Spicy Vegetable Tacos with Avocado Crema
I’ve never liked meat substitutes. I don’t really like any food that is pretending to be other food. I love tofu, and I love tempeh but I don’t think either of those are apologizing for what they are. They’re not trying to be beef or chicken. They know that they’re just funky soy blocks.
These are unapologetically vegetable tacos. They’re not fooling anyone about what they are. Full of sweet potatoes, zucchini, corn, beans and jalapenos, these tacos are veggie forward for sure.
One of the best parts of developing mainly vegetable recipes is the challenge of finding new ways to make veggies super flavorful. I’m not trying to convert any carnivores but I am hoping that they might begin to appreciate vegetables in a new way. The filling in these tacos is spicy, zesty, and full of all the typical taco seasonings you would find in a typical beef taco. The avocado crema really elevates the taco in a grown-up guacamole kind of way, and I think you’ll find yourself making a double batch to slather on these bad boys.
Have fun!
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lime, zested
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 3 small zucchinis (about 3 cups)
- 1/2 jalapeno, finely sliced
- 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- corn or flour tortillas
- to garnish: cilantro, green onions, red onions, sliced jalapenos, lime wedges
- 1 large avocado
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- juice of one lime
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or a small handful)
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a medium bowl toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, zest and spices until combined.
- Lay out sweet potatoes on a large parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 10 mins. (Set empty bowl aside and don't scrape it or clean it out).
- Turn potatoes and bake another 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toss zucchini and jalapenos in the bowl from the potatoes to pick up any remaining spices. Add a pinch of fresh ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, (add a pinch of salt but wait until the last minute before the go in the oven otherwise they'll start to get all juicy).
- Remove potatoes from the oven and give a quick turn, and move them to one side. Add zucchini to the other side of the sheet pan and bake 8 minutes.
- Remove sheet pan and add black beans and corn over the zucchini and toss together a bit. Put back in the oven for just a few minutes until the beans and corn are hot.
- Serve immediately in warm tortillas with garnishes and avocado crema.
- Add everything but the cilantro to a food processor and process until smooth, add cilantro at the end and process until finely chopped.
- You may want to double the crema depending on how many people are eating.
- The smaller the zucchini the better.
