Seitan Tacos Recipe

Urvashee Patel | Dessarts

Seitan tacos are a great vegetarian option. They make for a blank canvas and take on any flavor profile. We especially love them with...

Seitan Tacos Photo

One of my favorite vegetarian restaurants in NYC is Candle 79. I've never been to a vegetarian restaurant where so many of the dishes are so good that it's hard to choose one. However, I do know that one menu item is always a must order; the seitan chimichurri appetizers! They are served as charred pieces of seitan on skewers along side a citrus herb sauce for dipping. These citrus herb seitan tacos were kind of inspired by a craving for these skewers.

It was also partly inspired by tacos I recently had at a Jersey City Mexican restaurant. Their menu actually had a vegetarian taco with seitan and poblanos. It was the first time I had seen seitan at a Mexican restaurant and they were quite good!

In case you are not familiar with seitan, let me give you the scoop. Seitan, pronounced say-tan, is wheat gluten, the protein found in wheat. It's chewy and is often used as a meat substitute or to make mock meats.

Seitan Tacos Picture

Because it's high in protein, I often use it to make my vegetable stir fry recipes into a heartier meal. It's very versatile because it can be prepared in different flavors and firmness. If you’re up for it, you can make your own seitan at home and customize it. If you’re like me and find that the process takes too long, you can just buy it packaged and already cooked. I've seen it sold as strips, cubes, and even crumbles.
Our usual vegetarian tacos consist of vegetarian refried beans, lettuce, tomato, onion and cheese. Seitan tacos are a great alternative to vegetarian bean tacos. I usually have seitan stocked in the refrigerator. It comes in handy when I want tacos but forgot to soak the beans!

Seitan Tacos Image

I was really craving those chimichurris, so I decided to make a citrus dressing in place of using taco sauce. It not only reminds me of my favorite restaurant’s yummy appetizers but the citrus herb dressing gives them a distinctly different flavor from our usual taco. I love that it is sweet, sour and spicy all at once!

If you are looking for a different vegetarian taco, give these a try. Serve them in your favorite soft flour tortillas, corn tortillas, crunchy shells or even as a salad.

It's Taco Week on Food Fanatic sponsored by KitchenIQ. Follow along, make your own, and make sure to share them with us on Twitter and Facebook using #TacoWeek.

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Seitan Tacos Recipe

    4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces Seitan Strips, 1 package
  • 2 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 2 jalapeños Jalapeños, deseeded and minced
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder
  • 1/2 cup Onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Orange Juice
  • 2 tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
  • 1/4 cup Olive Oil
  • 3 tablespoons Fresh Parsley, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Honey
  • 3 tablespoons Sour Cream
  • 3 tablespoons Canola Oil
  • 1 large Tomato, diced
  • 2 cups Baby Spinach, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • 8 Flour Tortillas, corn tortillas, or corn taco shells

Directions

  1. Drain the seitan strips and toss them with the garlic, jalapenos, cumin, chili powder, and onions in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. Combine the orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, parsley, cilantro and honey in a blender and mix until combined. Whisk in the sour cream. Set aside.
  3. In a medium skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat. Add the seitan mixture and cook until the seitan has browned and the onions are soft.
  4. Assemble the tacos with the seitan mixture, tomatoes, spinach and cheese.
  5. Spoon the citrus dressing over the tacos. Alternatively, because it is very liquid, you can also coat the cooked seitan mixture with the desired amount of dressing before taco assembly. 

Notes

  • I used a thyme flavored honey which added to the herby flavor of the dressing.
  • Make sure the jalapeno is actually spicy. This dish is better with a little kick!

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Cooking Method:
Sauteed
Category:
Vegetables
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Related Recipes:
Vegetarian Recipes, Vegetable Recipes, Pepper Recipes, Spinach Recipes, Seitan Recipes, Taco Recipes, Taco Week Recipes, Sauteed Recipes
Recipe Yields:
4 servings
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Cook Time:
Total Time:
Related Post:
Published:
Author: Urvashee Patel
Recipe Yields: 4 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 2 tacos
Servings Per Recipe 4

Amount Per Serving
Calories from Fat 304
Calories 662

% Daily Value*
58%
Total Fat 38g
29%
  Saturated Fat 6g
25%
Sodium 589mg
21%
Total Carbohydrate 62g
1%
  Dietary Fiber 1g
  Sugars 13g
52%
Protein 26g

* Percent Daily Value are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrition Facts are estimated based on ingredients and data provided by Fat Secret. Please consult a doctor if you have special dietary needs.
Urvashee Patel

About Urvashee

Urvashee blogs about delectable desserts on her blog, Dessarts. Lucky for us, she's sharing her delectable vegetarian dishes too as a Vegetarian Fanatic.

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