Recently we were at a brewery in Columbus that had the best honey adobo chicken fingers. They were so tasty that we have talked about them at least a half a dozen times since we first ate them. When brainstorming what we wanted to make for Cinco de Mayo this year, we knew we wanted to combine the flavors of that honey adobo sauce with cauliflower for tacos. We have been really into subbing cauliflower as a meat-free alternative, and find with the right flavors we rarely notice we are eating vegetarian. We love the combo of flavors in our version of honey adobo sauce- the honey and vinegar are the perfect combination with the smokey chiles and tangy tomato paste. They are sweet and spicy and an excellent centerpiece for Cinco de Mayo or any taco night.
Cauliflower Adobo Tacos
Sweet and spicy cauliflower tacos that pack a punch!
Ingredients
- 2 tbs olive oil, divided
- 1 large head of cauliflower, large stem and leaves removed and cut into large bite-sized pieces
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1/2 cup chipotles in adobo, diced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 taco-sized tortillas
- your favorite taco toppings: avocado, red onion, cilantro, queso fresco, etc…
Directions
- Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbs of olive oil and lay the cauliflower florets in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 7-8 minutes on one side, or until the cauliflower is brown but not burnt. You’ll want to check the cauliflower during this 7 minutes and adjust the heat as necessary to get the cauliflower to the correct color. After the 7 minutes has passed, flip the cauliflower over and repeat the same thing on the other side. Remove the cauliflower into a large bowl and gently tent with foil until later in the recipe.
- Add the remaining 1 tbs of olive oil to the pan along with the minced garlic. Saute for 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant. Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook another 2 minutes. Add the chipotles in adobo, water, apple cider vinegar, and cumin to the pan. In the ingredients above we give the option to use between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of honey. If you are making this for younger kids or people with a more spice sensitive palate, use the full 1/2 cup. If you really want to bring the heat go for 1/4 cup. Like Goldilocks we went right in the middle at 1/3 cup and found that it was just right. Whisk well to combine and cook for another 3 minutes on medium heat, or until the sauce is starting to become sticky.
- Add the cauliflower back into the pan and toss well to coat. Cook for another 2 minutes so that the cauliflower can absorb the sauce.
- Serve the cauliflower in tortillas along with your favorite taco condiments. We particularly like the cauliflower with avocado, queso fresco, freshly sliced red onion, and cilantro.
TUCK & TATE 