Seitan tacos are a great vegetarian option. They make for a blank canvas and take on any flavor profile.
One of my favorite vegetarian restaurants in NYC is Candle 79. I've never been to a vegetarian restaurant where so many of the dishes are so good that it's hard to choose one.
However, I do know that one menu item is always a must order; the seitan chimichurri appetizers! They are served as charred pieces of seitan on skewers along side a citrus herb sauce for dipping. These citrus herb seitan tacos were kind of inspired by a craving for these skewers.
What is Seitan?
In case you are not familiar with seitan, let me give you the scoop. Seitan, pronounced say-tan, is wheat gluten, the protein found in wheat. It's chewy and is often used as a meat substitute or to make mock meats.
Because it's high in protein, I often use it to make my vegetable stir fry recipes into a heartier meal. It's very versatile because it can be prepared in different flavors and firmness.
If you’re up for it, you can make your own seitan at home and customize it. If you’re like me and find that the process takes too long, you can just buy it packaged and already cooked. I've seen it sold as strips, cubes, and even crumbles.
Why I Love These Vegetarian Tacos
Our usual vegetarian tacos consist of vegetarian refried beans, lettuce, tomato, onion and cheese. A tofu base taco meat substitute such as sofritas works for vegetarians but seitan tacos are also great alternative!
They give a nice chewy texture to your vegetarian tacos. I usually have seitan stocked in the refrigerator. It comes in handy when I want tacos but forgot to soak the beans!
I was really craving those chimichurris, so I decided to make a citrus dressing in place of using taco sauce. It not only reminds me of my favorite restaurant’s yummy appetizers but the citrus herb dressing gives them a distinctly different flavor from our usual taco. I love that it is sweet, sour and spicy all at once!
How to Serve Your Tacos
If you are looking for a different vegetarian taco, give these a try. Serve them in your favorite soft flour tortillas, corn tortillas, crunchy shells or even as a salad.
Mix it up by pairing it with a non-tomato based salsa such as a my easy mango salsa.
For vegan tacos, skip the shredded cheese and dressing and replace it with a quick 5 minute vegan queso.
I first shared this seitan tacos recipe on Food Fanatic, so be sure to visit it there along with my other recipes.
Seitan Tacos
If you are looking for a different vegetarian taco, give these seitan tacos a try. Serve them in your favorite soft flour tortillas, corn tortillas, crunchy shells or even as a salad.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Seitan Strips, 1 package
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 jalapeños Jalapeños, deseeded and minced
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder
- ½ cup Onion, chopped
- ½ cup Orange Juice
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
- ¼ cup Olive Oil
- 3 tablespoons Fresh Parsley, chopped
- 4 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 3 tablespoons Sour Cream
- 3 tablespoons Canola Oil
- 1 large Tomato, diced
- 2 cups Baby Spinach, chopped
- ½ cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 8 Flour Tortillas, corn tortillas, or corn taco shells
Instructions
- Drain the seitan strips and toss them with the garlic, jalapenos, cumin, chili powder, and onions in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, parsley, cilantro and honey in a blender and mix until combined. Whisk in the sour cream. Set aside.
- In a medium skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the seitan mixture and cook until the seitan has browned and the onions are soft.
- Assemble the tacos with the seitan mixture, tomatoes, spinach and cheese.
- Spoon the citrus dressing over the tacos. Alternatively, because it is very liquid, you can also coat the cooked seitan mixture with the desired amount of dressing before taco assembly.
Notes
- I used a thyme flavored honey which added to the herby flavor of the dressing.
- Make sure the jalapeno is actually spicy. This dish is better with a little kick!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 812Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 614mgCarbohydrates: 88gFiber: 7gSugar: 16gProtein: 30g
This nutrition information is only an approximate provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. Information comes from Nutritionix, an automated nutrition calculator.
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