Cauliflower Tacos

These delicious vegetarian cauliflower tacos are so good that they leave me craving more whenever I make them.  They’re pretty healthy, too, and extremely flavourful while not being terribly spicy, despite the chiles and jalapeno.  

I’m not a vegetarian, but I’m not a huge meat-eater and though I occasionally enjoy meat it’s not a thing I like to cook at home very often.  And I’m trying to find recipes that are a bit healthier while still being the kind of thing that I look forward to eating. If you’re the kind of person who finds cauliflower repulsive, you still might find yourself enjoying this – the cauliflower is really just a kind-of neutral base for the delicious sauce.

The filling keeps well, and can be frozen for lunches – I use the microwave at work to heat the filling, and the toaster oven to heat up the tortillas.  You could also ditch the tortillas altogether, and have these as a saucy Mexican-inspired side dish. 

Cauliflower Tacos

Servings: 2-3

Time to prepare: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• ½ of a sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded + diced
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped + more for serving
• tortillas, warmed
• 4 ounces feta, crumbled (optional)
• avocado (optional)
• lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. In a high-powered blender or food processor combine the garlic, chili powder, paprika, chipotle chilies, pineapple juice, vinegar and 1 cup of the pineapple chunks. Blend until completely smooth. Set the pineapple sauce aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the cauliflower and onions, season with salt + pepper. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender and the onions have caramelized.
3. Reduce the heat to low stir in the pineapple sauce, the remaining cup of pineapple chunks and the jalapeno. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced and coats the cauliflower, there will still be sauce left in the pan, this is good. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
4. Divide the cauliflower among the warmed tortillas, drizzling each taco with the remaining sauce left in the pan.
5. Top each taco with fresh cilantro, lime juice and cheese. 

Nutritional Info for the filling without feta, tortilla or avocado: