Recipe: Veggie Oat Taco Mince

Steel­cut oats mimic the mouthfeel of vegan crumbles while being completely free of processed ingredients. They also add heartiness to the veggie and bean mixture. This is the perfect way to sneak in some veggies for the picky eaters in your house. My picky eater, Cheryl, loves this!

Veggie Oat Taco Mince

Makes enough for 8 tacos

Ingredients

• 1 cup (237 ml) water
• 1/4 cup (20 g) steel­cut oats
• 1/4 cup (27.5 g) minced carrots
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil (*or use water to make no oil added)
• 1/2 small onion, minced (about 1/4 cup [50 g])
• 1/4 cup (37 g) minced green pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 (14 oz [500 ml]) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon (15 g) chopped green chilies
• 1 cup (67 g) minced kale (or other green)
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 2 tablespoons (2g) to 1/4 cup (4 g)
• cilantro, to taste
• salt, to taste

Preparation

In a saucepan, bring the water, oats and carrots to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the steel­cut oats are cooked through but still chewy.
While the oats are cooking, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, then add the green pepper, garlic and spices and cook for another 2 minutes.

Once the oat mixture is cooked, add it to the saute pan and mix the oats in with the veggies. You want to keep cooking until the oats dry out some and begin to separate. Keep cooking until it starts to look like crumbles.

Mix in the kidney beans, green chilies and kale. Cook until the kidney beans are thoroughly heated.
Right before serving, add the lime juice, cilantro and salt. Serve in hard or soft taco shells, or in burritos. They are also amazing on top of nachos.

Feel free to leave out the beans and replace the chili powder and cumin
with basil and thyme. You can also leave out the green chilies and green pepper and replace with either sliced mushrooms or sun­dried tomatoes.

 

Per 1/8 recipe: Calories 87.8, protein 4.0 g, total fat 2.2 g, carbohydrates 14.6 g, sodium 108.8 mg, fiber 4.3 g

 

From OATrageous Oatmeals by Kathy Hester. ©Kathy Hester 2014. Reprinted with the permission of Page Street Publishing Company.