Easy and healthy tacos filled with mushrooms, peppers and onions all topped with fresh salsa from pecans and arugula. This quick recipe is a perfect meatless weeknight dinner or a vegetarian option for entertaining.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 15 minutesminutes
Servings 12small tacos
Ingredients
Pecan Salsa
1Cchopped pecans
2jalapenos
1limezest and juice
½tspsalt
6Tbolive oil
1Carugula
2ears fresh corn*
Mushroom Filling
2Tbolive oil
1onion
1poblano
1lbmushrooms**
1clovegarlic
1tspchipotle chili powder
½tspcoriander
½tspcumin
½tsponion powder
½tspgarlic powder
½tspsalt
black pepper to taste
Tacos
12 4.5-inchtortillasflour or corn
lime
cotija cheese
Instructions
To make salsa
Split the jalapeno in half vertically and remove seeds (if you like it extra spicy, feel free to keep the seeds). Slice the halves into thin strips and then mince. Add to a small mixing bowl with the chopped pecans.
Zest the lime and then juice, adding both to the bowl along with the salt and olive oil. Mix to combine.
Roughly chop the arugula. If using fresh corn, shuck the cobs then cut the kernels off. I like to do this on a dish towel. It helps the kernels from bouncing all over the place.
Add the chopped arugula and corn kernels to the other ingredients and mix well to combine. Set aside while you prepare the mushrooms. This is not the kind of salsa you can make ahead. You'll want to eat this fresh as the arugula will start to get squiggly if left in the lime too long.
To make filling
Preheat a large nonstick saute pan over medium high heat and add 1 Tb of olive oil. Thinly slice the onion. Remove the seeds and stem from the poblano and slice in to thin strips.
Add the onions and poblano to the hot pan and saute for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are soft and brown around the edges. Pour the cooked veggies into a bowl and set aside.
While the onions and pepper cook, wipe the mushrooms of any apparent dirt using a lightly damp paper towel. Remove the stem (if it's woody like in a portabella, baby portabella- also called cremini mushrooms- or button mushroom) and slice into ¼-inch slices. If you're using a delicate mushroom like beech, one of my favorites, feel free to leave them whole.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan (no need to clean it). Once the oil is hot, add the sliced mushrooms. Spread them around evenly and then leave them alone (NO STIRRING) for at least two minutes or until the mushrooms develop a nice golden brown color. That color is where all the great mushroom flavor lives so don't be afraid to brown them well!
Once browned on one side, stir the mushrooms well. As the other side begins to brown, mince the garlic clove and add it along with all of the seasonings. After the second side has browned for a couple of minutes, mix all the seasoning and garlic through the mushrooms.
Last, add the cooked veggies back to the mushrooms and allow it all to cook together for another 2-3 minutes until the garlic has browned and the onion and pepper are hot.
To assemble tacos
Heat the tortillas on a flat grill pan or a cast iron skillet over medium high heat until hot and lightly toasted, usually about one minute per side.
If you're using corn tortillas, I usually lay down a base of 2 tortillas or for flour just one. Fill the tortilla with a generous portion of mushroom filling. Top with a heaping spoonful of Pecan salsa and crumbled cotija cheese. Serve with a lime wedge.
Notes
* If fresh corn is not in season (IE: if it's not warm outside), don't waste your time or money on it. For a substitute, I prefer frozen corn but canned also works. If using frozen, be sure to thaw and drain before adding to the salsa. If you're using canned, rinse the corn well in a strainer and drain before adding. ** Any kind of mushroom will work for this recipe. Feel free to be adventurous and try a shroom you've never had before, particularly if you live in an area where wild mushrooms are regularly available. I used 8 ounces baby portabellas and 8 ounces of beech mushrooms which can both be found at a standard grocery store.