Roasted Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Tacos with Chipotle Cas

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 small head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets (approx. 1 ½ pounds or 6 heaping cups florets)

1 large sweet potato, diced into ½-inch cubes (approx. 1 pound or 3 heaping cups diced)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dried oregano

one 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 lime, juiced

kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season

for serving, as desired: charred corn tortillas, mashed avocado (1 medium avocado + juice of 1 lime) or guacamole, vegan sour cream cashew crema (below), pickled red onions, chopped fresh cilantro, cotija cheese or vegan cheese of choice, salsa of choice, lime wedges, etc.

⅓ – ½ cup roasted unsalted cashews (see Recipe Notes)

1 chipotle pepper and/or 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)

1 clove garlic

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup water

1 lime, juiced

Directions

Prep

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the center of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean-up as desired. Gather and prep all ingredients according to Ingredients List, above (e.g. break down the cauliflower, dice the sweet potato, measure the spices, etc.).

Season the cauliflower and sweet potatoes

Place the cauliflower florets and sweet potato in a large bowl or on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over top, then season with the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, dried oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ground black pepper as desired. Toss to combine well, then arrange in a uniform layer on the baking sheet, giving the individual veggies plenty of breathing room to roast up nicely.

Roast the cauliflower and sweet potatoes

Transfer the sheet pan to the preheated oven. Roast 30 minutes, giving the pan a good shake halfway through to promote even browning, or until the veggies are tender throughout and crispy at the edges. In the last 5 minutes of roasting, place the drained black beans on the sheet pan, allowing them to warm up as the veggies finish cooking. Remove from the oven. Squeeze the lime juice over the surface of the sheet pan and set aside.

Prepare the cashew crema and other taco fixings

Meanwhile, as the veggies roast, prepare the cashew crema. Combine all listed ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides of the blender canister as needed. Transfer to a bowl and set aside, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (At my house, we like to enjoy these tacos with a simple smashed avocado (avocado + lime + salt) and charred tortillas (more notes on this in the Recipe Notes, below) – this is a great time to prepare both of these components as well.)

Assemble and serve

Pile the roasted veggies and black beans into a tortilla, with smashed avocado and a good drizzle of cashew crema as desired. Finish with any other toppings of choice – cashew crema, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salsa – whatever your taco-lovin’ heart desires. Enjoy!

Notes

•Cashews: If you cannot find roasted, unsalted cashews, feel free to use raw cashews for your cashew crema. The consistency of your cashew crema will depend on how much juice your lime yields, so feel free to adjust as needed to reach your desired consistency (i.e. blend in more cashews for a thicker sauce, stir in a little more water for a thinner sauce). If you do not have a high-speed blender, you may want to soak your cashews for 10-15 minutes in boiling-hot water, which helps them break down much more easily in a less powerful blender. More tips and tricks! ⇢ Easy Vegan Cashew Crema.

•Charred corn tortillas: To char corn tortillas on the stovetop, pop a tortilla directly over open flame on a gas burner. Once you see a little smoke coming off the tortilla, then continue to rotate it until it’s lightly charred. Continue until both sides of the tortillas are evenly charred. It’s very important not to over-do it as this will completely dry the tortillas out – just aim for a little color! Once it’s as charred as desired, transfer to a tortilla warmer or wrap it in a damp paper towel to prevent it from drying out until you’re ready to serve.

•Storage and Reheating: Leftover roasted sweet potatoes and cauliflower will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for 3-5 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave until warmed through, or under the broiler for 3-4 minutes if you like a little extra crispy-char. Leftover chipotle cashew crema will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 1 week. Enjoy leftovers with more roasted veggie tacos, or use it as an all-purpose sauce for any other meals or salads.

•15-Minute Meal Prep: One of our favorite things about this roasted cauliflower sweet potato tacos recipe is how easy it is to throw together – especially if you’ve done a little bit of meal prep ahead of time. By chopping the veggies in advance, you can jump right into cooking during the week – easy! Here’s what you’ll do…

•Roasted veggie prep: Chop the cauliflower and dice sweet potato according to the Ingredients List, above. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (10 minutes active prep)

•Prepare the chipotle cashew crema according to Step 4 of Recipe Directions, above. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. (5 minutes active prep)

Nutrition

• Calories: 258
• Total Fat: 9.8 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.8 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 713.1 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 35.1 g
• Dietary Fiber: 11 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 10.6 g