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PAQUITOS! Potato and Bean Taquitos – Baked not Fried! (Vegan, low-fat, gluten-free)

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I’m not proud of this,  but when I was in junior high, I ate taquitos from the cafeteria nearly every day.  I don’t even want to think about what they were filled with, but I just loved them; mostly for the crunchy corn tortilla and the green dipping sauce with which they were served.  We won’t even talk about the Hostess mini crumb donuts I ate too.  Geez.  Gotta love the offerings in school cafeterias.  Sad to say it’s no better 30 years later.  Did I just say that?  30 YEARS?  “sigh”.

Anyway, I digress…sorry.   As we all know, traditional taquitos are deep fried.  We also know deep fried foods = bad news.  I set out to create a plant-based taquito that I could bake, but would still be crunchy.  I don’t cook with oil as a rule, but for form and function, a small amount was required for this to work.  I tried it without.  Fail.  However, I was amazed how such a small amount could make a difference.  1 tablespoon of olive oil or less for the entire batch of 12 taquitos.  Not bad.  Since these taquitos are filled with potatoes, I’m calling them paquitos.  🙂

Potato Chowder

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Whenever I serve this thick and creamy potato chowder to guests (non plant-based), they can’t believe it doesn’t contain dairy or cheese.  For an even lower-fat version, leave out the cashews.  The result will still be delicious.

Tofu Scramble!

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This recipe comes from Lindsay Nixon’s cookbook Happy Everyday Herbivore.  This is the basic version; feel free to experiment by adding potatoes, spinach, peppers, anything you’d throw in with scrambled eggs.  It calls for Himalayan black salt, or Kala Namak.  You can find this product on Amazon.  I couldn’t believe when I opened the jar!  Smelled just like eggs!  So strange…and cool! Try it!

BBQ Jackfruit Tacos

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BBQ Jack WHAT?!? If you’re thinking “She’s lost her mind.  What weird vegan food is she eating NOW?” bear with me!  Jackfruit, the young/unripened variety, is popular primarily in Asian countries.  It can be found in Asian grocery stores and is sold in cans.  It has a mild flavor and poultry-like texture.  I know it sounds weird; trust me, I was skeptical too, but it’s really good this way, and a heck of a lot healthier than pulled pork!  Can be made gluten-free when using a gluten-free BBQ sauce.

I enjoyed this dish off of the Seabirds’ vegan food truck and have done my best to recreate it here.  Tasted the same to me, only theirs was spicier (I’m a spice wimp so I didn’t use hot sauce).