Low-Fat Vegan Taco Meat (Made with Whole Foods)

Low-Fat Vegan Taco Meat (Made with Whole Foods)

from veggiesdontbite.com
30 min
6 servings

This low-fat vegan taco meat is like no other you've seen before! It's made of whole foods, but with a texture that is spot on to the traditional taco!

Ingredients

  • ½ cup dried chickpeas (soaked overnight (measure before soaking))
  • ¼ cup short grain brown rice ((see note))
  • ½ cup chopped red onion
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt ((see note))
  • 5 tablespoons taco seasoning ((store bought or homemade))
  • ¼ cup veggie broth (, low sodium if needed (you can also use water if you don't have broth))
  • 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs (, gluten free if needed)
  • 12 crispy taco shells or soft taco sized tortillas ((you can also make your own crispy shells))
  • Cheese Sauce
  • Guacamole
  • Fresh Mexican Salsa
  • Vegan Sour Cream
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Chopped tomatoes
  • Chopped red onion
  • Mild nacho pickled jalapeño slices
  • Fresh jalapeño slices

Directions

  1. 1

    Put the rice in a medium sized pot and fill it with water, make sure you have plenty of water so that when you add the chickpeas it will cover them.

  2. 2

    Partially cover and bring to a boil (about 7-8 minutes, depending on stove top).

  3. 3

    Turn the heat down to medium and cook partially covered an additional 10 minutes (should be about 17-18 minutes total rice cooking time). The texture of the rice should be just beginning to get chewy, not hard but not fully cooked.

  4. 4

    Add the soaked chickpeas and cook an additional 8 minutes.

  5. 5

    Drain and rinse and immediately put the mixture in a food processor. Make sure you have drained it well so there isn’t any residual water in the food processor.

  6. 6

    Add the taco seasoning into the food processor and pulse once or twice to combine. Adding the taco seasoning in right away when the mixture is hot, allows the flavors to meld together well.

  7. 7

    While the rice and beans are boiling, you can cook the onion in a separate pan, or you can wait until they are done cooking and use the same pot to cook the onion in.

  8. 8

    Saute the chopped onion with salt and veggie broth over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes, until it is soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.

  9. 9

    Transfer onion mixture into the food processor.

  10. 10

    Pulse until you get a nice crumble. Add breadcrumbs and pulse 2-3 more times to incorporate.

  11. 11

    Put into a bowl, give it a good mix and allow it to settle in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This helps the flavors and texture fully develop. If you are eating it that day, you can also let it settle on the countertop so that you don’t have to reheat it.

  12. 12

    Fill hard tortilla shells with a little bit of the taco meat, top with 1-2 tablespoons of cheese sauce, if using. Then cover with more taco meat. This helps the cheese sauce stay away from the taco shell so the shell does not become soggy when baking.

  13. 13

    Bake tacos according to package directions, make your own crispy taco shells or use soft corn tortillas.