Eat beef-free tacos and nobody gets hurt! Many of my friends are eating healthy, turning vegetarian or vegan, and when I develop recipes for my blog, I have them on my mind. I came up with this recipe for beef-free tacos when we got together for game night. For my taco filling, I used Beef-Free Crumble, beefy flavor, made by Beyond Meat. The tacos disappeared faster than I could make them.

All you need to do is make the beef-free filling and spoon it into store-bought taco shells or tortillas. Top them with ribbons of lettuce, diced tomatoes and onions, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, and drizzle with the cilantro, mint and yogurt dressing.

Please note, for this recipe, you won’t need to roast the cumin and coriander seeds. I used a mortar and pestle to crush them coarsely. However, if you don’t like biting into them when you eat, then crush them finely. You can find Beyond Meat products at Whole Foods, Target, and Safeway.

Kudos to all my friends that have chosen to decrease their dependence on animal protein. I’d love to know if you’d like more vegetarian recipes like this one.

Beef-free Tacos
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 15

Ingredients for filling:
¼ cup oil
2 large red onions, finely chopped, (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon crushed cumin seeds
1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds
2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder, (optional; depending on heat and your preference)
¼ teaspoon garam masala, (optional)
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 packets (11 oz, 312 g each) Beef-free Crumble, Beefy flavor
1 can (15.5 oz, 439 g) black beans, drained
1 cup Greek yoghurt, beaten
¼ cup water
salt
2 boxes of Stand ‘n Stuff Taco shells

Directions:
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and cook until the water from the onion evaporates and it turns slightly brown around the edges. Then turn the heat to low, and fry the onion until it turns golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and let it cook for one minute or until the raw smell disappears. Add the tomatoes, turmeric, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, and garam masala. Stir and cook for two minutes.

Add the green pepper, beef-free crumble, black beans, yoghurt, water, and salt. Stir well and cover with a lid. Cook on low heat for five minutes or until all the liquid dries out.

Spoon filling into taco shells or tortillas. Add toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and cheese. Drizzle with cilantro, mint and yogurt dressing.

Cilantro, Mint and Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients:
2 cups cilantro, roughly chopped and lightly packed
1 cup mint leaves, lightly packed
3 green chillies, roughly chopped, (optional, depending on heat and your preference)
½ teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
salt
1 cup Greek yogurt

Directions:
Put the cilantro, mint, chilli, sugar, lemon juice, water, and salt into a blender, and make a smooth purée. Pour into a large bowl and add yogurt. Using a whisk, beat well. Drizzle on the taco toppings.