Health-ified Cheeseburger Tacos
Ingredients
- 6-8 taco shells, hard or soft
- 1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
- 1 cup pickles
- 2 cups meatless beef crumbles, frozen
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Cheese Sauce*
- 1 tablespoon vegan buttery spread
- 3/4 cup non dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (sub gluten free all-purpose flour)
- 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
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Heat a small pot over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon non dairy butter. When it is melted add 3/4 cup non dairy milk.
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Add in nutritional yeast, all purpose flour, and spices, whisking all the while. Once the cheese is a thick yellow consistency, take off the heat and set aside.
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In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil over medium-low heat. Add in diced onions and sauté for 5-7 minutes.
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Once the onions are slightly translucent, add in peppers, meatless beef crumbles, and spices. Sauté for another 3-4 minutes.
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Finally, pour in the cheese sauce to your pan. (You may need to stir it before you pour, it is likely to have hardened on top a bit.)
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Assemble each taco with shredded romaine, "cheeseburger" mixture, and top with pickles. EAT UP.
Recipe Notes
*Adapted from Oh She Glows
Since Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, I thought to myself, “What is the most culturally inappropriate way to celebrate?” KIDDING. However, throwing American food into a taco shell doesn’t exactly celebrate the culture of Mexico. BUT – it is really freaking delicious. So I went with it anyway. And I figured we could really eat them any day of the year, not just May 5th. I mean we can kinda do anything we want, this is America after all. haha. See what I did there? Okay I’m done. Let’s taco!
The first question to ask ourselves when making a cheeseburger taco is…Is it going to taste good? Well I’m here to verify that this combo is better than good. In fact, it is delicious. It’s like a spiced up cheese burger inside of a taco shell, and I’m not sure that life gets any better than that. I know that pickles inside of a taco may freak you out. But the pickles are a MUST. And absolute MUST.
The second question to ask yourself is, “How in the heck is this healthy?” Well, I’m glad you asked. Basically I’ve replaced actual beef with the meatless kind you buy in the hippie freezer section. Then I’ve turned real cheese into a vegan cheese sauce. ‘Cause it’s just as good and, like, way better for you. Oh and this version has way more veggies hidden inside of it than a regular cheeseburger has on top of it!
So essentially cheeseburgers are now a health food. Tacos will never be the same. And I know what I’ll be eating on Cinco de Mayo. Fiesta! Fiesta! Siesta! K. Love you byeeee.
