Vegan Tacos: Authentic and Inspired Recipes for Mexico’s Favorite Street Food

After suffering through too many “taco” recipes of beans sauteed with chili powder and thrown in a tortilla, vegans can finally enjoy regional Mexican cuisine with Vegan Tacos: Authentic & Inspired Recipes for Mexico’s Favorite Street Food. These tacos don’t come without some serious effort, though. Fresh ingredients, obscure seasonings and a whole lot of chopping are hallmarks of vegan cuisine and “Vegan Tacos” doesn’t disappoint. I made Baja-style Tempeh Tacos, beginning a day in advance by marinating tempeh and making mojo de ajo, a tart garlic sauce. I finished them by grilling spring onions, slicing red cabbage and making my own chopped guacamole.

Recipes for salsas, guacamoles and even drinks to wash down your regionally authentic creations are included. Sauteeing beans with chili powder started to look pretty appealing, but the effort was well worth it in the end. Some varieties of chiles and mushrooms that are in some of the book’s recipes are simply unavailable in places without an ethnic market or a Whole Foods. If you live in a culinary black hole, and it’s tough to be a vegan in your area, you might want to forego this book for one with more attainable ingredients.