Vegan Crunchwrap Supreme w/ Taco Meat Lentils + Dairy Free Nacho Cheese
Difficulty: 3/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 2/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
Servings: 4
The Challenge: Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme
Growing up as a vegetarian, one of the easiest meals we could do as a family was Taco Bell. Don't judge. 90s vegetarianism/veganism was tough! Over the years, I fell in love with a few of their dishes. One of those was the crunchwrap supreme! But when I went full vegan, I couldn't enjoy it as much anymore with no cheese or sour cream. So, I decided...I can probably make one and kick ass like a VEGAN MAGICIAN.
Here's how the crunchwrap works:
1. Large Tortilla
2. Layer of Ground Beef (sub beans or potato for the vegetarian)
3. Nacho Cheese
4. Tostada
5. Lettuce, Tomato, and Sour Cream
6. Wrapped and Grilled
7. Yum
So, to make this vegan we needed to focus on replacing ground beef, nacho cheese, and sour cream. The latter I used a store-bought product. There are tons of replacement recipes out there. For the nacho cheese, we created a potato + cashew-based recipe that also uses palm oil. I've made many vegan queso recipes in my life...this one is top notch...as it has that really nice nacho cheese flavor and spice.
Finally, for the ground beef ... we turn to lentils. I have done lentils before, and I think it provides a really nice hearty texture. For this recipe, I cook lentil, mix it with taco seasoning, and cook it down for a delicious base.
Okay! So homies, are you ready to enjoy an absolute TREAT??!! Of course you are.
Let's get into this work of art!
Ingredients:
Taco Meat Lentils
- 1/2 cup green french lentils
- 1 medium shallot
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbl olive oil
- Spices: 1 tbl chipotle chili powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tbl nutrtional yeast, 1 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
Other
- extra-large flour tortillas
- tostadas
- 1 cup diced lettuce
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- vegan sour cream
Plantbased Nacho Cheese
- 4 tbl palm oil (vegan shortening or butter work as well)
- 1 small onion, fine diced
- 2 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 serrano pepper, deseeded, diced small
- Spices: 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp paprika, 2 tbl nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 3/4 russet potato, peeled, diced small
- 1 cup cashew or cashew pieces
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup dairy-free milk
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 2 tsp liquid from a can pickled jalapeño peppers
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Sharp Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Food Processor . Spatula . Serving Bowls . Castiron Pan . Medium/Large Frying Pan . Parchment Paper . Large Heavy Pot
Before You Cook:
- Bring lentils + broth to boil in medium saucepan
- Wash + chop fresh ingredients
1. Once lentils are boiling with broth over high heat, reduce to medium-low heat, cover and cook for 10-12 minutes until soft.
2. While the lentils cook, add palm oil to large frying pan and warm for 90 seconds. Add in onion, garlic, serrano and cook for another 3 minutes. Add in spices and coat well.
3. For the queso, next add the potatoes and cashews into the pan as well as milk and water. Coat well and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for 8 minutes.
4. While the queso cooks, add in the shallot + garlic into a castiron pan with oil. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Add in the lentils + spices and cook for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.
5. While the lentils are cooking, throw the queso ingredients into a food processor or blender with hot sauce and pickling liquid. Blend well. If too thick, add more milk. Taste for saltiness.
6. Once the lentils are done, set up a station to construct the crunchwrap. Place queso into a small bowl, lentils on a plate or in the pan, and place your sour cream/tomatoes/lettuce into various small bowls.
7. To construct, place 1/4 of the lentil meat recipe onto the extra large tortilla and then coat with a 1/2 cup of the cheese.
8. Next, place tostada on top of the cheese and push down. You might want to break off a bit of the tostada depending on its size versus the tortilla. You can test this by quickly trying to fold the tortilla over. Can you still see the tostada? Its too big. Next add 1/4 of the tomatoes, lettice, and a big glob of sour cream.
9. Before folding the wraps, put a dry medium pan on medium heat. To wrap the crunchwrap, fold over the edge of the tortilla around the tostada. My tostada was actually too big, so I broke some of the edges off of it to make it smaller. Once it is folded over, move to the pan and place in the pan.
10. Place a heavy pot on top of the crunchwrap and cook on each side for about 60-90 seconds until browned. Repeat for all four wraps.
11. Put the wrap in your hand and eat or cut in half like a sandwich. ENJOY HOMIES!
