This unlikely pairing of blackened Brussels sprouts and fully loaded corn tortillas was inspired by my favourite taco spot in Hamilton, where the rap music is loud, and the list of vegetarian tacos is long.
Heaven, right?
Lately, every tray of roasted vegetables has become a conquest for achieving maximum crisp and caramelized edges. Over Christmas I had the luxury to peruse through many a cookbook and came across just the technique my veggie game needed. The author’s technique to achieving extreme caramelization, or ‘burnt-ness’ was to roast the veg on the oven floor, over very high temperature.
In a short time, this results in beautifully blackened veg, without turning mushy. Yeehaw.
I know you’re going to love this on your next batch of veggies, but be mindful that each oven has it’s own personality, so 12 minutes for me, may mean 15 for you. Be sure to keep an eye on them the first time around, and stir as necessary.
Now for the tacos….
With the Brussels taking care of the necessary meaty, umami punch, we’ve got buttery smashed avocado, zingy lime and the crunch of salted pepitas coming through as supporting players.
Let me know if you give these tacos a whirl and comment below or tag me @earthandoven on instagram!
Ingredients
- 3 heaping cups of Brussels, halved and trimmed
- 1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp of tamari
- 6 corn tortillas
- 4 radishes, sliced into matchsticks
- 1 large avocado, mashed
- 1 lime
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
- optional: feta or cotija cheese, crumbled
Method
- Preheat the oven to 500 F.
- On a foil lined baking sheet, add the Brussels sprouts, paprika, salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss well to disperse the spices to coat everything. Place the sprouts cut sides down.
- Arrange the baking sheet on the verrrry bottom of the oven, or if that is not possible, on a rack closest to the bottom. Roast for 6 minutes. Take a peak at the cut sides to see if they are getting dark, they should have some colour by now. Add the pepitas to the tray and bake for another 5 minutes. Stir the Brussels and roast for 2 minutes more, until they are tender, bright green and black in parts. It's ok if the wispy leaves are completely charred. Straight out of the oven, drizzle the tamari onto the sprout mixture and toss to coat
- While the Brussels are roasting, in a small bowl, toss the radishes with juice from 1/4 of the lime and season with salt.
- In another small bowl, mash the avocado and squeeze juice from 1/2 the lime and season with salt.
- Just before serving, warm the tortillas on a pan over medium high heat, until warmed through.
- Plate the tortillas and spoon the Brussels sprout and pepita mixture over. Dollop the avocado and sprinkle the green onions, cilantro, radishes and feta cheese. Squeeze over any remaining lime juice.
This is so cool! I lived in Hamilton over a few months in 2016/2017 and I loved this taco at The Mule. I’ll try make this 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Ingrid – that’s awesome!!! Love Hamilton, it’s restaurant scene keeps growing! Hope you loved the tacos. -Mere