Crispy Potato Soft Taco
Ahh Taco Bell, that guilty pleasure of omnivores and vegetarians alike. I don’t remember the last time I ate there, but I do know it’s the fast food joint I’ve visited most recently (recently not meaning actually recent, in this case). As we all know, they have multiple vegetarian options and even a few for vegans who find themselves stuck on an interstate or in a food desert with few or no other options.
When I was vegetarian and still transitioning to the awesome vegan person that I am today, the Crispy Potato Soft Taco was my junk food of choice. Perhaps some of you remember it from your own pregan days; crisp, bite-sized potatoes covered in cheese and lettuce, smothered in a spicy cream sauce.
I have no idea what reminded me of those tacos. Maybe I drove by a Taco Bell and my subconscious remembered. Maybe my arteries were like “Hey, why don’t you clog us anymore?”. Either way, I was motivated to recreate those old friends of mine, and so I present to you: The VEGAN Crispy Potato Soft Taco!
The potatoes are crisp (it would be false advertising in they weren’t!) and flavorful, but not spicy. The small amount of heat comes from the adobo cashew cream sauce (recipe below), and if you want to add more heat, this is where you should do it. The slivers of crispy lettuce are my nod to vegetables, and they add a beautiful splash of color. The real stars of the show, though, are the potatoes.
Once again I’m hitting you with a specialty salt: This time it’s Spanish Rosemary. Instead of saying something goes together “like peas and carrots”, it should be “like roasted potatoes and spanish rosemary sea salt.” Honestly, I will never again eat roasted potatoes in any dish unless they have this salt on them, it’s that good!
Crispy Potato Soft Tacos (Makes 4 Soft Tacos)
Ingredients:
- 1 med-large potato, cubed into small bite-sized pieces (you want to be able to fit 2-3 into your mouth at once)
- Olive oil
- Spanish Rosemary sea salt
- Pepper
- 1 t Dried parsley
- 15 cashews
- 1-2 chipotles in adobo sauce (canned)
- 1 t cumin
- 1/4 cup plus 1 T non-dairy creamer
- 1/2 t sea salt
- The juice of 1/2 a lime
- Crispy lettuce, shredded
- 4 soft taco shells
- Cilantro for sprinkling, if desired
Directions:
- Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and dried parsley. Bake at 350 until crispy (about 25 minutes, stirring once). Broil for the last minute if they need more of a crispy layer.
- In a blender, combine everything else (except the lettuce, shells and cilantro). Blend until smooth.
- To assemble the tacos, layer 1/4 of the potatoes, shredded lettuce and a heavy drizzle of the adobo cashew cream sauce, then sprinkle with cilantro.
Enjoy!
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Can I tell you I have never been to a Taco Bell before; is that strange?
I am totally making these this week – mmmm you had me at Crispy potatoes and the cashew chipolte cream sauce sounds AMAZING- I am so excited that you shared this with us today!
It’s surprising, but it’s GOOD! I’m a huge fan of this sauce- let me know how you like it. I’m planning to use it on a few more dishes that I have in the works…
This looks yummy but I’m curious where to find the Spanish Rosemary sea salt. I’ve never used it before.
I bought mine from a local specialty shop, so I’d recommend a spice shop (if you have any in your area) or online. If you google it, you’ll get a ton of results. Good luck!
I’ll let you know how they turn out!
You had me at potato. . . and then “taco”! Thanks for the dinner help for tonite!
Yum, total yum.
Totally the kind of food I love! Yum!
Wow! This is great. We love potatoes so this is going to definitely be a meal for us this week–thanks!
These look amazing.
I saw this on Facebook earlier today and stopped by Whole Foods to pick up the ingredients but I did change a few things though. I used a Jewel Sweet Potato and replaced the non-dairy creamer with Earth Balance unsweetened soy milk. Since my wife wanted some more protein, I sauteed and added fake meat crumbles. I also used regular and Dinosaur Kale instead of lettuce and added some onion and garlic to the cream mix. It turned out great so this will become a once a week meal for us and I will have to share it with my friends. I think I could fool my non vegan friends with it. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
You’re very welcome, but it sounds like you made your own recipe! I think you should have your own blog! 🙂
My wife is the strict recipe follower and I am the one who likes to tweak. You gave me a great starting place and I just made a few changes. I am looking forward to making them again as well as trying some of your other delicious sounding recipes. Thanks again.
Oh, Barb!!! This sounds A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!!!! That sauce….oh, that sauce….I will be making this TODAY without fail!!!!!
Hey, Barb, I saw a recipe somewhere for a spicy siracha sauce with tofu, sesame oil (toasted), and some other ingredients all blended up….it was said to be addictive..and it is. I just can’t find what else is in it, or where I found the recipe….help!!!!
Hmmm… not sure. I have a sriracha cashew cream sauce but I haven’t published it yet. Sorry I can’t be more help 🙁
Well, whatcha waitin’ fer?????? Publish the darn thang!!!! pleeeze???
I just made these, and they were even more amazing than I anticipated. The sauce was so good! Please come up with some recipes to use with that. :o)
I didn’t realize my smiley face would come out as that strange emoticon. 🙂
I think it was just a *really* happy face! I’m glad you liked it!