Looking for new plant-based dinner ideas? This one, from America’s Test Kitchen’s new “Complete Plant Based Cookbook: 500 Inspired, Flexible Recipes for Eating Well Without Meat” (America’s Test Kitchen, $35), will satisfy vegetarians and carnivores alike.
The cauliflower florets, which stand in for the often-bland white fish typically used in Baja-style tacos, are lightly battered in coconut milk and panko bread crumbs, then roasted and placed in warm tortillas with fresh mango, cilantro sauce and pickled radishes. There’s enough flavor and crunch that you just might forget the white fish version.
Baja-Style Cauliflower Tacos
Serves 4 to 6
Taco ingredients
3 cups coleslaw mix
½ mango, peeled and cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 tablespoons lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño
Salt and pepper
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup coconut milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ head cauliflower (1 pound), cut into 1-inch florets
8 to 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
Cilantro sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
For the tacos, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine the coleslaw mix, mango, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño and ¼ teaspoon salt in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Spray a rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Combine coconut and panko in a shallow dish. Whisk the coconut milk, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt together in a bowl. Add cauliflower florets to coconut milk mixture and toss to coat well. Working with 1 floret at a time, remove from coconut milk, letting excess drip back into bowl, then coat well with coconut-panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere; transfer to prepared sheet.
Bake until florets are tender, golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes, flipping florets and rotating sheet halfway through baking.
Meanwhile, combine the cilantro sauce ingredients in a bowl; set aside until ready to serve.
Divide slaw evenly among warm tortillas and top with florets. Drizzle with cilantro sauce and serve with lime wedges.
— From “The Complete Plant Based Cookbook” (America’s Test Kitchen, $35)
