Sweet Potato Veggie Tacos (Vegan/Gluten-Free/Paleo)

I love tacos in all forms, but I especially love a taco that’s chock full of veggies. Over the years I’ve come up with many renditions and ways to incorporate veggies into tacos, but I think using sweet potato as the main star is my favorite way.

The shredded sweet potatoes take on a super-satisfying texture and have a little crispiness and smokiness that make them especially good. I personally love adding a little cabbage slaw to my tacos for a fresh crunch, but you could easily substitute shredded romaine or another crunchy green of your choice. And then you pile on all the good stuff - avocado or guacamole, salsa, (dairy-free) sour cream, pickled red onions, cilantro, etc - the sky’s the limit.

I’ve never been a big fan of meat substitutes - they’re often super processed and full of inflammatory ingredients. I prefer to incorporate more vegetables and work with what Mama Nature gives us. This recipe is a perfect way to get more veggies, make eating plant-based even more delicious or just spice up your normal taco routine. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Veggie Tacos

serves 2 very hungry people or 3-4 less hungry people / total time 30ish minutes

sweet potato filling
4 tbsp avocado oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
½ tsp good salt
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, shredded
1 tbsp chili powder
½ tbsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder

cabbage slaw*
½ small cabbage
juice of one lime
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

taco fixings
your favorite taco tortillas/shells (I love Siete Foods)
avocado or guacamole
sour cream of your choice
raw or pickled red onion
salsa
cilantro
lime

directions

1. Add 2 tbsp of the avocado oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is warm add the onions, peppers and salt to the pan. Let them cook for about 10-15 minutes, until they soften and start to brown. If they’re browning too quickly, reduce the heat. Add a splash of water if they start to stick.

2. In the meantime, get your sweet potato shredded. You can use a regular cheese grater or box grater - just make sure the shreds are medium-sized, not fine (or it’s going to be really labor intensive). You could also use a food processor attachment.

3. Once the onions and peppers are cooked transfer them to a bowl and set aside. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of avocado oil to the pan and then the shredded sweet potato and all the spices. Stir until the spices are evenly coating the sweet potato. Cook for 10-15 minutes total, adding 1/4 cup of water halfway through to steam them a little bit, and stirring every couple minutes. They’re done when they’re soft with a few crispy parts and they start sticking to the pan.

4. While your sweet potatoes are cooking, make your slaw and prepare your toppings. To make the cabbage slaw, slice the cabbage into very thin strips (or use a mandoline) and toss with the lime juice and cilantro.

5. When the sweet potatoes are done cooking reduce the heat to low and add the pepper/onion mixture back in.

6. Now the fun part - assemble your tacos! There’s no wrong way to do this so have fun with it and make your tacos your own! Enjoy.

* If you’re not making the cabbage slaw you can substitute romaine or another crunchy green of your choice.

Good Food: The Good Medicine Smoothie Bowl

A better breakfast bowl tastes amazing, keeps you full & gives you the energy you need to get through your day. It’s full of satiating healthy fats, fiber & complex carbohydrates. Best of all, it’s fast to make. While better breakfast bowls are ideally enjoyed sitting down before getting into your day, they’re also portable for those days when that’s just not possible. 

the good

You probably already know this by now, but I LOVE smoothie bowls. They’re delicious, feel really indulgent and give me tons of energy. When I first heard that people were pouring their smoothies in bowls, I was not about it. But then I tried it and I was like Oh. I get it. That’s damn good. Plus this allows you to add a plethora of toppings, and I love a complex symphony of textures and flavors. Which leads me to my next point – a lot of people chug smoothies or sip them through a straw, meaning they’re not chewing. Even though a smoothie is basically pre-chewed food, the act of chewing release important digestive enzymes. By encouraging you to chew, smoothie bowls are ultimately more satisfying and filling.

This is my all time favorite smoothie bowl recipe, which is just sweet enough and totally satisfying from the almond or sunflower seed butter. I usually reserve it for after hard workouts, so it's like a treat - something to look forward to and WERK for. Ya feel me?

Feel free to change up ingredients and toppings to keep it interesting!

the medicine

Blueberries are packed with antioxidants and are one of the top anti-inflammatory foods. They’re also lower in sugar than other fruits.

Zucchini is actually a nutrient powerhouse. In this case it adds fiber plus helps bulk the smoothie up without adding excess sugar. Same goes for the cauliflower, but the cauliflower has the additional benefit of being from the cruciferous vegetable family, making it great for liver support and full of anti-cancer properties.

Greens! We know by now that greens are good for you, yes? I love sneaking greens into smoothies because you can’t taste them and they give you a nice nutrient boost. Spinach is my go-to because frozen organic spinach is inexpensive and I’ve literally never been able to taste it.

Almond or sunflower butter add healthy fats, protein, fiber and vitamin E – a potent antioxidant. Before I started adding fat to smoothies, I would be hungry an hour or two after eating them. Fat gives the smoothie staying power.

Toppings like hemp or chia seeds add additional fiber and omega 3 fatty acids, cacao nibs are a wonderful source of magnesium and trace minerals, and nondairy yogurt gives you gut-boosting probiotics.

tips

If smoothies tend to be too cold for you, use more room temperature ingredients or blend for a longer amount of time. I usually add warm water to my smoothie as the liquid because it makes blending easier and takes the chill off.

I always have smoothies with a warm beverage. In Ayruveda, our digestion is thought of like a fire - too many cold and raw foods can dampen the fire. By having a cup of tea with my smoothie, I'm helping mitigate the cold of the smoothie.

My favorite, non-negotiable toppings are: grain-free granola + cacao nibs. Sometimes hemp seeds or pumpkin seeds.

You could use frozen sweet potato in place of zucchini or cauliflower. To prepare these veggies, simply chop, lightly steam them, lay them out on a baking sheet, freeze overnight and then store in bags in the freezer.

If I’ve just worked out or will be working out later I add the protein powder, but I skip it if not. In the case of not using protein powder, I add 1/2 a frozen banana for sweetness. 

Favorite plant-based proteins include: Aloha and Genuine Health

The amount of liquid you use will depend on how thick you like your smoothies! Feel free to experiment to see what works best for you!

If you have to eat on the go, just make sure you're still "chewing" the smoothie after taking sips. It  might feel weird at first, but I promise it will be better for digestion and you'll feel fuller longer.

 The Good Medicine Smoothie Bowl
 

Serves 1

Ingredients
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 cup steamed then frozen zucchini or cauliflower
2 handfuls fresh or frozen spinach
2 tbsp almond or sunflower seed butter
1 scoop plant-based vanilla protein powder (optional)
1-2 cups nondairy milk or water
1/2 tsp spirulina (optional)

Toppings
hemp seeds
chia seeds
cacao nibs
raisins
granola
shredded coconut
nondairy yogurt
extra fresh fruit
extra drizzle of almond or sunflower seed butter

Instructions

1.    Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
2.    Pour into your favorite bowl and adorn with your favorite toppings.
3.    Enjoy! I hope you feel full, happy & ready to take on your day! 

Good Food: Santa Fe Ranch Salad

There's a chain called Corner Bakery Cafe that had a location in the town where I grew up. Corner Bakery does sandwiches, salads and soups. Their food has a big time nostalgic pull for me - me and my friends would hang out there for hours from middle school all the way through college. Me and my best friend were obsessed with one salad in particular - the Santa Fe Ranch.

Does it sound weird that one of my favorite "comfort foods" is a salad? For sure - but this is a really good salad. BUT - restaurants generally use shitty oils, sugar and other questionable ingredients - even in “healthy” items like salads. So I wanted to recreate my favorite salad using ingredients that I feel 100% good about.

My version of this salad includes making many of the components from scratch, so you know exactly what’s in them. I ditched the cheese and replaced it with avocado (duh). I also ditched the chicken and used jackfruit instead to make it vegetarian. If you wanted to replace the jackfruit with organic shredded chicken, that would be cool – or you could even omit it altogether and the salad would STILL be good.

PS - you could opt to buy a few of these salad components because I realize it looks like a lot of effort (although each step is really pretty simple).

the good

The ranch dressing makes this salad, hands down. So don’t skimp on that part. And don’t be afraid to really lather your lettuce. Opt for crunchy romaine lettuce – it holds the dressing well. The corn salsa – wow, this stuff is way better than even I was expecting. The crunchy tortilla bits, the chunks of avocado… Actually it’s the symphony of everything all together that make this salad so damn good and satisfying. Be heavy handed with the toppings. Make this salad a MEAL.

the medicine

Romaine lettuce is a powerhouse of nutrition – it’s packed with trace minerals, vitamin C, vitamin K, beta-carotene and folate.

Cashews are a great source of healthy fats, vitamin E, vitamin K and minerals like copper, zinc, phosphorous and more. They also pack some antioxidants. Cashews support heart health, eye health and blood health.

People are generally confused about corn, myself included. What you need to know is that the corn that our ancestors ate was vastly different than our GMO, subsidized-by-the-government varieties that dominate the grocery stores today. Corn is also used as a filler in processed foods and of course, turned into high-fructose corn syrup. This is why I will be firm when I say that you should seek out organic, non-GMO corn products and consume them in moderation. That being said, corn actually does have some nutritional value, including fiber, slow-digesting carbohydrates and antioxidants.

Jackfruit, relatively new to the mainstream food scene, is a great source of antioxidants, phytonutrients, vitamin C, magnesium, calcium and vitamin B6.

Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a potent antioxidant know to fight cancer and also help to maintain bone density.

Avocado – the darling of my and so many other people’s lives. Packed with heart healthy monounsaturated fats and fiber. So tasty and so satiating.

tips

Finding jackfruit – you can find fresh jackfruit at Asian markets, but most grocers are now carrying canned jackfruit. Trader Joe’s even has canned jackfruit!

Don't be a pyscho like me (unless you want to be) - you definitely don’t have to make every component of this salad from scratch. My intense desire to make as much from scratch as possible is a personal issue. Really the only thing I insist you make is the dressing. You could easily buy pre-made corn salsa, use crushed tortilla chips and omit the jackfruit or replace it with chicken or black beans.

DON’T SKIMP ON THE DRESSING - that will be the last time I tell you.

Santa Fe Ranch Salad

total time 30ish minutes
serves 2 but you'll likely have some leftovers

the salad
1 head of romaine lettuce, washed + chopped
1 cup of ranch dressing
½ cup jackfruit
½ cup corn salsa
1-2 small roma tomatoes, diced
½ large avocado, diced
tortilla strips
fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped (optional)

directions
1.    In a large bowl, toss the chopped romaine with the ranch dressing until lettuce is well-coated.
2.    Divide the salad between bowls. Add the rest of the ingredients on top of the salad. These are suggested quantities, no shame if you add more.
3.    Enjoy the tastiest most satisfying salad ever and maybe one day salad will be your comfort food too!

ranch dressing
1.5  cups cashews, soaked overnight
¾ cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
juice of one small lemon
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp onion flakes
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped parsley

Place everything except parsley in a high speed blender or food processor. Process until the cashews are completely smooth. Add chopped parsley and pulse a few times until it’s incorporated.

jackfruit
1 can of jackfruit, about 1 cup
1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp liquid smoke
salt + pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Allow to sit and marinate as long as you can, up to 24 hours. You can use it as is or warm in a pan before adding do your salad.

corn salsa
16 oz bag of frozen organic corn, thawed, or about 3 cups fresh organic corn kernels
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 poblano pepper, finely chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste

Mix everything in a bowl and allow to sit for a few hours for flavors to blend. You can make this a full day ahead of time if you’d like.

tortilla strips (honestly so easy, but feel free to just buy organic tortilla chips)
4 organic corn tortillas
coconut, olive or avocado oil (if you have one of these in a spray can, use that)
salt

Preheat the oven to 350. Slice the corn tortillas into long strips. Toss with oil and salt until there’s an even sheen on the tortillas. Place in oven. Check at 10 minutes. If they’re not done yet, keep checking every 2 minutes until your desired doneness.