and agave, blend until mixed. While processing, slowly add canola oil until mixture is thick and smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt if needed.

Mango Cabbage Slaw :

2 bags of shredded green cabbage (or shred your own if you want to get fancy)

2-3 mangos, peeled and chopped into chunks

1 tablespoon garlic

Chopped fresh mint (About 1/8 of a cup once chopped)

Chopped fresh basil (about 1/4 cup once chopped)

3/4 a bunch of cilantro (or less, but I like cilantro)

1/3 cup agave

Salt and pepper to taste

 

You pretty much just toss everything together in a bowl, mix it all together, and let it sit in the fridge for a little bit for the flavors to all mix. Use more of less fresh herbs for your taste. I like mint and basil, so I used a lot.