Tacos for under 200 calories? Yes, please!! These tacos Al Pastor a bursting with flavor and wrapped in light and fluffy low cal tortillas ( thank you Maria & Ricardo's!)
What Are Tacos Al Pastor?
In order to really understand how our Vegan Tacos Al Pastor came to be, we’re going to give you a quick history lesson. Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Christians bailed out of Lebanon to escape religious oppression by the Ottoman Empire. Many of them headed to Mexico, where they made lives for themselves, had kids, and slowly adopted some aspects of Mexican culture. By the 1960’s, the next generation of Lebanese immigrants started opening restaurants that combined Lebanese and Mexican cuisine. Can we say, “Yum”?
How to make tacos al pastor
One delicious product of escaping Ottoman tyranny is Tacos Al Pastor (“Shepherd Style”), which is based on the spit-grilled meat (also known as shawarma) that the Lebanese brought to Mexico. It combines all the smoky, meaty richness of Middle Eastern cooking with the spiciness beloved by the Mexican palette. Of course, we swapped out the meat for tofu in this recipe, but don't let that fool you! The blandness of tofu that puts people off is also the protein’s greatest asset because it adopts whatever flavors you cook it with. Which is why we were liberal with the chili powder blend, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin. Then we whipped together a salsa with fresh pineapple, tomato, avocado, cilantro and lime juice, and some quick pickled red onions to top the tacos. Simple, easy, and delish.
For our Vegan Tacos Al Pastor, we used Maria & Ricardo’s new Whole Wheat Plus Tortillas, which are non-GMO, made from scratch with avocado oil, and are packed with fiber and protein. Most importantly, they are the perfect, pillowy-soft canvas for your culinary work of art.
Wanna make these tacos gluten-free? You have got to try their (also new) Quinoa Flour Tortillas. We tested the recipe with these also, and they're amazing! They're both available now on Amazon and Whole Foods stores nationwide so, go grab some!
You guys, if you're not familiar with Maria & Ricardo's, they are, by far, our favorite tortillas. For starters, they have a huge selection to choose from, and each one is better than the next! We've always been huge fans, and when we met them at Expo West this year and discovered some of their new products (and you all know we're suckers for new products), we couldn't wait to partner up with them to create some deliciousness.
Hope you enjoy them as much as we did. We'd love to hear your thoughts so, feel free to share!
Other Vegan Tacos You'll Enjoy:
- Shawarma Tacos with Tahini Guacamole
- Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
- Chipotle Hummus & Roasted Vegetable Healthy Tacos
- Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
- Vegan and Gluten-Free Chickpea Tacos
- Avocado, Mango and Tofu Tacos
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Vegan Tacos Al Pastor
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 tacos 1x
Description
Tacos for under 200 calories? Yes, please!! These tacos Al Pastor are bursting with flavor and wrapped in light and fluffy low-cal tortillas ( thank you Maria & Ricardo's!)
Ingredients
- 14oz extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp chili powder blend
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ tsp cumin
- ¾ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup diced fresh pineapple ( about ¼ of a medium size pineapple)
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (you can also use parsley)
- 1 large tomato, diced small
- 1 large Hass avocado, diced
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt to taste
- 6 Maria & Ricardo's Whole Wheat Plus Tortillas
- For the pickled onions:
- 1 large red onion, sliced thin
- 1 cup of warm water
- 6 tbsp red wine vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper
- Pat dry the tofu with some paper towels and dice it into bite size pieces. Transfer it to a large bowl, add the oil, chili powder, salt, cumin, turmeric, onion and garlic powder and toss gently, until the tofu is well coated. Transfer to the lined baking sheet, and bake for 25 minutes
- In the meantime, prepare the pickled onions. Place the sliced onions in a medium bowl. Combine the warm water, red wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon sugar in a separate bowl, mix well and pour over the onions. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use
- Combine the diced pineapple, cilantro, tomato, avocado, lime juice and salt in a large bowl. Toss gently and refrigerate until ready to use
- To assemble the tacos, scoop some of the pineapple salsa on a tortilla. Top with tofu and onions and serve immediately
Notes
For a gluten-free option, try Maria & Ricardo's Quinoa Flour Tortillas!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Tacos
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: Mexican / vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 196
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 718.4
- Fat: 10.9
- Saturated Fat: 1.3
- Unsaturated Fat: 8.6
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 20.5
- Fiber: 9.5
- Protein: 10.7
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: tacos, tacos al pastor, tofu, spices, avocado, pineapple
Paula Zevin says
Vicky & Ruth, can't wait to make these since I've been wanting to vegetarianize or veganize the "al pastor" type food for a while now. You two went ahead and did it! Thank you! I'm thinking of adding some black pepper to the spice mix, to "activate" the turmeric more.
★★★★★
Vicky & Ruth says
Adding black pepper is a great idea, thank you!
Kathy says
I've m,ade this recipe several times and everyone loved it so much. Such a great recipe.
★★★★★