Vegan Miners Tacos

Miners Tacos

Tacos Mineros

Region: Everywhere | Heat Level: 2 | Makes 12 Tacos

The Filling

Beans:

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh epazote, optional but recommended
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups cooked pinto beans
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (I use mesquite smoked salt)
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Potatoes:

• 2 Yukon gold or other waxy potatoes, chopped into bite-size pieces

Seitan or Portobellos:

• 2 large plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 güero or jalapeño chile, diced
• 2 cups shredded seitan or 4 portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

The Tortillas

• 12 (4 to 5-inch) corn tortillas

The Toppings

• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• vegan sour cream, drizzled over each taco

Preparation

1. Make the Beans: In a saucepan, combine the epazote (if using), onion, beans, water, salt, maple syrup, and liquid smoke. Bring to a low simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Once it is done simmering, smash the beans into a rough paste.
2. Make the Potatoes: Steam the chopped potatoes for 10 minutes or boil them for 7 to 8 minutes.
3. Make the Seitan or Portobellos: If using seitan, heat the oil in a skillet over a medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the shredded seitan, garlic, and bay leaves and continue sautéing until the seitan browns, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato, chile güero, salt, and oregano, and cook until the tomato softens. Turn off the heat. If using portobellos, heat the oil in a skillet over a high heat. Add the portobellos and sauté until they are reduced to about one-third their original size and are well browned. Reduce the heat to medium high. Add the onion and bay leaves and sauté this until the onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato, chile güeros, salt, and oregano, and cook until the tomato softens, about 2 minutes longer. Turn off the heat.
4. Assembling the tacos: Add the beans and potatoes to the pan with the seitan or portobellos and stir a few times to combine Fill each tortilla generously with the filling and fold the tortillas. Place the filled tortillas in a basket, lining each layer with parchment paper, until you are ready to serve. I usually let these sit for about 30 minutes (they are so moist, they do not need to sit that long). Alternatively, place the filled tortillas in slow cooker set on low or a large tightly-covered terra cotta baking dish.

Note: When you serve these tacos, garnish them with vegan sour cream and shredded lettuce. Alternatively, you can roll them closed, forming a cylinder and fry them over a medium high heat.

Time Saving Tip: When I make these, I have three pans going at the same time. One for the beans, one for the seitan/portobellos, and one for the potatoes. Everything comes together at the same time that way.

Make It Simple: If you don’t want to have three separate pans going at once, you can make this a one-pot meal and be done with it in about 25 minutes and a minimal amount of work. Dice both halves of the onion used in the recipe and brown them in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Prep the remaining ingredients for all steps of the recipe. Add all the ingredients for the beans, potatoes, and seitan/portobellos to the saucepan at once. Basically, you are going to have one big pot which contains all the ingredients for each of the three filling sections. Bring this to a simmer and simmer it until most of the liquid has cooked out. It should take about 15 minutes. Fill the tortillas, fold them, garnish them, and serve. Simple and fast.

From Vegan Tacos by Jason Wyrick. ©2014 Jason Wyrick. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press.