Chickpea Tacos

Ingredients

Spiced Chickpeas
  • 1 15-ounce/425g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  •  Pinch of cayenne pepper
  •  Squeeze of lime juice
Cilantro Pesto
  • 3 cups 36-40g loosely packed cilantro (leaves and tender stems, omit tough stems)
  • 1/3 cup 44g Simply Nature Roasted Cashews
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 small jalapeño pepper or ½ of a jalapeño pepper, cut in half
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons of Simply Nature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1-3 tablespoons water only as needed
Taco ingredients
  • 6 corn tortillas I used La Tortilla Factory Tortillas, handmade style
  • 1 large avocado diced
  • Salsa of choice

Instructions

  1. Transfer the chickpeas to a clean dish towel or a layer of paper towels and gently pat dry as much as you can without smushing them.
  2. Heat a large nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat with the 2 teaspoons of oil. Once hot, add the chickpeas and spread out in a single layer. Cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes to allow some browning. Toss and cook for another 3 minutes, or until chickpeas are golden brown and blistered in spots.
  3. Add salt and spices, and toss well to coat the chickpeas. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes to allow flavors to blend, then take off the heat and hit with a squeeze of lime juice.
  4. Meanwhile, make the cilantro pesto. Add the roasted cashews to a food processor and blitz until in small pieces. Add the cilantro, garlic, pepper, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, and salt. Blend until a paste forms, scraping down the sides as you go along.
  5. With the motor running, stream in the olive oil to start to form a sauce. Scrape down the sides again, and stream in more oil as needed until you have a smooth yet thick texture. If the pesto is still not smooth enough but you don’t want to add more oil, add a spoon of water at a time until the sauce comes together. Taste the pesto, adding more lime juice as needed. Store the pesto in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for up to 5 days, or freeze up to 6 months.
  6. To assemble the tacos, spoon some cilantro pesto into the center of each tortilla. Add a handful of the spiced chickpeas. Top with diced avocado and salsa.