Chickpea Tacos

Chickpea Tacos a.ka. Mr. X's "favorite" vegetarian "thing" that I make.

We had a friend over for dinner tonight, and I wasn't clear on what he could/couldn't eat (he is an occasional, more often than not, vegetarian). Chickpea tacos seemed like the easiest answer - they are quick to make, vegetarian, and even Mr. X loves them! The first time I made them I used the recipe found on Coffee and Quinoa, but since then I have altered it quite a bit to suite our tastes (of course).

I was lazy this time around and bought pre-made Wholly Guacamole. Mr. X and I are pretty picky about our guac, but this stuff will pass muster when we don't feel like making our own. If your store carries it (not sure if this is just a Texas thing), I would recommend it as a great substitute.

If not, guacamole is not that hard to pull together. Mix together avocado (as chunky or smooth as you like them), freshly diced tomatoes, onion (I prefer red onions) and cilantro. Then add garlic powder, salt and lime to taste. Some people like jalapeños in their guacamole, despite our love for spice we prefer ours without. But to each their own. Guacamole is very much a person-by-person endeavor, some like more lime, some more tomatoes....just play with it until you realize you ate the whole bowl. That means you got it right.

But for lazy weeknight dinners, Wholly Guacamole will suffice.

For the tacos I drain the chickpeas (I used two cans this time, but normally for just two of us, I would only use one can), and toss the beans in a taco seasoning. My personal taco seasoning includes chili powder, garlic, paprika, cumin, cayenne and salt - all to taste, but probably an average of 3/4 - 1 full teaspoon per seasoning (again for two cans). Heat a teaspoon of olive oil in a pan, and saute one small diced red onion, one jalapeño and 2-3 cloves of garlic until the onion is soft and the garlic is fragrant. Add the chickpeas, about 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 tsp of cornstarch (or other thickener) and cook until the chickpeas are cooked through and the water has mostly evaporated. Then stir in the juice from half a lime (or a full lime if it is not very juicy).

Spoon the chickpea filling into a taco shell (I recommend the stand and stuff type), top with plenty of guacamole, cilantro and a sprinkling of lettuce and DONE!

SOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOODDDDDDD!!!!!!  And it is super quick, all told it is a 15 minute dinner. Maybe 20 minutes if you are making your own guacamole!