Vegan Huevos Rancheros w/ Spicy Black Bean Cakes, Plant "Egg," Avocado Crema, and Slowcooked Ranchero Sauce
Difficulty: 3/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 1/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 60 minutes
Servings: 4
The Challenge: Huevos Rancheros
I was visiting Raleigh, NC not too long ago and had a great breakfast at a popular spot in the city. They were known for their Huevos Rancheros. One of the neat things I saw there was it was a play on it with black beans as the base and tortillas on top. They focused on the black beans as a patty. It was far from vegan with cheese, crema, eggs, etc.
When eating vegan, for me, I like to draw inspiration from crowd favorites, though. I looked at that as an amazing opportunity to make my own vegan version of the classic Mexican breakfast dish.
The dish literally comes from the words "ranch egg." It was a big hearty dish served in rural Mexican farms with tortillas as the base, eggs, black beans, and ranchero sauce (tomato-based red sauce). From there, the play on the classic dish has commenced with everything from steak, tomatillo sauce, corn cakes, and so much more being added.
Well, I have yet to find a delicious vegan version. I have seen people doing a lot with veggies, but I wanted something a bit more in line with the classic. We focus here on a black bean cake that is topped with a plant egg, slowcooked ranchero sauce, avocado two ways (whole + crema), and finally tortila crisps on the top.
This dish has a few moving parts. None are very hard but it can take a bit longer 50-60 minutes to get it all together. BUT BUT BUT...the result is fantastic!
I absolutely devoured every bit of this hearty breakfast! Let's get into it.
Ingredients:
Ranchero Sauce
- 1 tbl avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium jalapeno, minced
- 2 medium heirloom tomatoes
- 2 tbl adobo sauce (from canned chipotles in adobo...if you like it spicy add a chipotle)
- 1 cup roasted tomato salsa (or sub 1 cup fire-roasted crushed tomatoes)
- 4 tbl organic tomato paste
- Spices: 1 tsp cumin, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
Plant Egg
- 1 package of firm tofu, drained + wrapped in towel
- 1 cup gold/yellow new potato, diced
- 1/4 cup carrot, diced
- 1 tbl olive oil
- Spices: 1/4 tsp pepper, 2 tbl nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt
Crispy Tortilla Strips
- 4 corn or flour taco tortillas
- 1.5 tbl avocado oil
- pinch of salt + pepper
Black Bean Cakes
- 2 cups black beans, cooked, drained, dried
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs + extra for sprinkling
- 1 flax egg (1 tbl flaxmeal + 2.5 tbl water)
- 2 green onions, roughly chopped
- large handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
- Spices: 1 tsp coriander, 1/2 tsp old bay, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp pepper
Avocado Crema
- 1 large avocado
- 1/4 cup canned coconut milk (full fat)
- 1 tbl avocado oil
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1/4tsp sea salt
Other (all optional)
- fresh avocado slices
- lime wedges
- fresh cilantro
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Sharp Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Food Processor . Mixing Bowls . Large Frying Pan . Wooden Mixing Spoon . Medium Frying Pan . Spatula . Oven Pan . Parchment Paper . Small Pot
Before You Cook:
- Wash and cut all fresh ingredients
- Preheat oven to 375F
1. Start with the ranchero sauce. Add oil, onion, garlic, and jalapeno to a medium to large frying pan. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Next add the heirloom tomato, cook for another sixty seconds.
2. Next, add in the tomato paste, salsa, spices, and adobo sauce. Turn heat to very low and let it gently simmer while you prepare the rest of the dish. Stir every 10 minutes.
3. Place the potatoes and carrots into a small pot with water that covers them. Turn on high heat, bring to boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain when done and set aside.
4. While the potatoes/carrot cook, add all the black bean cake ingredients to the food processor or high speed blender. Pulse 15-20 times till blended. Do not turn on and blend straight as it will make it too paste-like.
5. Form the black bean mixture into 8 patties of equal size. Mine were similar to the size of a sausage patty. Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs, flip, repeat. Set aside.
6. Cut your tofu across the width into four long rectangles of equal size. Cut around the edges to add some roundness...we are making egg "whites." Set aside.
7. The last bit of prep is the tortilla strips. Stack them on top of each other and cut in 1/2, stack again so you have 8 equal pieces, then cut small strips from the cut edge to the rounded edge about 1/4 inch in width. Add the strips to a bowl, mix with the avocado oil, salt, and pepper.
8. Place the strips on an oven pan. Make sure they aren't touching. Cook in the preheated oven at 375F for 9-10 minutes.
9. While the strips are cooking and the sauce is still simmering (the potatoes should be done by now), we are going to cook up the cakes + eggs. In your first medium pan add some oil or vegan butter and heat for 30-60 seconds. Add the cakes. Cook on each side for 4-5 minutes until browned. Once done, set aside.
10. In a second medium pan, add oil/butter to the pan. Heat for 60 seconds over medium high heat. Place the tofu eggs onto the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until it browns. Set aside.
11. While the strips, cakes, and tofu eggs are cooking or once they are done. Add the cooked potatoes/carrots to the food processor or high speed blender (clean it out after the cakes). Add all ingredients left for the plant egg after potatoes/carrots. Blend until smooth. This is your yolk.
12. The last step is the avocado crema (YOU ARE ALMOST THERE!). Mix together everything for the crema in a blender (or food processor). Blend until smooth.
13. To serve, plate with two black bean cakes, one plant egg (add the yolk), pour on 1/4 of the ranchero sauce, add some fresh avocado slices, cilantro, tortilla strips, and drizzle on the avocado crema. YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM !!!!
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