Cauliflower Tacos
Cauliflower tacos are a riot of colour, texture and flavour. These are mini wraps jam-packed with roasted cauliflower, a lentil stew, shredded purple cabbage and fresh coriander leaves - all drizzled with a creamy tangy sauce. They will become your new (and a bit different) mid-week go-to.
Servings: 4 people (16 tacos)
Ingredients
Lentils
- 425 g canned lentils (no salt) (1 can. The drained weight will be about 200g)
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 200 ml vegetable stock (note)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
Cauliflower
- 1 large cauliflower about 1kg
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Sauce
- 90 g mayonnaise
- ½ Tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
- 3 Tablespoons lime juice
- Pinch salt
Accompaniments
- 75 g purple cabbage
- big handful coriander leaves thinner stems fine too (about 20g)
- 16 soft tacos
- lime cheeks
Instructions
- Preheat Oven – to 180°C
- Prepare Lentil Mix - empty lentils into a sieve over the sink. Rinse with cold running water until the water runs clear. Tip the lentils into a small saucepan. Add tomato paste, stock, cumin and chilli. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat so that it simmers (lid off) while you get everything else ready.425 g canned lentils (no salt)2 Tablespoons tomato paste200 ml vegetable stock (note)½ teaspoon ground cumin¼ teaspoon chilli powder
- Prep Cauliflower - separate cauliflower into little florets. You can cut the stems into similarly sized chunks. Put cauliflower in a large bowl and toss with oil & salt.1 large cauliflower3 Tablespoons olive oil¼ teaspoon salt
- Roast Cauliflower - spread the cauliflower out on a couple of (unlined) baking sheets. Roast for about 30 minutes, until crispy with charred edges. Rotate and swap positions of the sheets to keep colouring even. Get everything else ready for when they come out of the oven. The cauliflower will shrink quite a lot as it roasts. Combine onto one sheet to bring to the table (warning everyone that it’s hot!).
- Prepare Sauce – whisk up the mayo, paprika, lime juice and salt in a small bowl (or shake up in a screw-top jar). Set aside.90 g mayonnaise½ Tablespoon smoked sweet paprika3 Tablespoons lime juicePinch salt
- Cabbage & Coriander – finely shred the cabbage, using a knife or mandoline. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Put the coriander in a separate bowl, picking out any tough coriander stems (you can leave the finer ones).75 g purple cabbagebig handful coriander leaves
- Warm Tacos – place wraps one by one in a hot dry frying pan for 10-20 seconds each side to warm through and soften. They don’t need to colour. Transfer immediately to a clean tea towel wrapped in foil. This method keeps them warm, is nice for passing round and sharing and keeps the wraps moist so they don’t crack.16 soft tacos
- To Serve - put out the bowl of sauce, shredded cabbage, lentils, coriander leaves. Bring the cauliflower to the table on the baking sheet. Have the warmed tacos ready and some lime cheeks for a spritz of freshly squeezed lime over the top. Give everyone a plate and let them go!lime cheeks
Notes
This can be vegetable or chicken. Half a standard stock cube will be about right. If you’ve got some of my Vegetable Stock Paste in the fridge, you’ll need half a tablespoon in 200ml water. The water doesn't need to be hot. The stock paste can be added straight to the saucepan without stirring through the water first.