Easy Vegan Tacos with Smoky Cashew Crema
User Reviews
5
Easy Vegan Tacos with Smoky Cashew Crema
Description
Easy Vegan Tacos with Smoky Cashew Crema bring together several carefully prepared components to create a filling plant-based taco. The refried beans are gently cooked with spices like oregano, chili powder, and cumin, then lightly mashed to retain some bean texture for interest. The onions are sautéed until soft, adding sweetness and depth. The smoky cashew crema, made from soaked raw cashews blended with garlic, lime juice, jalapeños, and smoked paprika, provides a creamy and slightly spicy contrast. The tortillas are warmed directly over a flame to add subtle charred flavor and pliability.
Together, the components deliver a blend of creamy, soft, and slightly chunky textures with smoky, tangy, and mildly spicy layers. These tacos can be dressed with salsa, diced avocado, guacamole, vegan cheese, or fresh cilantro, making them customizable to taste. Their plant-based ingredients and homemade preparations make these tacos a flavorful and wholesome option.
To serve, stack warmed corn tortillas with refried beans, sautéed onions, and drizzle with smoky cashew crema. Add salsa and optional toppings as desired to complement the main ingredients. The refried beans can be kept saucy or thickened by adjusting liquid in cooking, and cashew crema thickness can be modified by water quantity.
Cashews should be soaked to soften before blending; soaking times can vary depending on blender power but at least one hour yields smooth crema. If cashews aren’t available, hemp or sunflower seeds provide a viable alternative. For ease, broth or water may be substituted in bean cooking. This layered preparation requires some prep but yields a complex taco experience.
Ingredients
Taco Ingredients
- refried beans recipe below, Easy
- onion recipe below, sautéed
- cashew crema recipe below, smoky
- corn tortilla or tortillas of choice
- salsa of choice
- cilantro diced avocado or guacamole, vegan cheese, optional toppings
Easy Refried Beans Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or neutral cooking oil
- 1/2 onion diced, yellow
- 3 garlic minced, cloves
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 pinto beans or black beans; canned 15-ounce / 440g; drained and rinsed
- 2 bay leaf
- 2/3 – 1 cup (160-240 mL) vegetable broth (or water)*
- kosher salt or sea salt to taste
- black pepper freshly cracked, to taste
- 1 tablespoon lime juice fresh
- 1 cilantro optional), chopped, small handful
Sautéed Onions Ingredients
- 1 onion thinly sliced, large yellow or red
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil of choice
- kosher salt or sea salt to taste
- black pepper freshly cracked, to taste
- water
Smoky Cashew Crema Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in water overnight or in boiling water for 1 hour
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup (120-180 mL) water (depending on desired thickness)
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
- black pepper freshly cracked, to taste
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (omit if you don’t have it)
- lime juice from 1 medium juicy
- 1-2 jalapeno pepper deseeded and roughly chopped (can sub with a pinch of cayenne pepper, or omit entirely for mild version
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin ground
Instructions
Taco Directions
- Heat the tortillas. Turn on a gas stove burner and use some tongs to place one tortilla directly over the flame. Flip after 15 seconds or when small brown spots appear, and cook for another 15 seconds. Stack them in a clean kitchen towel or in foil to keep them warm.
- Assemble tacos. Top warmed tortillas with Refried Beans, Sauteed Onions, Smoky Cashew Crema, salsa of choice, and any other optional toppings.
Refried Beans Directions
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 6-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic, oregano, chili powder, and cumin and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add in the drained beans, bay leaves, and broth or water. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the beans are warmed through.
- Using an immersion blender or a potato masher, mash the beans, but leave some beans whole for texture. If the beans appear dry, add more broth or water as needed to moisten. Continue to cook the beans, stirring often, for 2-4 more minutes.
- Season the beans with salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat, and stir in the lime juice and cilantro, if using.
Sautéed Onions Directions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the oil. Once shimmering, add the onions and season generously with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a light brown fond starts form on the surface of the pan, about 4-5 minutes. Add a few spoons of water to deglaze the pan, and continue cooking until the onions are softened and browned, about 9-10 minutes total.
Smoky Cashew Crema Directions
- Drain cashews and pat dry. Add cashews to a high-powered blender or food processor along with all of the remaining ingredients. Blend on high speed until smooth, thick and creamy, scraping down the sides with a silicone spatula as you go. This will take about 2 minutes in a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, or about 4 minutes in a food processor. Taste and adjust for seasonings, adding more jalapeño, lime juice, or salt as needed.
Notes
- Soak cashews for one hour or longer in boiling water to ensure smooth crema; powerful blenders may need less soaking time.
- If allergic to cashews, substitute with hemp seeds or sunflower seeds in the crema.
- Use vegetable broth, water, or reserved bean liquid when cooking refried beans for added flavor and moisture.
- Warm tortillas over open flame briefly to add subtle char and pliability before assembling tacos.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 8Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 243 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 243kcal | 12% |
| Carbohydrates | 29g | 10% |
| Protein | 8g | 16% |
| Fat | 12g | 18% |
| Saturated Fat | 2g | 10% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Trans Fat | 1g | 50% |
| Sodium | 246mg | 10% |
| Potassium | 436mg | 9% |
| Fiber | 6g | 24% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 190IU | 4% |
| Vitamin C | 6mg | 7% |
| Calcium | 71mg | 7% |
| Iron | 3mg | 17% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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