One of my favorite coastal meals is shrimp tacos, and since LeeLee and I have been vegetarian (almost 15 years running now), I haven’t had any proxy for them, not even once. Tonight changed all that – and we’re hooked!
We called on good old Sophie’s Kitchen again tonight for all our vegan shrimp needs, and once again, we weren’t disappointed. I baked a batch of “shrimp” for about 15 minutes and tucked a little foil pan of black beans into the oven too – why use a stovetop eye when the oven would do the trick all the way around? (Near the end of the cooking process, I also tucked four flour tortillas wrapped in foil on the second oven rack to warm up.)
As everything baked, I prepared my side items! I used shredded lettuce tonight – we normally use the leafy kind instead, but tonight I wanted a coastal, light taste, and shredded lettuce did the trick. We also had quite a few cherry tomatoes on hand from this weekend’s veggie plate while watching the football game, and I washed a helping of those for garnish.
Finally, I prepared the avocado by slicing it into French-fry-style wedges, putting all the wedges in a bowl, and tossing them with a hearty dose of nutritional yeast and a pinch (or several) of chipotle seasoning.
Within just a few minutes, everything in the oven was ready, and we set to work assembling our tacos. First we spooned a small serving of black beans in the middle each tortilla, then topped it with three or four (or five) pieces of shrimp. Then we added a handful of lettuce, several tomatoes, and a generous dose of black olives, and topped everything off with some Daiya pepperjack cheese! LeeLee added original Tabasco for some flair, while I went the more sedate chipotle Tabasco route. Diff’rent strokes and all that.
The final product was so incredibly tasty. We loved the blend of flavors, from the smoky black beans to the crispy shrimp, from the crunch of the lettuce to the juicy cherry tomatoes. The olives added a salty kick, and the pepperjack gave the dish some spice (to say nothing of the Tabasco!). And the avocado fries! They were just great – the creamy avocado really soaked up the nutritional yeast and chipotle powder.
I can already tell you that this recipe will soon be a mainstay at our place!
VEGAN “SHRIMP” TACOS
Serves 2-4
What you’ll need:
1 package vegan shrimp (we used Sophie’s Kitchen)
1 can black beans
1 package taco-sized flour tortillas
1 bag shredded lettuce
1 container cherry tomatoes
1 can sliced black olives
1 package vegan cheese (we used Daiya pepperjack shreds)
Hot sauce, to taste
Cook the shrimp according to the package directions. Heat up the black beans however you see fit (on the stovetop, in the microwave, or in the oven in a foil pan). Several minutes prior to the end of the cooking time, wrap the flour tortillas in foil and add them to the oven with the shrimp – just two to three minutes will heat them through.
Just like that, it’s time to put everything together! Once the shrimp and black beans are hot and fully cooked, spoon the beans onto a tortilla, then add three to four pieces of shrimp. Next add the lettuce, tomatoes, olives, cheese, and hot sauce, as well as any other side items you like (sour cream and avocado are other favorites of ours).
Dig in – you’re ready to eat!
:)