Even though it’s a salad, taco salad is usually a far cry from a healthy dish. Its main ingredients typically include fried tortillas, taco meat, and cheese, which all come together to create a calorie-, sodium-, and saturated fat-loaded entree. We made a few tweaks to fix this problem. Our new and improved taco salad is a nutrient-dense, fiber-loaded entree with all the savory flavors intact.
We love the tempeh taco meat in this recipe because it’s so versatile. I’ve put it in tacos, burritos, on our Mile High Nachos, in quesadillas.. really whatever Mexican-style dish you like. If you don’t want to mess with pulling all the spices out and measuring them, I’ve found that taco or fajita seasoning does the trick almost as well.
You can also use taco or fajita seasoning in place of the spices in the queso. If you do this I’d recommend also including the turmeric, not only because of its amazing health benefits (read about that here), but also because it gives it that nice yellow cheesy color.
Plant-Based Queso Tempeh Taco Salad
Ingredients
Tortilla Chips
- 2 6-inch Corn Tortillas
Dairy-Free Queso Dressing
- 1 c raw cashews
- 3/4 c water
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2-3 Tbsp Jalapeno Tomatillo Hot Sauce
Tempeh Taco "Meat"
- 8 oz tempeh
- 1 Tbsp water
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
All Other Salad Ingredients
- 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- 1/2 cup black beans cooked, rinsed
- 1 tomato diced
- 1 avocado diced
Instructions
Tortilla Chips
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F
- Slice tortillas into ~1/2" x 2" strips. Arrange strips on a baking sheet. Make sure to not overlap them. Bake for 20 minutes, or until starting to brown. Watch these carefully as they can burn quickly. Remove from oven and leave oven on.
Dairy-Free Queso Dressing
- Place all queso ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides periodically.
Tempeh Taco "Meat"
- Heat 1 tablespoon of water in a skillet over medium-high heat. Using your hands, break the tempeh up into small pieces and add it to the pan. Cook until it begin to brown, which should take about 5 - 7 minutes.
- Add all the tempeh taco meat spices and stir to coat the tempeh evenly. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to prevent sticking to pan. Continue to cook until tempeh is crispy on the edges. This should take approximately 10 - 12 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally.
Assembly
- Place lettuce in bowl followed by beans, tomato, avocado, pickled jalapenos and tempeh taco meat. Drizzle and toss queso to coat everything evenly. Sprinkle tortilla strips on top.
Notes
