Y’all know that cooking is one of my greatest passions, but even I have my limits.
After 3 weeks of preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner for our family of four nearly every day while we’re sheltering at home, I’ve got to admit that my creative ideas are starting to dry up. Especially when fresh ingredients are limited and last-minute grocery runs are nonexistent.
That said, this time at home has also been full of great meals, since much of what we have to look forward to each day consists of starting the day with pancakes, or pouring a glass of pinot noir, or gathering around the dinner table for something really nourishing. We’ve eaten a lot of tacos during this time, likely because we’ve always got beans, rice, and corn tortillas on hand — but also because there’s just something about a really good taco that hits the spot like nothing else.
I’ve been continuing to cook up a lot of plant-based dinners, and now even more so since all our fish and meat is basically coming from the freezer. These brussels sprouts tacos have been my most successful vegetarian experiment of our quarantine so far — even Adam said that he “didn’t miss the meat,” and the spicy peanut sauce and mashed avocado make these feel really substantial.
Even better, they leverage brussels sprouts, radishes, and onions: three veggies that can last literally weeks when stored properly (brussels and radishes in the produce drawer of the fridge, onions in a dark spot in the pantry.) As I’ve shared before, good pantry meals rely on veggies that are either frozen or hearty enough to last a long time — like these, or pretty much any root vegetables.
The secret to these tacos really is in the sauce: this peanut sauce is a stealth super hero that takes the rest of the ingredients and turns them into something addictive. The recipe makes about 1 1/4 cups of sauce so you’ll have some extra, but if you do decide to double it, you won’t be sorry. Use it to make a stir fry, drizzle on a spring roll bowl, or mix with a little rice vinegar or extra lime juice and make it your go-to salad dressing all week long.
Scroll on for the recipe, and I’d love to hear in the comments how y’all are getting creative with your pantry ingredients this week!
Spicy Peanut Brussels Sprout Tacos
Serves 4
Spicy Peanut Brussels Sprouts Tacos is the Vegetarian Dinner We Want Right Now
Ingredients
- 3 cups brussels sprouts, quartered
- 1 cup radishes, quartered
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 - 12 corn tortillas
- 2 avocados, mashed
- peanut sauce (recipe below)
- for garnish (these are all optional - use what you've got!) - pickled onion or chopped raw onion, cilantro, chopped peanuts, lime wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, toss brussels sprouts and radishes with oil, honey, coconut aminos, chili powder, and salt. Roast until the veggies are crisp and golden brown on the edges, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Char corn tortillas by using tongs to hold them over a gas burner until they start to blacken on the edges. Flip, blacken, remove and keep warm by placing in a large ziploc bag. Alternatively, you can wrap tortillas in a towel and place them in the oven for a few minutes.
- On each tortilla, add a scoop of mashed avocado, then top with brussels sprouts, radishes, pickled onion, cilantro, and peanuts. Drizzle with peanut sauce and serve with lime wedges.
Spicy Peanut Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- squeeze of sriracha
- kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. If sauce needs thinning, add a little hot water and blend. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
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Love this! Please keep sharing any sauce ideas you have. I agree that sauces are making a big difference in our meals lately. I’m new to making my own sauces so this post is much appreciated. Have a great Wednesday!
Do you use canned coconut milk or the refrigerated kind? Thanks!
Ideally you’ll want to use full-fat canned coconut milk to give it some richness. 🙂
Had these tonight! Amazing!! Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved!! xo
Looks amazing! Plan to make this weekend!
Do you think the sauce would still taste good without the fish sauce? Or do you suggest any substitutes?
You can totally leave it out! It adds a little depth of flavor, but you won’t miss it. 🙂
Made these tonight and they were amazing! Swapped the honey and fish sauce for agave nectar and soy sauce and they became vegan! I will for sure make these again as they were easy and super yummy. The peanut sauce makes it for sure!
I’m so glad to hear it, Emily! Your subs sound perfect. Thanks for the feedback!