Back when Ben and I were in college, one of our favorite dinners to make was Korean BBQ Tacos. Mind you, we lived in an apartment with no grill, so we did the best we could with some Hormel microwave beef au jus and some doctored up BBQ sauce. At the time, they were glorious, and when I mentioned to Ben that I was going to revise them for a post, he fondly remembered that they were “UHHHH, so good.”
These Vegan Korean BBQ Tacos are what Guy Fieri is referring to when he says he’s “Going to Flavortown.” They’re spicy, sweet and wildly refreshing thanks to the quick pickled veggie slaw that goes on top. I kept them vegan by using Impossible Beef, and also grain free with my favorite Siete Cassava Tortillas.
While it may look complex, this is a fairly simple meal to throw together. I am going to HIGHLY recommend having a julienne peeler for this recipe to make your life significantly easier. If you don’t have one already, do yourself a favor and get one. They are $8 and worth every penny, especially if you’re trying to get more creative with veggies in your meals. If you want to REALLY make this easy on yourself, you can also use store-bought kimchi instead. You can find it in the refrigerator section.
This recipe serves 2-3, so if you’re cooking for one, the great news is you’ll have leftovers. Just throw them over some cauliflower rice to make a bowl, or back in a taco shell for some more of the same goodness.
Vegan Korean BBQ Tacos
Author: The Lean Clean Eating Machine
Ingredients:
For The Meat:
- 1 package of Impossible Burger Meat (you can also use Beyond Ground Beef)
- 4 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 4 tablespoons coconut aminos for soy-free or reduced sodium tamari
- 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes
- Pinch of ground ginger; I used the paste
- 4 teaspoons avocado or olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic; smashed and minced
- Siete Cassava Grain Free Tortillas
- Optional: fresh chopped cilantro, garlic chili sauce to serve (highly recommend)
For The Slaw: (You can skip this step if you want and use store-bought Kimchi instead)
- 1/2 Large english cucumber; julienned and cut into matchsticks
- 1 Large carrot; julienned and cut into matchsticks
- 4 large radishes; julienned and cut into matchsticks (this will have to be done by hand)
- 3 Green onions; finely sliced
- 4 Tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure cane sugar or sweetener or choice
- Salt to taste
Instructions:
- Julienne your vegetables and cut them into matchstick sized pieces. Add them to a large mixing bowl and stir to mix.
- In a small dish, whisk together your rice vinegar and cane sugar. Pour mixture over vegetables and stir to throughly coat. Season with salt and let it sit in the fridge until you are ready to use.
- In a small dish, whisk together the coconut sugar, coconut aminos or tamari, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and ginger. Set aside.
- In a large frying pan, cook minced garlic and Impossible Burger Meat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up any large chunks with a wooden spoon, until the beef is cooked through and starting to brown. This should take about 5 minutes.
- Pour in your sauce and stir to thoroughly coat. Cook for an additional minute, then remove beef from heat.
- Heat your tortillas up, then assemble your tacos. Add in your cooked beef, then top with the veggie slaw or store-bought kimchi. This is optional, but I highly recommend topping with a drizzle of garlic chili sauce to add an extra kick.
- Enjoy!
