Maw and Paw SlaterHere’s the thing about my husband Tony – he shuns recipes, thereby totally freaking me out in the kitchen. I like formulas, recipes and guidelines when I cook – what can I say, my parents sent me to Catholic school. Tony, on the other hand, spent much of his youth skipping school so he could skateboard and cause trouble. He throws things into a pan with no rhyme or reason and it actually makes me nervously clench my butt cheeks just to think about cooking that way.

Despite his total disregard for rules and directions, though, everything Tony makes is always really good. But hey – that’s why we work. He makes great tacos and I have fabulously toned butt cheeks. (Not really.) Speaking of tacos, I posted an Instagram photo of the Brussels sprout tacos Tony made for dinner last night and immediately I got tweets and Facebook messages asking me for the recipe. Tony doesn’t “do” recipes, as you now know, but here’s my best attempt at documenting what we ate last night. Stay tuned after the recipe for some more taco ideas from the Slater kitchen.

“What should I put in tacos?” is actually a really common question I get from newbie vegetarians and vegans. Sure, you could stuff them with fake meat, tofu or tempeh, we do that too sometimes – but more often, we make tacos out of cheap, readily available fresh produce. Seriously, take whatever veggies and beans you like, and stuff them in a taco! It’s kind of the Bowl of Stuff approach to tacos. Here are a few combos we love:

  • BBQ jackfruit with roasted sweet potatoes, garlic, rosemary & red pepper flakes
  • Lentils, shiitake mushrooms and mixed greens with garlic, cumin and coriander
  • Black beans and olives
  • Cauliflower with chilies and garlic

Any combination of root veggies roasted with garlic make a fabulous taco as well. Pile ingredients onto a corn tortilla and top them with avocado (who needs sour cream?) We also like to add slivered almonds for crunch, and for fanciness. Oh, and here’s a shameless plug of my Less Talk, More Tacos shirts. What’s your killer veggie taco combo?

Tony’s Anarchist Tacos Recipe

vegan tacos

By BakeandDestroy Published: February 13, 2013

  • Yield: 6-8 tacos (2-3 Servings)
  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 10 mins
  • Ready In: 15 mins

We made things simple by using a bag of shaved Brussels sprouts from Trader Joe's a can of their organic black beans and a package of Trader Joe's taco seasoning mix.

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet or frying pan, heat olive oil over a medium flame and cook Brussels sprouts with taco seasoning. Cook 3-5 minutes, until sprouts soften and start to brown in spots. Remove from heat when cooked.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the black beans in a small saucepan. Cook for about 5 minutes, until heated through. Then use a fork or potato masher to mash them. Leave some lumps for texture.
  3. Warm the tortillas in another skillet or in the oven just until they are soft and flexible. Keep them wrapped in a clean kitchen towel until ready to serve.
  4. In a small bowl, mash the avocado together with the lime juice. This will keep it from browning, and will also add a nice tangy flavor.
  5. Top each warm tortilla with mashed black beans, Brussels sprouts and avocado mixture. Sprinkle with slivered almonds and enjoy!

    WordPress Recipe Plugin by ReciPress