These vegan and grain free tacos are about the healthiest tacos you’ll ever have- they’re filled with black beans and vegetables, and the tortillas are made from chickpea flour.
If you’re anything like me, taco nights at home are a pretty hard thing to beat. I mean, who doesn’t love loading up a tortilla (or three or four) with allll the fixins?
But I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that all those toppings can really add up, calorically speaking. Meat, sour cream, cheese, guac…not to mention the essence of the taco itself- the tortilla. Is it flour? Is it fried? It all makes scarfing down more than a couple seem a little gluttonous.
Well, fret not, my friends, because these vegan, gluten free, grain free tacos are so packed with flavor and nutritious ingredients that you could easily inhale like six of them without feeling a sliver of guilt. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little bit, but you get the idea. The backbone of this recipe comes from Goop. I followed their detox menu back in January, and their ah-mazing veggie taco recipe (which substitutes tortillas with wraps made from chickpea flour-genius!) was so insane it made me forget I was on any sort of diet. In fact, they’re still working their way into my dinner repertoire.
I tweaked the recipe here and there, keeping black beans and zucchini as the bulk of the filling but adding in a colorful, crunchy carrot and bell pepper slaw to top it off. Feel free to do the same or add whatever veggies your heart desires.
What you really want to focus on here are the chickpea flour tortillas. They’re made from a simple batter and then poured and into a skillet to cook- like crepes! Just swirl the batter around the pan in a thin layer, cook over medium heat for a minute or two until you see tiny bubbles start to appear, then flip and cook for another minute or so. The first one may come out a little wonky- also much like crepes- and that’s okay! If it comes out too thick, just thin out the batter. Too thin? Pour the batter a little thicker next time. You’ll get the hang of it.
The Goop recipe contains instructions for how to bake them into crunchy taco shells, but you can also leave them as is if you prefer these grain free tacos to be soft. Me, I’ve always been a soft taco kinda gal, and if I’m being totally honest, I’m usually too lazy (and hungry) to wait for that extra baking step. But for all you die-hard crunchy taco fans out there, I’ve included those instructions also. You’ll love these healthy grain free tacos either way, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll be making them ALL the time.
Vegan+Grain Free Tacos
These vegan and grain free tacos are about the healthiest tacos you’ll ever have- they’re filled with black beans and vegetables, and the tortillas are made from chickpea flour.
Ingredients
- For the chickpea flour tortillas:
- 2 cups chickpea flour
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil plus more for sautéing
- For the taco filling:
- 1 can black beans
- 1 clove garlic smashed
- 1/2 jalapeño seeded and finely diced
- 4 sprigs cilantro
- 2 zucchini roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 avocado diced
- For the carrot & bell pepper slaw:
- 1 cup carrot julienned
- 1 cup bell pepper julienned
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons scallion chopped
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Whisk together the chickpea flour, water, olive oil and salt in a medium bowl. Let sit for about 15 minutes.
In a medium saucepan combine beans (with liquid), garlic, cilantro, jalapeño and a pinch of salt and simmer on low for about 20 minutes or until no liquid remains. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°. Toss zucchini with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on baking sheet in a single layer and roast for about 15-20 minutes, tossing once.
In a medium bowl combine carrot, bell pepper, cilantro, scallion, lime zest, lime juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Heat a small nonstick sauté pan over medium high heat and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. When the pan is hot, add 1/4 cup of the chickpea flour batter. Lift and swirl the pan to spread the batter into a thin layer.
Cook for about 1-2 minutes or until tiny bubbles begin to appear, then flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Continue with remaining batter, adjusting the heat and adding more oil to the pan as needed. You should have about 10-12 tortillas.
Optional: Enjoy as a soft taco or to make crunchy taco shells, arrange tortillas in the ridges of an inverted muffin tin. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until shells are crispy and slightly brown at the edges.
Assemble tacos by layering black beans, zucchini, avocado and slaw in a chickpea tortilla.
Recipe Notes
adapted from Goop
Loved this recipe and have made it a couple times now. A big hit in this house!