Vegetarian tacos with chickpeas, carrots and cilantro yogurt | Vegetarian, gluten-free
“I don’t miss meat. I just like eating really good food.” That’s Jack, from Jeanine and Jack of Love and Lemons, proving that if you needed any convincing, eating lots of veg is far from unsatisfying. What once was a far-fetched idea is becoming more and more accepted in this country. But here in the heart of the meat and potatoes Midwest, Alex and I still feel a little odd-ball championing the virtues of veggies.
We met Jeanine and Jack years ago through our mutual love of cooking mainly vegetables and posting photographs on the internet. Who knew that they’d go on to run a ragingly successful food blog and become author and photographer of the stunning Love and Lemons Cookbook (which just so happens to be released today)? OK, we knew, and these two not only hit it out of the park on veggie recipes and photos, but they are two of the most genuinely kind souls you’ve ever met. (And Jeanine helped us with design tips on our kitchen. To which we’ll be eternally grateful.)
These vegetarian tacos are from the Love and Lemons cookbook and an example of vegetable-based food at it’s finest — recipes where you don’t miss the meat. We love cooking this way, and if you’re reading this, likely you do too (or want to). In the recipe, chickpeas are broiled with garlic and cumin, carrots peeled into lovely ribbons, mango cubes thrown in for some sweetness, smothered in creamy cilantro yogurt sauce (and doused with sriacha for good measure). These disappeared very quickly in our house.
And not only do we have this recipe, but we’ve got a little treat: Jeanine and Jack, in the flesh, on the A Couple Cooks Podcast! You’ll get a little behind the scenes on their cookbook, as well as tips for how to improvise with vegetables. Plus, my favorite story about Jeanine’s cookbook nightmare — something about noodle hair? We hope you’ll enjoy it!
For More
Episode 15 — A Couple Cooks Podcast
Order The Love and Lemons Cookbook
- 1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- ½ garlic clove, minced
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 4 medium carrots
- 8 corn tortillas, grilled or warmed
- 1 mango, peeled and cubed
- 3 radishes, thinly sliced
- Few handfuls of cilantro leaves, stems reserved
- Sriracha, for serving
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced (optional)
- Preheat the broiler of your oven, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Toss the chickpeas with a drizzle of olive oil, garlic, cumin, and pinches of salt and pepper. Broil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the chickpeas are slightly golden brown.
- Peel the carrots into ribbons (using a vegetable peeler) and set aside.
- Make the cilantro-stem yogurt sauce (below).
- Fill each tortilla with the yogurt sauce, chickpeas, mango, radishes, carrot ribbons, cilantro, and serrano pepper, if using. Serve with sriracha on the side.
- 7 ounces Greek yogurt
- ⅔ cup reserved cilantro stems
- 2 scallions, chopped
- ½ garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon dried coriander
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon honey
- In a food processor, pulse the yogurt, cilantro stems, scallions, garlic, coriander, lime juice, and pinches of salt and pepper. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil.
- Taste and adjust seasonings. If it's too tart, add a bit of honey if you'd like.
- Chill until ready to use.
10 Comments
Fernando @ Eating With Your Hands
March 30, 2016 at 7:15 amLove the adding of carrots and radish for that little extra crunch in between the mango and chickpeas. The photos are to die for. This cookbook looks so good, love the fact that so many people are blogging about it.
Sonja
March 31, 2016 at 11:17 amThank you so much on the photos! And yes, the cookbook is a winner :)
Ellie | Hungry by Nature
March 30, 2016 at 11:10 amThese tacos looks so bright and cheery! And completely not surprising because everything on Jeanine’s site looks this way :)))
Sonja
March 31, 2016 at 11:20 amI couldn’t agree more — everything about their site’s aesthetic is bright and cheery — and the cookbook as well!
Jeanine
March 30, 2016 at 1:07 pmThank you, sweet friend!! I love this, and your tacos look so gorgeous :) xoxo
Sonja
March 31, 2016 at 11:21 amAbsolutely — it’s our honor! So happy to feature your gorgeous book :) Much love to both you and Jack! xo
Erica
March 31, 2016 at 7:50 amListened to the podcast this morning, I laughed at the jokes from Alex sprinkled in the episode haha. And Jack and Jeanine sound fantastic, I love hearing couples on your podcast!
These tacos looks so pretty!!! <3
Sonja
March 31, 2016 at 10:48 amSO glad you enjoyed this podcast! Yes, Alex had me laughing during this one :) And thanks for the feedback about hearing couples on the podcast — I agree, they are so much fun!
Puja Darshan
April 3, 2016 at 8:09 amLoved the addition of carrot in this recipe, simply superb. :)
Hollie
April 4, 2016 at 8:37 pmI was really hesitant about this one b/c I don’t really like raw vegetables. However, this dish surpassed my expectations! I forgot the radishes and added a sautéed and chopped up jalapeño pepper (since I already had some at home), but the melding of the flavors was amazing – especially when you add the sriracha!