Vegan Tacos w Crema and Tajín Cucumber

About

This full Keto vegan meal is great for both meal prepping or enjoying a nice dinner with others. These vegan tacos are made with a lettuce leaf shell filled with grilled bell pepper, onions, and thick-cut slices of grilled portobello mushrooms. The mushrooms are seasoned with a taco-inspired seasoning blend and charred on the outside for a smokey, flavorful vegan taco. No taco is complete without a sour cream topping! You’ll be making a Keto cashew crema, which you can make a large batch of and keep for other vegan Keto recipes. Serve as a side dish is a simple cucumber salad marinated with lime juice and Mexican Tajín seasoning. If you are making multiple servings to portion for meal prep, keep the finished cashew crema, taco filling, and lettuce leaves separate until you’re ready to assemble your meal for eating. You can keep the finished recipe stored in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.

What Is Tajin?

Tajín is the name of a Mexican spice company, but it’s also the name of the brand’s iconic seasoning blend. Tajín is a simple blend of chili powder, salt, and lime, and it can “go on everything.” A popular way of using Tajín is to sprinkle it over vegetables or fruit. Because of the unique salivating combination in Tajín, the seasoning brings out the flavors of anything you put it on. If you don’t live in Mexico, you will most likely find Tajín seasoning in an international aisle at your grocery store.

Other Vegan Taco Toppings

If you have carbohydrates to spare in your day, you can include other Keto taco toppings in your meal. Although your vegan tacos use lettuce taco shells, shredded iceberg lettuce with chopped tomatoes makes a very Keto-friendly vegan topping. You may include slices of avocado or vegan-brand shredded cheese of your choice. Make one of Carb Manager’s Keto guacamole recipes for a delicious vegan topping as well!

Ingredients

3 oz cucumber, raw, with peel
1 teaspoon lime juice, fresh
¾ teaspoon classico seasoning with lime
¾ oz cashews, raw
1 tablespoon unsweetened coconutmilk yogurt alternative
½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 dash salt
1 ½ tablespoon water
½ oz onion, white, yellow or red, raw
1 oz red pepper
½ teaspoon olive or extra virgin olive oil
2 oz portabella mushrooms, raw
½ teaspoon olive or extra virgin olive oil
1 dash salt
1 dash black pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin, ground
⅛ teaspoon paprika
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon oregano, dried
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
1 oz romaine lettuce

Instructions

Make the Tajín cucumber salad first so it can marinate. Quarter the cucumber into thin slices about ¼-inch thick. Toss the cucumbers in a small mixing bowl with lime juice and Tajín seasoning. At your discretion, you can add more lime juice or Tajín to your taste. Set the bowl aside in your refrigerator to marinate for the remainder of the recipe, or complete this step 1 hour in advance of making the tacos for more flavor.
Now, make the cashew crema. For this step, you may wish to double or quadruple the ingredients used to make the cashew crema for an easier process when you blend them in a food processor. Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil. Add raw cashews to the boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes. This should be long enough to soften the cashews. When the cashews are soft, drain the water and transfer the cashews to a food processor or powerful blender.
In the food processor or blender, pulse the cashews with coconut yogurt, lemon juice, and salt. Scrape down the walls of the food processor, and blend in the water starting with just 1 tablespoon at a time. You may not need all the water listed to make the crema. Continue adding water and pulsing until you have a loose crema that you can drizzle over the tacos later. At this point, you may choose to add more salt to taste. If you want a more sour taste (like sour cream), you may add white vinegar at your discretion. Set the cashew crema aside for later.
Next, thin slice the red onion and red bell pepper. Heat the olive oil in a pan over very high heat. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the onions and peppers to the pan. Let the veggies char on one side before gently tossing them as they continue to cook. Once the onions and peppers have gained golden brown edges and softened, set them aside for the end of the recipe.
Next, slice large portobello caps into ½-inch thick slices. You should have about 2 slices per taco. In a mixing bowl, toss the mushroom slices with the second amount of olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, and cayenne. When the mushroom slices are seasoned, heat either the same pan from Step 4 or a new pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, place the mushroom slices in the pan.
Let the slices of portobello mushroom cook until charred in the pan. You want the spices charred on both sides. Watch for the mushrooms to reach smoking, release some excess moisture, and shrink slightly before flipping them to finish the cooking process. When you flip the mushroom slices, you can reduce the heat to finish cooking.
When the mushrooms are done, you can assemble your tacos. Cut away the lighter leaves and hard core from a head of lettuce. Select 1 leaf per taco, choosing the outer, larger, darker leaves to serve as your taco shells. To make a taco, arrange two slices of portobello mushroom with a fair portion of the cooked onions and peppers in a lettuce leaf. Drizzle some cashew crema over the taco with a fork or spoon. Repeat the assembly process until all the tacos are made. Per serving, serve 2 tacos with about 2 ½ ounces crema and 3 ounces of Tajín cucumber salad.