Vegan roast vegetable tacos with cilantro sauce
Hello Blog, old friend. It’s been awhile. I’ve missed you. In fact, I’ve written posts for you in my head, much in the way I frequently have imaginary conversations with friends I wish I could see and chat with more. But maybe that’s an admission too far…
Our little kitchen has been active and bustling. There have been so many experiments to share! Only, they haven’t made it here, and chances are recipes will be sporadic for awhile. I just wanted to check in to say, I’ll try to make more time for you again. And I wanted to explain.
I’ve been really, really busy. In a really good way, mostly. But at some point even the best sort of busyness becomes just overwhelming. I’ve had to pare back a bit lately, placing some of my freelance on hold and prioritizing three main ongoing jobs that are all built around the evolving days of Chef F:
One, I’m so pleased to be working with a former boss on communications work for Colorado Safe Routes to Schools. Another, I’m realizing the most constant and devoted career dream of my life by writing fiction books, inclusive of classroom and home-based critical thinking and creative enrichment activities, for an amazing children’s reading program/publisher. I am beyond thrilled to be able to continue supporting education and connect with kids through writing. And third, I’m so honored to be developing recipes and related content for an incredible company, Organic India. This sustainably-focused, socially responsible, health and wellness-based company is building its American presence from a local base; it is such a thrill to share in the developing journey of a company so aligned with my personal values. On that note, if you notice that most of my posts here are re-purposing recipes for Organic India, that’s why.
Juggling so many balls seems crazy on the outset, and it can be mentally fatiguing, but somehow it all fits. It’s (mostly) balanced. On the other hand, meal prep can sometimes resemble storm-chasing when we’re short on time. Lots of fun and thrills at the end, but more haphazardness when it’s not connected to work. We are so lucky Chef F is a Fruit-and-Veggie-saurus, because we rely on a LOT of kitchen sink salads.
I’m learning anew however, kitchen sink salads can transform in the blink of an eye. Also, I’m appreciating all over again how wisdom of the question, would a rose by any other name smell as sweet? What I mean is, specifically…and don’t tell just anyone…if I call something “pizza” but it’s really more like “salad on is tortilla”, it is more likely to fly.
Want another stand-in for “pizza” gimmicks? Tacos. Kids don’t even need to know what tacos are to enjoy the way the word just kind of rolls merrily along. It doesn’t hurt in our household how our gorgeous high school babysitter (and possibly a Chef F crush) explained something using the phrase “fold it like a taco”. I can throw so many things into tortillas, call them tacos, and get good bites out of it.
This simple roast vegetable taco recipe can be any vegetables you like. It’s the taco version of the kitchen sink salad. I’m just here to remind us, when things get busy we can still make the result feel fun. All it takes is a little bit of creative presentation and a name. Much love, and more soon.
Roast vegetable tacos with cilantro sauce
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 zucchini chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil or cooking spray
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
To serve: corn or flour tortillas, cilantro sauce (below), toppings of choice: lime wedges, salsa, beans of choice (refried, black, toasted chickpeas)
For the sauce:
1 small avocado, pitted
juice of 1 lime (or about 1/4 cup)
3/4 cup water
1 cup fresh cilantro , loosely packed
fine sea salt to taste
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Place the sweet potatoes, pepper, zucchini, onion, corn, and garlic on a roasting pan. Coat with cooking spray or olive oil; add chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and toss to coat, spreading in an even layer. Place into the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes, until the veggies are soft.
While the veggies roast, prepare the sauce: place all ingredients in a blender or food process and puree until smooth.
To serve, fill warmed taco shells with veggies, slather with sauce and add any toppings you choose.
Enjoy!