Celebrate Taco Tuesday With These Vegan Eggplant Tacos

Full of bold, smoky flavors, the make-at-home meat substitute at the heart of this taco recipe comes together quickly from kitchen staples you probably already have in your pantry. To make these tacos raw, skip toasting the eggplant. 

Raw Vegan Eggplant Tacos

Yield: 20 mini tacos
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Walnut Taco Filling
1 cup walnuts
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in boiling water 10 minutes
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Organic Coconut Amino Sauce
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Ground Cumin
2 teaspoons Thrive Market Organic Taco Seasoning
Pinch Thrive Market Organic Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon salt

1 to 2 large eggplant rounds
1/2 red cabbage, thinly sliced
Juice of 2 limes
Salt, to taste
1 avocado, thinly sliced
Cilantro, to garnish

Place walnuts, sun-dried tomatoes, coconut aminos, vinegar, spices, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process until roughly combined and resembles the texture of ground meat, adding in a little water if necessary.

Slice eggplants into 1/4-inch sized rounds. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, place sliced eggplant in dry skillet, and toast 30 seconds to 1 minute each side, so that the eggplant softens slightly and becomes golden brown in color.

In a small bowl, toss together cabbage with lime juice and salt.

To assemble tacos, top toasted eggplant with desired amount of walnut filling, red cabbage, and avocado. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont