BBQ "Walking Tacos" Recipe

Plus Bonus Blanco Sauce!

It's the best Sunday Funday meal you'll ever make.

Wait, wait, wait. What exactly are Walking Tacos?

Also known as Frito Pie, Frito Salad, and Taco-in-a-Bag, this creation is the most portable, mess-free addition to any camping trip, cookout, or BBQ. Pluuuuus, they're ridiculously good! I haven't met a person yet who doesn't like 'em!

So of course, like most recipes I create, it seemed like a fun opportunity to give this classic a new twist: Barbecue! And except for the Fritos themselves, this recipe is just as healthy as it is tasty. As an extra little bonus, it's also gluten-free and vegan friendly.

Let me level with you.

I kinda have a special attachment to this recipe. Few people know this about me, but I was a Girl Scout for over 13 years. In that time, there were thousands of boxes of cookies sold each year (yes, thousands), tons of camping trips, service projects, crafts, and many embarrassing songs sung...loudly.

Shout out to my mom for being an amazing troop leader for over 10 years and pretty much blowing every other G.S. troop's agenda out of the water. Love you, Mom!

Speaking of embarrassing...Check out Mini Brittany holding the troop flag at a Veteran's Day parade. lol

Not surprisingly, one of my favorite parts of Girl Scouts was all the cooking. Whether that meant campfire hot dogs, messy pancakes, dutch oven cobbler, fire-roasted foil packet dinners, mess kit popcorn, or Walking Tacos, I was all over it!! So much yum.

But back to the recipe. I can't say the original meaty and cheesy version wasn't super delicious, but I dare you not to love this BBQ-ey, smokey, flavorful recipe. It can barely be considered meatless with 15g of protein per serving.

So plan a camping trip, rally the gang for a cook-out, or picnic in your living room. You're going to love this!

Betcha can't eat just one! ;)

Recipe

Prep time: 5-8 minutes; (overnight to soak cashews)
Cook time: 18-20 minutes
Total time: about 20 minutes

Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1 Frito bag + toppings + blanco sauce
Calories: 585

Ingredients (Frito Salad)
1 c. cooked quinoa "meat" (1/2 c. dry quinoa; see quinoa seasoning below)
1/2 c. BBQ sauce + 1 Tbs. smoked paprika + 1 tsp. sweet and smoky rub
4 bags single serving Fritos
1 cans black beans
1 can sweet corn
1 pint grape tomatoes (cut in half)
2 c. spinach (cut into ribbons)
2-3 avocados (cut into cubes)

Ingredients (Blanco Sauce)
1/4 c. cashews (soaked overnight)
1.5 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1.5 Tbs. original almond milk
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions

1. Soak cashews overnight in a closed container with 3 cups water. Make sure to leave extra room, as the cashews expand slightly. (If you aren't able to soak overnight, soak for 4+ hrs in hot water to speed up the process.)
2. Cook quinoa with paprika and sweet and smoky rub. (If you don't have a sweet and smoky rub or something similar, it's okay to omit.)
   
3. When finished, add BBQ sauce and lightly incorporate. Too much mixing will result in mushy quinoa, so be careful!
4. Rinse and drain black beans and corn. Cut and prepare tomatoes, spinach, and avocado. Set aside in individual bowls for self-serving. (If you'd like your black beans heated, warm on the stove at medium-low, or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.)
   
5. Blend cashews and all other blanco sauce ingredients until smooth. If you want the sauce thinner, add more almond milk 1 Tbs. at a time until desired texture is achieved.
   
6. Set up Frito bags, quinoa "meat," black beans, corn, tomatoes, spinach, avocados, and blanco sauce assembly line style for self-serving. Perfect for camping, picnics, and outdoor events, or just a fun dinner at home!
7. If you want to make the traditional dish-less Walking Tacos, add all the ingredients to the single serve chip bag (see picture below). Otherwise, feel free to pile the ingredients into a bowl or on a plate.

I hope you truly enjoy this delightful little recipe. I always have SO much fun making it (and later devouring way too much). If you have a fun memory with a recipe like this, I'd loooove to hear it!!

Follow me on Steemit for more tasty gluten-free and vegan recipes. Even if you're not into those eating habits, I think you'll still be pleasantly surprised. :)

If you're so inclined, there are more recipes available at my blog, www.sharingeverybite.com.

All the best,
Britt