Description
These crispy chickpea and butternut squash tacos with parsley sunflower seed sauce are my favourite winter taco yet! Filled with spice-coated roasted butternut squash, crispy chickpeas, and apple kale slaw, they’re topped with a zippy parsley and sunflower seed sauce that will make you swoon!
Ingredients
Scale
Roasted Butternut Squash
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
Crispy Chickpeas
- 3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 14-oz cans, rinsed and drained)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 tsp each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Kale Slaw
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Dijon or whole grain mustard
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large bunch of green kale
- 1 sweet apple, such as Gala or Ambrosia
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate arils
Zippy Parsley and Sunflower Seed Sauce
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from one large lemon)
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups fresh parsley (from one large bunch- some stems are okay)
8-12 small wheat or corn tortillas (2-3 tortillas per person)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Peel, chop, scoop out seeds, and cube the butternut squash into 1-inch cubes. Place in a bowl. Drizzle on the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne. Toss to coat and transfer the squash to one of the prepared baking sheets. Roast for 30 minutes, or until it’s fork tender and beginning to develop some crispy/browned edges.
- Using the same bowl that you used for the squash, toss the chickpeas with the oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to the second lined baking sheet and roast at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes, turning them halfway through. Check on them after 20 minutes to make sure that they are not getting too crispy–they will crisp up more as they sit on the counter.
- While the squash and chickpeas are in the oven, prepare the slaw and the sauce. To make the slaw, first combine the olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, garlic, mustard, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a small mason jar. Secure the lid and shake vigorously to combine. Chop the kale into ribbons and place in a mixing bowl. Drizzle on the dressing and ‘massage’ it into the kale with your hands until it’s bright green and quite tender. Then chop the apple and add it to the bowl along with the onion and pomegranate.
- To make the sauce, combine all of the ingredients in an upright blender and blend until nice and smooth.
- Warm up the tortillas, if desired.
- To assemble a taco, place several cubes of squash, a couple spoonfuls of chickpeas, some slaw, and a couple drizzles of sauce on top of a tortilla. Enjoy immediately!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Vegan
Keywords: squash tacos, chickpea tacos, sunflower seed parsley sauce, crispy squash tacos