Adobo Chickpea Tacos

I came across what sounded like a simple and pretty kickass recipe on BA‘s sister site basically, and knew I had to whip up a vegan-friendly version of it. Mission accomplished, I already made it twice. The first time fairly faithfully to the original, albeit with the appropriate changes to veganize it. The second time, with more tweaks to make it even friendlier to my own palate. The original was just too sweet for me and didn’t allow the adobo sauce to come through. The recipe can be found further down this post.

Being as into salads as I’ve been lately, I also do the usual thing of applying a little of the mayo dressing at the bottom of a (super large) plate (I find you don’t need to use as much, and it’s easier to do it that way to make sure everything gets a fair amount of dressing), load thinly sliced veggies on top (cabbage, bell pepper, radishes, beets), and then finally add the chickpeas and an ungodly amount of marinated red onions. They’re that good. Anyway, that’s the salad just below. Except I’m not showcasing the full amount of marinated onion added to my plate. Seriously ungodly.

Ingredients:

Yield: About 8 to 12 tacos depending on how you load them

For the onions:

• 1 medium red onion, peeled, cut into thin half-moon slices;
• 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice;
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt.

For the chickpeas:

• 2 teaspoons roasted peanut oil or oil of choice;
• 2 tablespoons adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers;
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar;
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked sea salt;
• One 25-ounce can cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed.

For the mayo:

• 1/2 cup vegan mayo;
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice;
• 1 grated garlic clove;
• Coarse kosher salt, to taste.

For the tacos:

• Corn tortillas;
• Thinly sliced white cabbage;
• Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped;
• Lemon or lime wedges.

Instructions

1. To make the onions: Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl, using a clean hand to massage the onion slices until soft. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before using. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
2. To make the chickpeas: Combine all the ingredients in a skillet. Cook on medium-high heat until light golden brown, and that the liquids evaporate. Should take about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally and adjust the heat as needed. Set aside. Don’t wash the skillet: use it to heat your tortillas instead, it’ll add flavor to them and save you from doing more dishes than needed.
3. To make the mayo: Whisk to combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
4. To assemble the tacos, heat the tortillas to make them pliable and more flavorful. Top with a spoonful of chickpeas, which you can mash slightly to keep them from rolling out too much. Didn’t find it to be an issue myself. Top with a handful of cabbage, marinated onion, a drizzle of mayo dressing, and parsley to taste. Repeat with remaining tacos, and serve immediately with citrus wedges.