STEEMIT CULINARY CHALLENGE #16 : "The Abominable Veggie Taco" - Original Recipe

For this week's tech-savvy judge @klye, I decided that despite his preference for meaty tacos he is probably in desperate need of some wholesome vegetable nutrition (yep, I saw the instant-noodle review... tut tut).  Without a good balance of essential nutrients even the most tech-savvy could end up as slow and unintelligible as Windows ;-)  So today I have prepared some extremely tasty and highly nutritious tacos using einkorn flour, and filled with fresh tangy guacamole, crunchy spicy lentils & hemp seeds, and sweet-chilli kidney beans.  Both lentils and red kidney beans are wonderful for keeping the old brain functioning, as not only do they contain vitamins critical for cognitive function, they also improve blood flow and thus oxygen flow to all vital organs.  And if that's not enough plant matter for you there's also some homemade coleslaw to accompany it.

The resulting flavours are sensational, no kidding, and even the most dedicated meat lover would surely relent!  Not only flavours but textures too.  With every bite you get the cool, smooth, tangy, garlicy/limey guacamole... the spicy, crunchy lentils with a slightly powdery coating from the spices, and brittle crunch of nutty hemp seeds... the soft, sweet, tomatoey, plummy and actually 'meaty' kidney beans that leave your throat tingling with chilli-warmth... all encased in a full-flavoured ever-so-slightly crunchy einkorn flour taco.  I wouldn't say these would give you fire-ass as you say, but there's definitely some tongue burning going on, which is the limit of my liking for spiciness!  Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, as I did :-)

What you will need:

For the tacos: (makes 4 large)

250g wholemeal einkorn flour

50ml coconut oil (melted)

1/4 tsp salt

150ml hot water

For the guacamole:

1 ripe avocado

1/2 lime

1/2 red onion

4 cloves garlic

6 slices courgette

1/4 green pepper

4 cherry tomatoes

1 tsp coriander leaf

Pinch salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

For the spicy lentils and sweet-chilli kidney beans:

100g red lentils

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

Handful hemp seeds

1 carton/tin red kidney beans

5 cherry tomatoes

1 plum

2 tsp tomato puree

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp chilli flakes

1/2 tsp honey

2 tblsp water

For the coleslaw:

1/4 savoy cabbage

1/4 red cabbage

1 large red onion

2 large carrots

6 tblsp homemade mayonnaise (see my previous post for recipe as I already had some made)

Method:

In a large bowl mix together the flour, melted coconut oil, salt and water.  Knead into a smooth dough.

Divide the dough into 4, and roll into balls.

You can roll them out on a floured surface, but I find it easier to press them between sheets of baking parchment for ease of handling.  Put each ball between two sheets of parchment and roll out using a rolling pin to about 6" in diameter.

Carefully place in a very lightly greased pan, and fry on moderate heat for a minute or two, then flip over using a spatula and fry on the other side.  Set aside. (If I'm not using them straight away I usually put a sheet of parchment between each cooked taco to prevent them from sticking together or moisture forming between the warm layers).

Next I prepare the guacamole.  It's best eaten after it's had a while to rest and the flavours have had chance to blend, so I make it then pop it in the refrigerator for about an hour prior to eating.

Cut the avocado in half and remove the seed.  Scoop out the flesh and mash in a bowl using a fork.  Dice the green pepper, courgette, red onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes and add to the bowl.  Slice the lime in half and squeeze the juice from one half into the bowl.  Mix everything together, along with a pinch of salt, black pepper and coriander leaf.  Pop into the fridge.

Next I make the coleslaw, so finely slice the savoy and red cabbage, peel and grate the carrots, and dice the red onion.  Put all into a large bowl and add the mayonnaise.  Mix well and set aside.

Put the lentils into a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring to the boil and simmer for ten minutes.  Don't over-cook or they will turn mushy (this can happen quite quickly, so keep an eye on them!)  Drain immediately once cooked.

Heat 1 tsp oil (coconut, olive or avocado) in a frying pan and add the lentils, cayenne pepper, cumin and paprika.  Fry on moderate heat for several minutes until the lentils begin to get crunchy.  Add the hemp seeds and continue to fry for a few more minutes (slightly cooking hemp seeds brings out the nutty flavour, but don't over-cook or they begin to lose nutrients).  This mixture will be quite dry and very spicy.

Next we make the sweet-chilli kidney beans mixture.  Peel the plum, remove the stone and finely dice.  Dice the tomatoes.  Put into a saucepan, along with water, tomato puree, rosemary, thyme, chilli flakes and honey.  Cook on moderate heat until the plum and tomato begin to soften.

Drain and rinse thoroughly the carton/can of red kidney beans.  Add to the plum/tomato mixture and continue to cook on low-moderate heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce is thick and the beans are piping hot.

Arrange the tacos:

First spoon in the guacamole, then a layer of spicy lentils, then the sweet chilli-kidney beans.  Serve with coleslaw on the side, and extra slices of lime to squeeze over the tacos.

As usual, much gratitude to @englishtchrivy for hosting this challenge and giving us all a good reason to get creative! 
 

Many thanks also to this week's judge @klye, and to the sponsors @smooth, @sirwinchester and @knozaki2015,  and not forgetting everyone else involved in this challenge.  Thank you all very much for giving this housewife/mama something exciting to get stuck into each week!!!
 

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