A new month, a new taco! These roasted cauliflower tinga tacos really hit the spot. Eat the rainbow with these delicious vegan tacos.
Easy and quick-to-make tacos, with extra tinga sauce on the side and some avo crema. What is there not to like? I don’t make the smoky chipotle sauce too spicy (just a little bit) so this meal stays family friendly; my kids are so proud of the fact they like ‘spicy food’ (another win for mom!).
What exactly is tinga?
The roasted cauliflower in these tacos are smothered in tinga sauce. But what is tinga sauce? Well, it is a smoky, spicy sauce that originates in Puebla – Mexico, meaning stew made up of tomatoes, onion, garlic and smoky chipotle. Did you know that chipotles date as far back as the Aztecs, who smoked peppers as a preservative measure because the jalapeño’s thick flesh would rot before completely air dried (thank you Wikipedia for the info!).
Most commonly known as chicken tinga, shredded chicken is prepared with the smoky chipotle sauce wrapped in a corn tortilla.
How I make these vegan tinga tacos?
roasting the cauliflower
I always start by roasting the cauliflower. Once the cauliflower is in the oven I can make the sauce, toast the corn tortillas and prepare the garnishing and sides.
I cut the cauliflower in very small florets and toss them with olive oil and some sea salt. When they are spread out on a baking sheet, I roast them in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
making the tinga sauce
In the meantime I make the tinga sauce. Tinga sauce is a pretty spicy sauce consisting mainly of chipotle in adobo. I like spicy food, but it shouldn’t dominate, so I usually keep it on the mild side (also for the kids). So what I do is I sub some of it with my homemade oven roasted tomato sauce. You can also just add some (canned) diced tomato to the sauce. Tomatoes add extra depth of flavor and takes some of the heat away.
To make the tinga sauce I heat up some avocado oil in a small saucepan. I add the onion and garlic to it. Once the onion is translucent I take it off the heat (if I am using my homemade tomato sauce). If you use fresh tomatoes or diced tomatoes from a can, add the tomatoes to the onion-garlic mixture for a minute or two and stir frequently. Off-heat I add the cumin, chipotle, homemade tomato sauce, salt and pepper and water and use an immersion blender to blend it into a smooth sauce.
toasting the corn tortillas
Toasting the tortillas is a must I would say. The flavor just becomes so much better and who doesn’t like a crunchy taco, right? To do so, I place a tortilla on a lit burner of my stovetop. I keep a close eye though, they turn dark very quick!
prepping the garnishing and sides
- I shred the red cabbage and cut the carrot in very thin strips (julienne) and place both in a small mixing bowl. Then I add some vinegar, salt and pepper to it. I set it aside until everything is ready to assemble the tacos;
- To make the avo crema I mix the (vegan) sour cream and avocado with a fork or in a blender for a smoother consistency;
- I cut the limes in wedges;
- I roughly chop the fresh cilantro leaves.
assemble the taco
Once the cauliflower is roasted, I take it out of the oven and transfer the florets to a mixing bowl and I smother them with the tinga sauce:
I fill a taco with the tinga cauliflower and the mildly pickled cabbage and carrots. To garnish, I drizzle some avo crema on them and sprinkle with cilantro leaves. I serve lime wedges on the side together with extra tinga sauce and avo crema.
I love the crunchiness of the roasted cauliflower florets in these tacos, keeping them totally vegan. They are great with chicken or fish though as well.
We all love tacos here. And these roasted cauliflower tinga tacos are on top of the list! I am sure you will love them too. They are
subtly spicy so totally family friendly – smoky – crunchy – so flavorful – and very delicious
In love with tacos too? Check out my grilled mahi mahi and pineapple tacos as well or this Taco Tuesday recipe that covers all the basics.
Roasted cauliflower tinga tacos
Equipment
- (immersion) blender
Ingredients
Roasting the cauliflower:
- 1 medium head cauliflower (cut into small florets)
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil (or sub avocado oil)
- sea salt
Tinga sauce:
- 1-2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- ⅛-¼ cup homemade oven roasted tomato sauce* (or sub diced tomatoes (either from can or fresh)
- ½-1 chipotle pepper (from chipotle in adobo)
- salt and pepper (to season the tinga sauce)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ cup water
Pickling the veggies:
- 2 cups red cabbage (shredded)
- 2 cups carrot (sliced into thin strips (julienne))
- 2 cups vinegar (plain white or apple cider)(to pickle the cabbage and carrot in)
- pinch of salt and pepper (to pickle the cabbage and carrot)
- 8 corn tortillas
To top the tacos with (optional):
- ¼ cup (vegan) sour cream (to make the avo crema)
- ¼ medium avocado (to make the avo crema)
- 1 bunch cilantro leaves (roughly chopped)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F/190C
- Cut the cauliflower in small florets and toss them with olive oil and some sea salt. Spread them out on a baking sheet and roast them in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- In the meantime start making the tinga sauce. Heat up a small saucepan with some avocado oil and add the onion and garlic to it. Once the onion is translucent take it off the heat (if you are using pre-made/ homemade tomato sauce). If you use fresh tomatoes or diced tomatoes from a can, add the tomatoes to the onion-garlic mixture for 1-2 minutes and stir frequently. Off-heat add the cumin, chipotle, homemade tomato sauce, salt and pepper and water and use an immersion blender to blend it into a smooth sauce. Or transfer to a regular blender and blend.
- Toast the tortillas on the stovetop by placing a tortilla on the lit burner.Keep an eye on it; they burn very quickly!
- Put cabbage and carrots in a small mixing bowl that has a lid (tupperware works as well) and add vinegar, salt and pepper to it. Secure the lid and shake to combine. Set it aside until assembling.
- To make the avo crema I mix the (vegan) sour cream and avocado with a fork or in a blender for a smoother consistency
- Prep the toppings: cut the limes in wedges and roughly chop the fresh cilantro leaves.
- You can cut up the florets of the roasted cauliflower into even smaller pieces if you prefer that. Transfer the cauliflower to a mixing bowl and add the tinga sauce. Stir to combine.
- Assemble the tacos by filling them with the tinga cauliflower and the mildly pickled cabbage and carrots. To garnish, drizzle some avo crema on them and sprinkle with cilantro leaves. Serve lime wedges on the side together with extra tinga sauce and avo crema.You can also serve this 'deconstructed'; serve everything in seperate bowls and plates and everyone can assemble their own tacos.
Notes
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