LAYERED FIESTA TACO BOWLS WITH VEGAN “BACON” BITS

gringalicious (78)in #vegan • 8 years ago

I’ve got a question to ask, am I the only one who had never even heard of bacon without meat until recently?

Well if not, it’s totally a thing guys! Facon exists!!! At first I was averse to the whole idea and completely on team You can’t even go there! thinking it was just wrong to make I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-bacon. That is, of course, until I tried the stuff. Omg peeps, it’s insane!

I know I’ve told you guys a few times how I personally feel about bacon so I won’t repeat myself again. Suffice it to say that my mind considers it more of a nostalgic smelling air-freshener with the power to draw people (especially the dudes) into the kitchen from miles away than something I want to eat. But that’s just me, almost everyone else I know seems to adore eating it in, on, and with everything so maybe I’m just a weirdo. No surprise there.

Okay, but for anyone who can’t eat bacon for various reasons even if they do want to, this is a life-changing thing. And here’s the part where I tell you what it actually is…….it’s fresh coconut shreds. Before you scoff in disbelief you just have to try it. I even got my coconut-hating brothers to taste it and they had no clue what it was but they loved it. Chase has been excited to add it to all those quesadillas he makes himself that I was telling you about last week.

Speaking of things I’ve mentioned recently about my real life (I actually do have one of those, you know?), my brother-in-law Josh’s fam are coming for a visit for the first time and we’re all so excited to have them. It’s getting down to crunch time and I’ve got so many things I wanted to already have done by now, but you know how that goes. In trying to narrow down all my food inspirations that I want to make while they’re here, I’ve realized there won’t be enough time to make everything so I’m going to have to really choose the best of the best. There’s definitely gotta be a pizza night and taco tuesday has to happen, but other than that it’s going to be tough to pick. I’m going to have to take polls from the gang or something.

So about these bowls, I know bacon may not be the most typical thing to add to your tacos, or in this case taco bowls, but I was surprised by how much it works. A few bites of these bowls will have you totally sold and forgetting the fact that they’re meatless. Plus, they’re loaded with good-for-you things like beans and veggies, but it’s all super easy to throw together so don’t worry. I quickly sautéed some bell peppers with garlic and lime for our tacos last week and they add such a huge flavor statement that I knew I had to repeat it for these bowls because everyone was flipping over them.

Me and bowl food are having a moment right now. In case you haven’t noticed, bowls of every kind have been getting more and more popular across the food blogosphere and it’s easy to get why. Who doesn’t love a colorful and personalized pile of goodness in one dish? I think you need to add these bowls to your list of things to make this season, are you guys in or what? Bowl food for the win!!!

Layered Fiesta Taco Bowls with Vegan “Bacon” Bits

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients"Bacon Bits":

2/3 cup (fresh) shredded coconut
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Rice:

4 cups steamed brown rice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt

Lime Grilled Peppers:

3 limes (juice and zest)
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 large or two small each: red, green, and yellow bell peppers, seeded and diced
salt and pepper to taste

Black Beans/Corn:

2 cups black beans
2 cups whole kernal corn off the cob
salt and pepper to taste

Optional Toppings

about 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 cup your favorite salsa, (homemade is the best)
avocado slices or guacamole
tortilla chips
coconut cream mixed with 1 teaspoon lime juice for "sour cream"
extra limes for squeezing over top

Instructions"Bacon Bits":

Toast the coconut with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until edges are starting to turn golden brown. Reduce heat to low and add remaining ingredients for the "bacon" and stir for another few minutes until the liquid has mostly evaporated. Remove from heat and pour into a seperate dish so you can use the pan again.

Rice:

Combine onion, garlic, and olive oil in the same large skillet from the "bacon" and saute over medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until soft and browned. Stir in remaining ingredients, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is hot. Cover to keep warm until serving.

Lime Grilled Peppers:

While the rice simmers, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet and add lime juice, zest, garlic, onions, and peppers. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until peppers are softened. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour them into a separate dish and cover to keep warm.

The Rest:

Add black beans and corn to the pepper pan and stir over heat for about 3 minutes to warm then season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
Layer your bowls with desired amounts of the hot rice, black beans/corn, peppers, "bacon", and any of your desired toppings!

Notes"Bacon Bits" adapted from Cookie and Kate -Coconut Bacon