Tag Archives: tacos

Cherrywood Coffeehouse: Vegan Breakfast tacos and coffee, what more do you need

Last night I was at the Vegan Nom with, what can only be described as a plethora of vegans including the wonderful organizers of Vida Vegan Con, and I learned that the Cherrywood Coffeehouse’s vegan taco options are not as well known as I, a taco connoisseur, would have guessed. In fact, someone even accused me of “holding out”. I took this comment to heart and decided to put things right by breaking out the old blogging machine and posting some pics less than 24 hours later. If that’s not service, I don’t know what is.

Cherrywood coffeehouse is a lovely little spot right of 35 next to the monarch convenient store on 38 1/2 street. They have salads, hummus tacos and sandwiches, and smoothies along with espresso and beer but the real draw for me is their breakfast tacos with their delightful shoestring potatoes.

The range of vegan ingredients is extensive and I think they are the only place in town that puts deep fried tofu cubes in a taco…with deep fried potatoes. Ah, the healthy vegan diet.  They also have soyrizo, guacamole, mushrooms, refried beans, and lime rice. I always have a really hard time deciding but the last time I went with an tex-mex theme for one (tofu, potato, and guac on flour) and a Mexican theme (beans, rice, and mushrooms on corn) for the other and it worked out really well. And I didn’t have to eat again for the rest of the day because these suckers are pretty big.

It can get really busy during prime brunch hours, especially if it’s a nice day and the patio fills up, but on weekdays you can always find a table. And they serve breakfast tacos all day so check it out next time the taco craving strikes.

 

Veganmofo: Chipotle rubbed acorn squash tacos with refried beans & mango salsa

 

I had half a day where I was thinking that I would do an all taco theme for veganmofo and with 30 tacos in 30 days. Then one of my twitter friends suggested breakfast, lunch and dinner of all tacos, as in 90 tacos for 30 days. Kind of like super size me but with tacos. I’ll have to think about it more for next year but I still have tacos on my mind. Actually, I always have tacos on my mind. Like, if I was Willie Nelson, and I was singing this song I would be singing about tacos. Yesterday I talked about being a coffee snob and I’m kind of the opposite when it comes to tacos. I’ll eat any taco any time any where. From Mexican street style to Vietnamese to TexMex, breakfast tacos, jackfruit brisket tacos, dessert tacos, tater tot tacos, al pastor tacos, and raw tacos, I want to try them all.

A while back I came across a recipe for cauliflower chipotle tacos. Normally, I probably would have cruised right by such a recipes but since it came from the kitchen of one of my favorite vegan cookbook authors Terry Hope Romero I pinned it and waited for the perfect time. My plan last night was to use an acorn squash instead of cauliflower since that is what I had and then make baked chimichurri tofu to go with. I got the food processor out and then grabbed the parsley and then realized it was cilantro. I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me in my life, probably about one billion. I ran over to the Mexican meat market to pick some up parsley and they only had cilantro too. So I changed my plan, picked up a mango, and instead made refried beans and mango salsa.

After spending 10 minutes breaking down the acorn squash with a cleaver I finally got to the actual business to making the tacos and they came together really easily and fast. After taking a quick photo I finally got to try them and WOW these tacos were amazing. The spice rub would have been a little intense if the squash had been on it’s own but mixed with the garlicky refried beans, the sweet and spicy mango salsa, and the luscious creamy avocado they together formed a perfect taco. Highly recommended.

Me llamo Taco

 

I love tacos. I like talking about tacos, taking pictures of tacos, and especially eating tacos. I also love trying new tacos and I kept hearing about Me Llamo Taco which is a trailer that has a couple of vegan options. They just moved from a location on Burnet over to a cute little trailer park in Mueller on Airport. I kind of wish they would move right over by my workplace. Or, actually, there is some room at the end of my driveway which would be way convenient. Then I could eat these tacos every day.

 

 

The current vegan menu items are the “Chihuahua” which is chipotle-marinated tofu, topped with grilled nopales and black bean salsa and the “Charfen”, soyriso, potatoes, guacamole and pico de gallo. Although they were both on the teeny tiny side (especially at three dollars a piece) they were both really tasty. I’m not always a big fan of chipotle, it can quickly become overwhelming, but on the Chihuahua the chipotle tofu was perfectly delivered. though I would have liked a few more nopales. The soyriso was tasty too, and now overly greasy as is often the case. The tortillas were great too, though a little overly crisped. They are perfect snack sized tacos and I wish everyone had such well thought out vegan options.

Sunny Days in Texas: Brisket Taco

Barbecued brisket is probably the national meat of Texas and if tacos aren’t the official dish, they certainly should be. I am thrilled to now have an amazing recipe for both. My friend Molly, who wrote this recipe to help Sunny Day Farms, is a native Texan and chili contest star. She is my favorite kind of Texan, one of those people that isn’t afraid to speak up about her beliefs but in such a logical and polite way that everyone feels good about it. She also does a lot to help our vegan community here in Texas. It isn’t always as easy as we sometimes make it sound in the lonestar state. On the one hand, we have a vegan firehouse right here in Austin. On the other hand, the Texas cattle industry (you might remember them from when they tried to sue Oprah for saying she didn’t want to eat another burger) once, allegedly, sent these same vegan firefighters a frozen chopped up cow..

Maybe the reason that they are so threatened is because of amazing recipes like this. Using jackfruit and a little vegan magic Molly’s recipe would make a believer out of anybody. The recipe was simple weeknight fare, even after I realized I was out of barbecue sauce and that I would have to make some. I think I might make a ridiculously large batch for our next work potluck and put it right next to whatever big ole tray of barbecue the bosses contribute. Or maybe I won’t because then I will have to spend the whole party telling everyone what jackfruit is and why barbecuing a fruit they probably never heard of isn’t nearly as scary as what happens to most cows in Texas.

The recipe for the brisket has a lot of different uses which is another reason I’m excited to have it in the zine. You could make a side of barbecue, have the traditional Texas white bread sandwich, the taco like I made here, or it could even go into the realm of extreme tex-mex. I’m thinking stuffed into truck-stop style enchiladas and covered in queso.

NOTE- there is a typo in early versions of the zine, it should be a 20oz can of jackfruit, not 10oz. Write it down right now! Or better yet, buy a new copy ;)

Every post this month for Veganmofo will be celebrating the recipes in the zine Sunny Days in Texas, a fundraiser cookzine to help Sunny Day Farms Animal Sanctuary.

Sunny Days in Texas: Breakfast Taco Guide

This morning I had a breakfast taco with veggie chorizo and roasted potatoes on a spelt tortilla because I am a lucky mofo. If you live outside of Texas acquiring breakfast tacos may be a little more difficult than stopping at your local whole foods where you can choose from a panoply of vegan ingredients. That is why I have written a guide to making your own tacos at home, and included a revised version in the Sunny Days in Texas zine. People in the rest of the world seem to have some strange notions about what is and isn’t breakfast and why everything should be in a taco. So I am hoping to finally set the record straight. Once an Austinite friend of mine went on a roadtrip to California and got into a fight with his waiter about whether something was a burrito or a taco. You don’t want this to happen to you so read the guide and eat a taco.

If you are reading this blog from outside of Texas, I’m curious, can you get breakfast tacos where you are? Let me know so I can plan my next trip. I know they have them on Maui and in Chicago and then there are the Dutch tacos (that aren’t really tacos) in Portland.

Every post this month for Veganmofo will be celebrating the recipes in the zine Sunny Days in Texas, a fundraiser cookzine to help Sunny Day Farms Animal Sanctuary.

TaKorea – Vegan Tacos, Hot Dogs, and Tostadas all with a Korean twist

Takorea closed down :( Check out Chi’lantro for your Korean Taco needs

TaKorea has been on my must try list for I don’t know how long. They just moved to the Longhorn Food Court, up the street from where I spend my weekdays in between downtown and UT, so on Thursday I braved the rain and went to try this Mexican Korean fusion trailer. Right now it isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing spot but I think that is bound to change as the other trailers open in the coming weeks (including Dog Almighty!). I imagine they will add such luxuries as tables to eat at! For now it is a very bare bones concrete parking lot.

We met the owner Paul who was very nice and answered my one thousand questions about the menu graciously. He assured me that all the tofu items were completely vegan and free of egg or dairy. The vegan taco can either be healthy style in a cabbage wrap and topped with cucumbers or in a corn tortilla or on a fried tostada topped with a sweet chile sauce. I loved that they have multiple options here because sometimes I want something healthy and sometimes I want some deep fried goodness. At 2.50 each they seemed like a good deal but probably not a complete meal. Paul said the hot dogs were the most popular thing on the menu. He has smart dogs on a toasted sesame bun topped with tofu and Korean fixins for 4.50. I am not typically a big hot dog fan but it sounded so fabulous piled high with cabbage and chile sauce so I couldn’t resist.

I ordered one of each and we waited for the food.  When it came out my anticipation almost overwhelmed me because it looked fabulous. Both the hot dog and the tostada were piled high with topping. The tostada shell seemed freshly deep fried and the sesame bun was perfectly toasted which made me super happy. It makes such a difference to have a crusty vehicle for the toppings in both of these cases.

I ate the tostada first and I was completely blown away. It reminded me more of traditional street food than anything else I have I can remember eating in town, maybe because the deep fried action. The sweet chile sauce was amazing. I want to learn his secrets!After the tostada I had the hot dog but after the first couple bites we had to run off because it started pouring down rain. I felt like a true American running down the street while eating a hot dog. It was beautiful and had a lot of flavor but next time I think I would ask for the sweet sauce to be on it as well because I liked that one better than the spicy one. It was a wonderful filling meal and I got a beverage too and paid just 7 bucks. What a terrific addition to the neighborhood! They are open 11-8 Tuesday through Saturday.

Thai Taco

Sometimes I wish I could force people to make a recipe. This is one of those times. But then, who knows, everyone’s tastes are different and you might not even like this fabulous taco that I made the other day. I think you would, though,  if you are anything like me! I’ll never know unless you try it and tell me. I thought it was totally amazing. Unreal. I made sausage a couple days earlier and the beagles opened the refrigerator and got two of them out! Still, the remaining sausages with the fixins was enough for the both of us humans and we have pretty big appetites so if you make this for two, you will probably have extra sausages. I used lentils in the sausages because I thought they would go the best with Thai food and I am really glad I tried it, although cooking them was an extra step I think it was well worth it because the texture of these sausages was just perfect. One thing I would change in the future is to add some hot peppers to sausages to make them spicy. I had some dried chili peppers but they didn’t make enough of a difference, I think a tiny jalapeno would work well, just remember to put gloves on before you knead the dough! Also, I have been using this healthy boy mushroom soy sauce and it is really amazing and added a lot to the vegan fish sauce.

Thai Sausages
1/2 cup cooked lentils
1 cup broth
1 Tablespoon peanut oil
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup red onions, chopped fine
5 Thai lime leaves, chopped fine
1/4 cup cilantro, roots and stems work
2 Tablespoons lemongrass, chopped
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon dried hot peppers (i think fresh would work better)

Knead the ingredients together and roll up tootsie roll style and steam for 40 minutes. Follow these directions if you haven’t done it before. Chop the sausages into bite size pieces and fry them in peanut oil while you steam the tortillas.

Toppings

1 cucumber, sliced into thin strips
1 carrot, sliced into thin strips
sprouts (mung bean or radish)
cilantro
Thai basil or mint
green onions
1 recipe vegan fish sauce
peanuts
lime

Enjoy!

In other news Spring has finally sprung here in Austin TX.

I spent the weekend getting organized for our move and doing some garage sale-ing.

I did not buy this troll

These people in South Austin take garage sailing to the next level.

Dinger found a place in the sunAnd we went to the dog parkIt was a good weekend.

The Freakin Vegan at Taco Deli

I love Taco Deli. It is one of those places that I regretfully didn’t try for a long time. We take our dogs to the Spyglass greenbelt access point sometimes and I had seen Taco deli for years but I didn’t stop in until a couple years ago and then I was soon hooked. The whole place has kind of  a summer camp at a strip mall kind of feel to me. Maybe because we sometimes hike there but also because there are tons of trees around it and on summer days everyone is sitting outside looking active and happy with their dogs.

today was not a summer day

I noticed the breakfast tacos seemingly everywhere around town but they were always eggs, bacon, & cheese so I didn’t think that they would have a lot for me. I couldn’t have been more wrong! Taco Deli is one of the most veg friendly taco joints in Austin.  They have 5 vegetarian tacos on the menu and most can be easily veganized. The black beans are vegan so you can choose the Frontera Fundido Portabella (no cheese) it comes with roasted poblanos, sautéed peppers, and onion strips or the Florentino which comes with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, and peppers or the Veggie Taco which is their veggie mix of shredded cabbage, carrots,  zuchini, mushrooms, peppers, celery, and onions sautéed in olive oil and sherry. They also use the veggie mix in the burrito and the tortas.

The most fun part is that they have a secret vegan taco. I heard from someone somewhere that  this off menu item is called “The Freakin Vegan” and now this is what I typically order. At first I was a little hesitant. What if I ordered the freakin vegan and they looked at me like I was just making shit up? So far, that has never happened so I happily get my black bean, avocado, verde sauce, and pico taco on a corn tortilla.

I also highly recommend the chips and guacamole. You get a ton of chips for only a few dollars with some of my favorite guac in town.  You can also get rice, beans, guac, or roasted peppers with any order. I wish that every place had the options of Taco Deli. They really only have two things that I wish I could change. One disappointment is that they don’t use tofu, tempeh, or seitan which, for me,  is kind of sad. The non-vegan menu is really creative and I think it would be so easy to sub fake chicken or pressed tofu in any of the chicken tacos with fantastic results. Also, they close at three every day and that can be pretty early for us to make it there on the weekend but that isn’t really a problem since most people aren’t that lazy. So the next time you sleep over at your favorite south Austinite’s house and you are cruising up mopac stop in for a taco. Studies have shown that it only takes 5 minutes and your happiness factor will enlarge by approximately 67 percent. And 67 percent isn’t the kind of number that you can laugh off.