Taco Tuesday: Broccoli Tacos & Mexican Caesar Salad
IT"S BACHELOR FINALE NIGHT!!! & all I have to say is if Becca does not pick Garrett she is literally a moron. Perfect & sweet Garett vs the other dude (Blake) who I'd think was her younger brother if I didn't know any different. & I will leave all of my other side commentary about Blake aside as it is not very nice. But Garrett - just the freaking cutest!! Like every time he talks about how much he loves Becca, I get goosebumps. I love their love, so yes if she does not choose him I may loose my marbles, or just try to persuade one of my friends to move to Reno, track him down, and be his lady since I am spoken for. So yes my hubs, my in-laws & I will all be on the edge of our seat this evening - were all pretty invested in Becca's journey at this point. & truth be told my favorite part about Bachelor season is Jordan's commentary during the show. He thinks the show is so absurd, but he tolerates my obsession & responds to the ridiculousness of finding a husband after like 8 dates with very funny commentary. Next season I may even start my own Instagram account dedicated to Jordan's take on the bachelor, but while many may enjoy it it that may also put him in the position to be the most hated man in America. So we'll have to see on that.
But regardless it's finale night, and that calls for a celebration. A fiesta!! It has been seafood overload at our house - the plethora of clams & crab & shrimp at our disposal has surmounted to it becoming the forefront of our meals lately. So I'm ready to shake things up & get back on the vegetarian train for a night. Again, I am in no way a fully committed vegetarian nor am I pretending to be(cheeseburgers are my favorite food after all), but having at least 3 days during the week where I am meat-free and loaded with veggies makes my body feel so good. I feel lighter, I feel healthier, and I feel a noticeable difference in my endurance when I'm at the gym, which is the biggest plus. So yes I love sneaking in those greens anywhere I can to feel the change. It's a good feel!
So let's talk brocc. Broccoli!! One of my favorite vegetables to make into whatever I want it to be. A puree, a pizza topping, and in this case my taco filling. It's a chameleon of a vegetable! I am taking inspiration from cauliflower tots that I have previously experimented with, swapping out the cauliflower from broccoli & switching up the coating to incorporate a light and very crisp panko breading. By roasting the broccoli with this breading a couple of things happen - the broccoli gets soft & melt in your mouthy, & the breading gets very crispy. So crispy that these little bits remind me of the broccoli version of chicken nuggets - broccoli bits that you can dunk into your favorite sauce and enjoy. But in this case, I am tossing the broccoli in a beefed up BBQ sauce because nothing is better than a taco so juicy that the sauce is itching to leak out of the tortilla when you bite into it. That's the effect you get by tossing these bad boys in a yummy BBQ sauce. Again - the lower calories and less full of sugar sauce you can find, the better. You want to definitely keep the dish light by using the healthiest sauce you can find, and Trader Joe's has some good ones. The end result is Broccoli Tacos paired with a Mexican inspired Caesar Salad.
& let me tell you - I was skeptical about these sauced up broccoli nuggets. My biggest question was will the breaded brocc stay crispy? & it does! It really does! So your taco has a fun crunch that is a happy surprise that makes eating these tacos just fun. My husband and I loved having this for dinner, and this will be a recipe that stays in back pocket of go to recipes because it really was such a satisfying and very easy vegetarian meal to whip up.
For the Tacos
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
2 c. almond milk
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c. flour
2 c. panko breadcrumbs
2 heaping c. shredded cabbage or dry coleslaw mix
1 avocado
1 tbsp prepared salsa (any store bought variety is great)
2 c. your favorite BBQ sauce (a low sugar, low calorie, close to paleo option is best)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
8 of your favorite tortillas
Salt and pepper
For the Salad
1 c. nonfat greek yogurt
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1/4 c. fresh parsley, minced
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp minced garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1 head of romaine lettuce, washed and shredded
5 or 6 radishes, washed and thinly sliced (use a mandolin)
1 avocado
1 large handful sweet potato tortilla chips, crumpled
EVOO
Salt & pepper
Start by prepping the broccoli. Preheat your oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Now grab three separate medium size bowls. Mix the milk and vinegar in one bowl, flour with 1 tsp salt and pepper in the other, and the panko in the 3rd bowl. Place all of the florets onto a cutting board. The size of each floret should be bite size to slightly bigger than bite size. Dip each floret in the following pattern:
First in the almond milk
Then in the flour
Then back in the almond milk
Then in the panko
After each floret has been covered in panko, Set the panko covered broccoli on the baking sheet. Once all of the florets have been dipped, place the baking sheet in the oven for 45-50 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 25 minutes of baking. Remove from the oven when the florets are crispy and brown.
As the broccoli cooks, take one of the avocados and smash it with a fork. Mix it with the salsa and a pinch of both salt & pepper. Mix until you have your consistency of guacamole. & have fun with it- if you have a favorite seasoning, herb, or other mix in to make your signature guac, DO IT! & place the mixture in the fridge.
Now, place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add in the BBQ sauce, sugar, and lime, stir the ingredients together, and bring to a simmer. Stir and reduce the heat to low, stirring every five minutes until you are ready to use it.
Now move to assembling the caesar salad. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, cheese, parsley, garlic, juice of 1 lemon and about2 tbsp of EVOO. Mix until fully immersed, and then season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside in the refrigerator. In a large bowl, pour in the romaine, and top with the avocado & radishes (see photo below for inspiration). Toss with half of the dressing mixture, adding more if you prefer a heavier dressed salad. Once the dressing has coated all of the veggies, top with crumpled tortilla chips. Set aside in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat.
The broccoli should be totally done by the time you finish assembling your salad, the broccoli should be fully cooked. Upon removing the cooked broccoli from the oven, place in a large glass bowl and toss with half of the the prepared BBQ sauce. Toss gently with a spatula to get all of the sauce spread amongst the broccoli, add in the rest of the sauce, and continue to toss so all of the broccoli is evenly coated. Place the broccoli in the oven at 180 degrees to keep the broccoli warm.
Next move on to warming the tortillas.
Now it's taco assembly time!! In your warmed tortillas, layer in a handful of coleslaw, then top with 2-3 broccoli nuggets, and then a dollop of your guacamole. Serve with your chilled Mexican caesar. You're done and ready to eat!
