Roasted Cauliflower Tacos

If you’d asked me three months ago if we ate a lot of vegetarian meals as a family, I would have said, “Oh, yes, tons of meals! Most of our meals!” Uh, yeah, not really. Since Julian has become a pescitarian and I’m not really a fan of making more than one dinner, we’ve been eating a ton of vegetarian meals. Like, most of them. And in principle that’s all good. We could all do with less meat in our lives, from both a health and budget perspective. But it’s not easy. Esme, the resident carnivore, is feeling pretty put out about the whole thing. I don’t feel like I’ve figured out a way to cook that makes everyone happy at every meal. But, maybe that’s just parenting – someone’s always complaining.

Okay, but before I go to a dark place with this (sheesh!), I have come up with a few tricks that give everyone some of what they want. Obviously I making a lot of fish, as that’s still on Julian’s list (if anyone reminds him that fish are animals, too, I will cut you, just saying). My other trick is roasting things. No matter what you start with as your base, if you roast it, it’s going to feel more satisfying. These tacos are the perfect example. I’ve been thinking about cauliflower tacos for a while, wondering how to make them feel a little less B-list that they might. Roasting them, tossed in spiced panko, did the A-list trick. They’ve got some crunch and they have a deep taste that vegetables sometimes lack. And that texture against a creamy, zingy avocado cream?

They’re bonkers. Everybody likes them. Nobody complained!

In the recipe, you’ll see I listed the extras we’ve been using, but feel free to freestyle with what you’ve got. You might have cheddar or jack cheese rather than queso, chopped lettuce rather than cabbage. It’s all good.

photo by Leila Ashtari