A family-friendly out-of-the-box version of tacos
Craving tacos and looking for a more family-friendly way of eating them? I’ve done the out of the box thinking for you. My family grew up eating tacos because it’s a cheap and easy way to feed the family. After a while, that gets boring. I wanted something else that wasn’t another trip to the golden arches.
A few weeks ago, I had the idea to cook my own potstickers at home. They were absolutely delicious. Afterward, I had leftover wonton wrappers and a lot of vegetables. I was craving tacos but didn’t want the greasy or floury shell. Lately, I’ve found that eating an excessive amount of corn has been upsetting my stomach beyond measure. Corn is also one of the most highly sprayed plants with glyphosate, which can cause inflammation in the gut. Instead, the idea of making taco wontons was born.
Making wontons is a great way to help with portion control, especially because each piece is bite-sized. It can be eaten in one or two bites, versus a whole taco. If you’re by yourself, this could be a tedious process because it takes a while. This will test your patience, but it’s worth the time if you want to turn your meal into a creative masterpiece. Be prepared to get messy in the process. Brownie points if you can get your family to help you. It’s a great activity to do with young kids to turn into an arts and crafts project. Turning food into fun is the best way to start children eating healthy at a young age. I used plant-based meat to make this a completely vegetarian dish. If you want to go the extra mile and make this a complete meal, I prepared nopales and guacamole. I added mangos to the guacamole to give the dish a sweet and salty bite. That way you get your healthy fats, vegetables, lean protein, and carbohydrates. Find my popcorn-worthy recipe below.
For the Wontons:
1 lb Plant-Based protein
½ green or red bell pepper, diced small
¼ red or white onion, diced small
½ small roma tomato, diced small
1 clove of fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper, to taste
A handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pack of store-bought wontons
Top with fresh cilantro and green onion
For the Nopales:
3 nopales, chopped
1 serrano pepper, sliced into strips
½ green or red bell pepper, sliced into strips
¼ white or red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
Top with squeezed lime juice, fresh cilantro, and green onion
For the Mango Guacamole:
Use my restaurant quality guacamole recipe
1 Mango, diced
Top with fresh cilantro and green onion
Directions:
1) Prepare the nopales by following the directions here —> this website explains it very well and would like to give credit
2) In a sauté pan, add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to the pan. Add the prepared nopales and salt to the pan. Cook on medium heat and let it simmer (covered) for 15-20 minutes until the liquid in the center has evaporated. Set aside.
3) Chop the rest of your remaining vegetables for the nopales, wontons, and guacamole.
4) In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the wontons. Mix everything around with your hands until everything is incorporated.
5) Carefully wrap your wontons by using 1 heaping teaspoon of the mixture into the middle of the wonton wrap. Dip two fingers in water and tap the outsides of the wonton until damp. Do not over soak or they will rip apart while you’re closing them. To close, gently fold into a triangle and press the edges down with a fork to secure the sides together. Remove any excess mixture as you close the wontons if it starts leaking out the sides.
6) Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees. Place as many wontons in the air fryer that fit and cook for 8 minutes.
7) While the wontons are cooking, add the remaining tablespoons of olive oil into the pan with the nopales and sauté the remaining peppers for 5 minutes.
8) Prepare the guacamole by mixing all of the ingredients into a large bowl.
9) Enjoy the wontons with guacamole on top and a side of the nopales to make this a well-rounded meal.
