Roasted Rutabaga And Eggplant Tacos Recipe

Tacos are a weekly occurrence in most people's homes — and it's usually on Tuesday! Why do we love tacos so much that we've given it a day in our weeknight dinner line up? There are lots of things to love about tacos. They're so easy to customize based on your diet preferences, they are full of flavor, and they are quick to make! Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "We eat lots of Mexican food in my household, and I love getting creative with the fillings and toppings for tacos and burritos. If you haven't cooked with rutabaga before, this recipe may convince you to add it to your weekly produce haul. Rutabagas are part of the cruciferous family and have lots of health benefits. They're similar to turnips but when they are roasted, they taste like crispy potatoes. When paired with the eggplant that is softer in texture, you end up with a delicious base for tacos." You're going to love this amazing dinner complete with a delicious slaw and cilantro lime crema.

To make this recipe, we're going to need a whole lot of produce so grab a cart and let's go. To start off you'll want to pick up the two stars of the show, rutabaga and eggplant. "Rutabaga will be located near the root vegetables so when you see the beets, turnips, and parsnips, you're close. In fact, if you're not familiar with rutabaga you might mistake it for a turnip. Then grab some eggplant and this recipe works with standard or Chinese eggplant." Hahn explains. While you are in the produce section, you'll also need some purple cabbage, shredded carrots, red onion, tomato, cilantro, limes, and avocado. Then pick up some sour cream (regular or dairy-free), and your taco shells of choice. Some pantry basics are next so you may already have these items at home, avocado oil, cumin, coarse salt, garlic granules, pepper, olive oil, and red wine vinegar.

Our first step is to get our rutabaga and eggplant roasting so preheat the oven to 400 F. "The rutabaga has a very tough skin so peel that first, then chop the bulbs into cubes. We'll chop the eggplant too but no need to peel, we want all of those antioxidants in the purple skin," Hahn explains. Put the cubed vegetables into different bowls because they have different cooking times so we're going to cook them separately. 

Add 1 teaspoon of avocado oil to each bowl, as well as ½ teaspoon each of cumin, salt, and garlic granules. Toss to coat. Spread the rutabaga out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. When it's done it should have the same texture as roasted potatoes. Spread the eggplant on a separate baking sheet and when the rutabaga has been cooking for 15 minutes, put the eggplant into the oven for 15 minutes. When they are both done you can combine them into one bowl.

We'll be making an easy slaw as one of our taco toppers. Pull out a medium bowl and cut the cabbage into thin slices and add to a bowl along with the shredded carrots and red onion. Toss with the olive oil and vinegar along with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Chop the tomato to be used as another taco topper. Side note: This slaw is great on sloppy joes also.

This sauce is going to take our tacos over the top. It comes together quickly, while the vegetables are roasting. Add the sour cream, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic granules, and ½ avocado to a blender. Blend until smooth.

Now we're ready to assemble our tacos and enjoy. Warm up the soft taco tortillas or taco shells and layer with the roasted vegetables, cabbage mixture, cilantro crema, and top with chopped tomatoes, avocado, and optional jalapeños. These tacos pair well with some Mexican rice and fiery pinto beans but because there are several components to this recipe, you might want to just bring out a few tortilla chips and call it a day!