Spicy Zucchini Fry Tacos w/ Mango Crema

 
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Our Summer vegetable garden has left us with a bounty of zucchini (some as big as my arm!) I’ve been inventing a lot of new ways to use it, but this is my favorite! Spicy, sweet and crunchy, these tacos were a hit as a big group dinner and something I can whip up in a hurry. And best of all: they’re easily adaptable for those that need more or less protein.

 

Phe Count:

128 mg phe / taco
Roughly 2.5 g of protein / 8.5 exchanges
Yield: 3 tacos

Ingredients:

TACO FILLINGS:
1.25 C (143g) zucchini 
3 corn tortillas (or tortilla of choice) 
1-2 jalapenos (25g / approx 3 Tbsp)  
½ of a medium avocado (70g) 
¼ C (4g) cilantro, chopped 
¼ C (40g) pickled onions, sliced
½ C (35g) cabbage, shredded 
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsp avocado oil 
Salt (to taste)

For pickled onions, you can find a ton of quick recipes online. Make them at least 3 hours ahead. 
Many recipes will call for apple cider vinegar, but I recommend using distilled white vinegar to cut the sweetness.


BREADING:
5 Tbsp / 48 g Trader Joe’s Rice Crumbs 
1 tsp chipotle chili powder 
1 tsp garlic powder 
1 tsp cumin 
¼ tsp cayenne
- 
2 servings Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer (following package instructions for whole egg)
2 Tbsp So Delicious Coconut Milk, unsweetened

You will only use approximately only half of this.
I had 26g leftover, including spices, but make more than you need.
The excess makes it much easier to coat the zucchini!


MANGO CREMA:
Note: the recipe below yields about 7 Tbsp.
The total phe per taco noted above includes 1 Tbsp of sauce. 

¼ C (42g) mango, fresh or frozen 
5 Tbsp (75g) sour cream
2 tsp lime juice 
1-2 Tbsp So Delicious Coconut Milk, unsweetened 
Dash of cayenne

Directions:

  1. Start by cutting your zucchini into “fries” that are approximately ½” thick and 2.5” long. (think: steak fries).

  2.  Next, prepare your breading ingredients in two bowls. One for dry ingredients and spices, and one for the wet “binding” ingredients. 

    For the dry, you will simply combine the Rice Crumbs and spices. 

    For the wet, follow the instructions on the back of the egg replacer package for a whole egg. Then, whisk in the coconut milk. As you stir, the mixture will thicken quite a bit. If you need to thin it out a bit more, add a little coconut milk. Do not add water. 

  3. Next, bread your zucchini pieces. Dip each piece in the wet “egg” mixture (one at a time!) and then roll in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated.

  4. When done, place your zucchini pieces in a single layer in your air fryer. Spray lightly with avocado oil and cook at 375 degrees for 20 minutes.
    …If you do not have an air fryer, you can preheat your oven to 400 degrees instead. Just watch and adjust the cook time accordingly. You’ll want them to be crispy and a golden brown.

  5. While your zucchini is cooking, you can prepare your other taco ingredients. Start with the mango crema. Add the mango, sour cream and lime juice to a blender. Mix on a low speed until everything is combined and a creamy consistency with no chunks of mango remaining. It will likely be a just a touch too thick. Add 1-2 Tbsp of coconut milk to thin it out a bit, as needed. The sauce should be a little thinner than the sour cream you started with. To finish, add just a touch of cayenne pepper (to taste).

  6. Next, the jalapeño. Cut the pepper(s) in long, thin strips and remove the seeds. Toss the strips in olive oil, salt and sauté in a small skillet until they soften slightly. Remove from heat.

  7. Next, prep the cabbage. Shred it and toss it in the avocado oil and lime juice. Then, season to taste with salt.

  8. Coarsely chop your cilantro, slice your avocado and find your onions. If pickled, you would have made them a few hours ahead (as noted in the ingredients list above).

  9. To finish, warm your tortillas on the stove. Spray a small amount of canola oil on a skillet or griddle and heat the tortillas over medium heat until they soften and begin to brown in spots.
    …Depending on the size of your skillet, you may have to do one tortilla at a time. No problem! Just do not overcook them or the tortillas will get hard/crunchy as they cool and will be difficult to fold into a taco.

  10. When your zucchini is ready, you’re done!

    Each taco should contain the following:
    1 tortilla
    3 “zucchini fries” (approx 16g each) 
    2.5 Tbsp (12g) of cabbage 
    1 Tbsp (8g) jalapeno slices 
    2.5 Tbsp (23g) of avocado 
    1.25 Tbsp of cilantro 
    1.25 Tbsp (13g) of pickled onions
    1 Tbsp of mango crema


HELPFUL TIPS (TO REDUCE/ADD PHE):
For lower phe tolerances:

  • Choose a different tortilla.
    Using Siete Foods’ Cassava & Coconut tortillas would get each taco down to 100 mg phe. Or, this recipe is also excellent as a lettuce wrap. Using a butter lettuce leaf instead of a tortilla would get this down to 85 mg phe per taco. 

  • You could also adjust the breading recipe.
    Instead of using 100% Rice Crumbs, you could substitute some of it with cassava flour. (¼ C of cassava flour is only 6 mg/phe!) But, if your phe tolerance allows, keep the breading at least 50% Rice Crumbs for more crunch!

To add protein (& easily modify a meal for non-PKU eaters):

  • Add black beans

  • Add cheese (preferably cojita or queso fresco)

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