Cauliflower, Mushroom and Chorizo Tacos

Cauliflower, Mushroom and Chorizo Tacos are a healthy and delicious twist on a classic Mexican taco.

I love potatoes. I always will, and I am not giving up potato dishes for any health regime. But the older and more informed I get, the harder of a time I have putting double simple carbs into the same dish or meal. Yes potato and chorizo tacos are a delicious classic Mexican taco. But I feel horribly guilty for consuming them (caveat: if I were in Mexico I would feel fine, I just feel funny making them). So over time, when contemplating classic dishes from other cuisines that involve pairing potatoes with rice or tortillas or pasta, I have turned to cauliflower.

If it were not for Indian food, you would never have convinced me to do this. But over and over, when cooking cauliflower for an Indian dish, I noticed that it smelled remarkably similar to potatoes. This is my first time trying the substitution in a Mexican dish, and I am happy to report it worked beautifully. The mushroom addition was just because we are who we are and we love mushrooms. Feel free to leave them out and never tell me!

John and I have an ongoing disagreement over using one or two corn tortillas per taco. Every Mexican restaurant that I can remember (or food truck–although we have already established I have a lousy memory so there are probably exceptions somewhere) serves its tacos with two corn tortillas. And folks I love corn tortillas. Adore them. Especially made fresh and cooked in lard. Holy yum. (I cannot convince my kids of their superiority over flour tortillas, a fact I recite to my shame.) So I always eat my tacos with two tortillas, as pictured here. But if you take my husband’s side on this, feel free to use only one tortilla per taco–and once again never tell me!

As long as we are on the topic of corn tortillas, I will tell you the secret to eating them in your own home (if you do not want to make them from scratch, as I rarely feel like it) is to heat them individually in some kind of fat, preferably lard. Not a ton, maybe a teaspoon per tortilla. And smoky un-processed lard will give you an amazing flavor, although vegetable oil can be used in a pinch for a weeknight meal. But if you are serving guests? Trust me and get the lard. (If anyone avoiding pork has ever tried with schmaltz or suet or some other animal fat, let me know how it is!)

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Cauliflower, Mushroom and Chorizo Tacos

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: TheSpicedLife

Ingredients

• 1 lb Mexican style fresh chorizo
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 8-10 oz sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1 medium sized head of cauliflower broken into small bite-sized florets
• salt to taste
• 8-16 warm corn tortillas depending on whether you prefer to use 1 or 2 tortillas per taco (I like 2, as pictured, but the rest of my family prefers 1)

For the garnishes:

• chopped fresh cilantro
• crumbled queso fresco (I have used feta in the past satisfactorily
• Mexican hot sauce of choice, if desired

Instructions

1. Brown the chorizo in a nonstick large skillet over medium heat. Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon and set aside in a prep bowl.
2. Add the onions to the pan with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until translucent and soft. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another few minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms with another pinch of salt. Cook until all of the liquid has cooked out and evaporated from the mushrooms.
4. Add the cauliflower and sprinkle with salt. Add the cooked chorizo back into the pan, along with any accumulated juices. Toss a tablespoon or 2 of water into the pan and cover. Reduce the heat to medium low.
5. Let the dish cook for 10 minutes, and then check to see if the cauliflower has cooked through (it will depend on the floret sizes--be sure to check a large piece). If not, replace the lid and check every 5 minutes.
6. When the cauliflower is crisp tender, serve the filling inside of warm corn tortillas. Crumble chopped cilantro and queso fresco over the filling. Drizzle with hot sauce if desired. Eat immediately.

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