Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Taco Tuesday! Recipes from the Vegan Street Fair

On Sunday, March 1, the first ever Vegan Street Fair was held on the streets of North Hollywood.  Rain, even hail, couldn't keep the almost 10,000 hungry fair goers from hitting the streets to get tastes of vegan foods from over 40 different food vendors.

Crowd shot at Vegan Street Fair courtesy of Blake Gardner via the Vegan Street Fair Facebook event page.
What an amazing day at the first ever Vegan Street Fair! Thank goodness Dan was there to help, and even my mom got behind the scenes ad helped out for a few hours. My sincere apologies to those who waited in line and didn't get any ‪‎tacos‬. Lesson learned: I should have made twice as much food. I sold out just after 4pm with a line at least 40 deep. I had no idea so many folks would be so into my food.


And my sincere thanks to those I was able to serve and meet. It's so fun to see your posts of my food and hear that y'all really liked it, and thought my prices were fair. I made a promise to share the recipes, especially since I sold out with so many people in line. So here you go!


My menu included:
Spicy Korean BBQ Jackfruit Tacos with Sesame Carrot Slaw and Creamy Sesame Sriracha Sauce (top right)
(The recipes for all of the components in those tacos can be found in THIS POST written after the success at the New York Vegetarian Food Festival last March. All of the recipes for these tacos are featured in my book Fusion Food in the Vegan Kitchen.)

Flaky Fish-y Tacos with Radish Relish, Dill-y Tartar and Pepita Pignola Sprinkles (bottom left)
(The recipes for all of the components to make these tacos below, and are featured in the upcoming book by Celine Steen and Me, titled The Complete Guide to 'EVEN MORE' Vegan Food Substitutions, now available for preorder through Amazon.)

Okay, okay, enough talky talky, let's get to the recipes!



Flaky Fish-y Tacos with Radish Relish, Dill-y Tartar and Pepita Pignola Sprinkles
Don't freak out by what appears to be a huge list of ingredients and a lot of components. This recipe is really easy and all the components can be made while the rice is cooking, and you can get your meal to the table in close to 30 minutes.

Street tacos are all the rage in Southern California and the trick to great tacos is having a great combination of ingredients that goes way beyond the standard ground beef, lettuce, cheese and salsa. These tacos are no exception. The fish component here is seaweed infused rice that is flaky and flavorful. But it's the relish, the sauce, and the sprinkles that really make these tacos special.

For the Flaky Fish-y Rice:
1 cup (180 g) uncooked long grain rice (such as basmati or jasmine)
2 cups (470 ml) water
1 tablespoon (3 g) hijiki seaweed*
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon red chile flakes, or to taste
*Hijiki seaweed works best because it keeps its form when boiling and has a strong sea flavor. If you want to use another type of seaweed, double the amount, make sure to tie it up in a cheesecloth and place it in the water when boiling. Remove before serving. Do not use nori. It will dissolve into a slimy mess.

For the Radish Relish:
1 cup (116 g) finely diced red radish
1 cup (160 g) finely diced red onion
1 green chile (jalapeno, anaheim, pasilla...depending on your heat preference) finely diced
1/4 cup (4 g) chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon (9 g) minced garlic
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

For the Dill-y Tartar Sauce:
3/4 cup (168 g) vegan mayo, store-bought or homemade (see below)
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried dill, or 3/4 teaspoon fresh

For the Pepita Pignola Sprinkles:
2 tablespoons (16 g) pepitas (pumkin seeds)
2 tablespoons (15 g) pignolas (pine nuts)
1 tablespoon (15 g) nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder or cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon smoked salt

For the tacos:
2 cups (140 g) shredded red or green cabbage (or a mix of both!)
6 to 12 corn tortillas (depending on the size you use)
diced red onion, for garnish, optional
chopped green onion, for garnish, optional
chopped cilantro, for garnish, optional

To make the flaky fish, stir together all ingedients in the bowl of your rice cooker and cook according to machine instructions. If you do not have a rice cooker, add water and seaweed to a pot with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, stir in rice and spices to the boiling water, reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until fluffy and tender. Make the relish, tartar sauce, and pepita pignola sprinkles while rice is cooking.

To make the Radish Relish, mix together all of the ingredients and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

To make the Dill-y Tartar Sauce, mix together all ingredients and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

To make the Pepita Pignola Sprinkles, add all ingredients to a spice grinder (or coffee grinder) and grind until a coarse mixture is formed. Preheat a dry pan over medium heat. Add spice mix and toast for 1 to 2 minutes, until toasty and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.

To make the tacos, heat the tortillas in a dry frying pan until browned on both sides. (Don't skip this step! Nothing is sadder than would-be-great tacos ruined by using uncooked tortillas.) Transfer to a tortilla warmer to keep warm. To each tortilla add a scoop of fish-y rice, top with a pinch of cabbage, then a layer of relish, drizzled with tartar sauce, and finally, top with the pepita pignola sprinkles. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 to 12 tacos

2 comments:

frank said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
frank said...

seitan recipes

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All recipes written by me, Joni Marie Newman, unless otherwise noted. Please feel free to refer to or link back to any of my recipes, but please ask for permission, and remember to give credit when reprinting recipes in their entirety. I do provide links to affiliate programs (such as Amazon) in which I receive a small commission for items purchased. I do not provide paid reviews. All reviews done on products or books are of my own unsolicited opinion. On occasion I may receive a book or product to review. I will note when this is the case, but rest assured, it will not affect the authenticity of my review. Thanks!--Joni