Taco Salad with Quick Pickled Red Onions
We eat tacos pretty regularly here in Southern California. It’s not hard to find them, and they’re usually good and pretty cheap. We ate tacos 3 times this past weekend and honestly, I’m still not sick of them.
I made this taco salad for lunch today because I wasn’t ready to end the weekend taco streak, but I was also thinking I should eat a few veggies too. The taco “meat” in this salad is super flavorful and a little spicy, but doesn’t actually have any meat. It is made with cauliflower, walnuts and hemp hearts and flavored with Trader Joe’s taco meat (I oftentimes make my own taco seasoning but I actually really like the seasoning from Trader Joe’s even better, plus it is quick!).
When I make taco salad I don’t usually add a dressing besides a dollop of sour cream and a good squeeze of lime juice because I find that the taco meat is super flavorful and when you toss it all together it all dresses itself nicely.
Have fun!
- 1 head cauliflower, finely chopped (or pulsed in a food processor) or about 4-5 cups cauliflower rice
- 1 cup raw walnut pieces, finely chopped or pulsed in food processor to the same size as caulifower
- 1/2 cup hemp hearts
- 4 Tbsp taco seasoning (I like Trader Joe's)
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 tsp white sugar
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 red onion, sliced
- chopped red and green cabbage
- grated carrot
- chopped cilantro
- diced tomato
- avocado
- sour cream
- lime wedges
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Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl combine cauliflower, walnuts, hemp hearts, taco seasoning and olive oil. Stir to combine well.
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Spread the cauliflower mixture on the baking sheet and set in the oven for 15 minutes.
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While the cauliflower is in the oven, make your pickled onions. See below.
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After the cauliflower's first 15 minutes in the oven, remove it and stir the mixture around a little and then bake another 15 minutes. You can assemble the salads now, which is really up to you and what you like in your salad but I have added some suggestions above.
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After 30 minutes in the oven the taco meat should look a little darker and the flavors should have developed enough, but if you want to pop the tray back in the oven for 10-15 more minutes go for it!
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Top the salads with the taco "meat," pickled onions, a dollop of sour cream and lime wedges to squeeze over the top. I find that this salad doesn't need much more than that for dressing since the meat is so flavorful, the onions and lime add enough acid, and the avocado will also disperse and help to add to the dressing when you cut it all up and toss it together.
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Combine the sugar, salt, vinegar and water in a medium bowl. Stir until dissolved and then add the onions. I like to keep them in their slices because I find that they take up less space this way and they're easier to get under the liquid. They should be mostly submerged under the liquid but if they aren't add a little more water and vinegar. They will soften up and probably submerge themselves after about 15 minutes. Set in the fridge until you're ready to make the salads or for about 20-30 mins. Store covered in the fridge for 5 days or so.
