Cookwithus # 13 Vegan Tacos With Black Eyed Peas And Vegan "Crema"

I returned from Mexico in March after being there for six months. While there, I was consuming quite a lot of tortillas fresh from the local tortilla factory. In Mexico there is a local tortilla factory around almost every corner. You really don't have to go very far to pick up a hot stack of fresh tortillas right off the press.

Well today I remembered a bag of tortilla flour that was in the cupboard so I brought the tortilla factory to the kitchen. However there is good reason why most people prefer to get their tortillas made for them.

I do not have a press so mine would be a little more rustic. I loved them that way for a change. Starting with tortilla flour a popular brand called Maseca, I mixed around four cups with salt and water. For me measuring the water never works. I just keep adding more until I get the doughy consistency that I am looking for. Something like a playdough for kids.

It's much easier to place plastic wrap on the top and the bottom while rolling them out. This flour is delicate so if they are thin they can break.

After they are rolled out, remove the plastic and place in a non stick griddle without oil and brown each side.

I wanted to use some different beans for the filling other than the ones I had used mostly, such as kidney beans, black beans, pinto beans and white beans which were always the most available in the small local Mexican stores.

Since I had made so many typical bean tacos while I was there with the typical salsa and guacamole, I made it a little different this time choosing black eyed beans which I seldom use. The flavor is really distinct and took me to the Caribbean in my mind imagining some beans and rice made with these. But now they would be a kind of fusion thing.

I added some chayote a popular squash used all over the world mostly in tropical countries but they are becoming more and more popular in other countries and available almost everywhere. The flavor is mild and the texture is kind of crunchy and watery.

I sauteed onion, garlic, chayote then added tomato puree mixed with onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, coriander, chili flakes, chili powder, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, sugar, chopped tomatoes, and chopped fresh herbs consisting of oregano, garlic chives, parsley and mint.

Some of the herbs came from a local sharing garden.

Prior to making the tacos, I made a vegan cream sauce which was to replace a popular cream sauce used in Mexico called "crema".

I used ingredients that I already had so instead of the popular soaked cashew, I used sunflower seeds around 1/2 cup, around 1/2 cup ground almond and around 1/4 cup tapioca that I ground up in the blender. I stirred everything in water until it was hot then let it soak for a while .

Afterwards it was blended in the blender with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, lemon juice, and pepper. The sauce was put back on a double boiler and stirred until thick then cooled off.

The tacos were slathered with this sauce then topped with the bean mixture.

This was the first time I used mint in a Latino/Caribbean dish and I was very pleased with the fact that it tasted like one of my favorite cocktails, the "Mojito" which combines muddled mint leaves and lime.

This was partially cooked outside on our portable stove, since my dear mother in law came back to the house sooner than expected. She hates garlic so we took it outside and it was a great thing because today is one of the most beautiful hot days in Montreal and I am thankful.