TACO NIGHT, VEGAN STYLE

so i promised a recipe for the beer-battered avocado tacos we enjoyed for dinner & as tired as i was, i stayed up to until the recipe was posted and ready to go for you to enjoy this weekend. trust me, even if you aren't vegetarian, these are a hit with both vegans & carnivores alike. 

my sister and her boyfriend came out & i knew we wanted to eat in, but didn't know what to make. i feel like when you have guests, you always go to the same two or three dishes to really showcase your best chef's hand. tacos are a favorite around here, and while we usually go half-ass and cook up some pre made trader joe's soyrizo, i decided to try and imitate a recipe from one of our favorite restaurants in orange county. i would say they were a total success, based on the lack of leftovers. 

my sister, carlie, and i got busy in the kitchen while the boys played in lu's teepee. it was so nice to have an extra set of hands for once! now, don't be intimidated, even though there are quite a few ingredients, the recipe is a cinch to prepare, but tastes like you slaved away for hours.

 quick notes: if you are new to the frying world, make sure you use vegetable or canola oil. 

this recipe is for 4 servings. if you need more than four tacos, just double up on the avocados (you won't need to make any extra beer batter or cilantro sauce, you'll have plenty).

ingredients:

1 hass avocado

1 cup panko bread crumbs

beer batter (recipe follows below)

cilantro lime sauce (recipe follows below)

8 corn tortillas

shredded green cabbage

diced red onion

fresh lime wedges for garnish

beer batter:
2 cups of mexican beer (i like to use carona brand)
2 cups of all-purpose flour (i use unbleached)
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons of Siracha
combine all of these ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. you may need to take a spatula to scrape the sides and get all the flour blended in. place in a bowl when finished.

cilantro lime sauce:
1 jar of veganaise (i like to use the purple colored jar/the grapeseed kind, but the original will do fine)
1 large handful of fresh cilantro
2 jalapeños (seeded)
pinch of salt
4 cloves of garlic (peeled)
juice of 2 limes
combine all ingredients, with the exception of the veganaise into a food processor and process until combined. next, add veganaise and pulse until your sauce comes together. pour about half into a jar & into the refrigerator to save for another day, and pour the other half into a bowl and place on the table with a spoon to allow guests to ladle their own sauce over their tacos. 

• fill a medium sized pan with 3-4 inches of oil and heat over medium-high heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 375 degrees.
• cut your avocado into sixths.
• toss your avocado pieces in the panko breadcrumbs.
• dip your coated avocado into the beer batter and (carefully!) drop into hot oil. fry your avocado pieces in batches, for about 4 minutes. you'll know they're done when they turn golden brown in color. use a slotted spoon to remove them from the oil and drain them on a paper towel lined plate. 
• preheat your oven on its broil setting and wrap up your corn tortillas in tin foil. two tortillas per foil wrap. then place your foil wrapped tortillas in the oven to warm them (so they are pliable) until you are ready to assemble your tacos. 
• lastly, assemble your tacos. layer two warm tortillas per taco and place two to three pieces of fried avocado on your tortillas. sprinkle with shredded cabbage and diced red onion & drizzle your cilantro lime sauce all over (I personally like a lot of sauce, so be as conservative or liberal with it as you'd like, that's the beauty of these tacos). plate two to three tacos per person and garnish each plate with a few fresh lime wedges. serve your tacos immediately and enjoy!