RECIPE: Chickpea & Soyrizo Meatless Street Tacos (Vegan / Gluten-Free)

"Meatless" Chickpea Soyrizo Street Tacos

If there's one thing I really do love it's street tacos. There's something so satisfying about them. The unfortunate thing is that they mostly come with meat. And for me, I don't usually want that. So, often I have to eat the meat or go for beans. Then I was inspired by a recipe I found in Bon Appetite for Chorizo Tostadas with chickpeas and thought, "Hey, now this I could do!"

Turns out  when babe and I were finishing up our boating trip (aka fishing excursion) on base last weekend, we stopped by the Commissary to see if we could find anything interesting. Sometimes you can (cough cough). And it just so happens we found this soy based mock chorizo called "Soyrizo" that is a meatless organic, gluten-free, non-gmo, no preservative alternative. I said, "BABE, grab that before anyone else gets that with their toilet paper!" #COVID-19 So we put it in the cart and off we went. 

Now, traditional chorizo is a type of pork sausage made from intestines (YUCK YUCK YUCK) and often cured, smoked and flavored with Spanish spices and herbs used in several Spanish dishes including Paella. To me, this was a REAL find. To have a meatless, healthier version available. So, I thought I would make the Bon Appetite tostada healthier with the soyrizo into meatless street tacos. And boy, was I delighted. WHAT A TREAT!

Here's how we changed up the recipe. The original recipe called for chorizo (meat) we switched it with Soyrizo. It called for Greek yogurt (dairy) we switched it with coconut milk yogurt. This way, we have eliminated dairy and meat and created a vegetarian / vegan healthy meal that tastes so good you won't even realize you don't have meat in it. TRUST ME on this one. My meat-eating-man LOVED these! I also added 1 1/2 chipotle peppers just for the flavor. 

​So, let's dig in, shall we?

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Chickpea and Soyrizo Meatless Street Tacos
(Yields 6 - 8 tacos) Time: 30 minutes (if)

Ingredients: 
1  15 oz can chickpeas (rinsed - drained)
1 lime
8 sprigs cilantro
1/4 cup coconut yogurt
salt
1 1/2 chipotle chilies (from can)
2 links Soyrizo (casings removed)
6 - 8 Corn Tortilla Shells

Directions:
Steps 1. Rinse and drain 15 oz. chickpeas in a colander. Measure out ½ cup; reserve remaining chickpeas for another time.

2. Finely grate zest of 1 lime with a micro-plane or grater into a small bowl.

3. Cut lime in half and squeeze juice from one half into bowl with zest. Cut remaining half into 2 wedges; set aside for serving.

4. Gather 8 cilantro sprigs on cutting board. Starting at the stem end, finely chop stems until you get to the leaves; reserve leaves for serving. Add stems to bowl with lime.

5. Add ¼ cup coconut yogurt and ½ tsp. salt to bowl and mix with a spoon to combine.  Add a little more lime juice to thin and make a sauce. Add the lime zest and cilantro stems. 

6. Cut Soyrizo casing and remove "meat". Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium low. Cook Soyrizo, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until partially cooked, about 3 minutes. Add chipotle chilies (optional). 

7. Add reserved chickpeas and remaining ½ tsp. salt and mash together with back of spoon until chorizo is cooked through and crispy, 5 - 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

8. Grill corn tortillias on hot grill pan until charred. 

9. Spread reserved crema over charred shells.

10. Top crema with chorizo mixture. Top with reserved cilantro leaves and green onion and serve with reserved lime wedges.

​ENJOY! And let me know if you make these. I know you're going to love them.

​This post was written by Susan Avello, Personal Chef at Lean Bean Chef Personal Chef Services in Dothan Alabama - offering , Personal Chef Services, Meal Planning,  Cooking Classes, Private Dinner Parties and Education on Healthy Eating.