Buffalo Chickpea Tacos With Celery Ranch Sauce

Fiery chickpeas are paired with a cooling, creamy dairy-free celery ranch sauce in a taco shell in this easy weeknight dinner recipe. Toss the chickpeas in Buffalo sauce, add some roasted vegetables and greens, top the tacos generously with ranch dressing, and supper is ready. This also makes a great appetizer for game day.

Buffalo Chickpea Tacos With Celery Ranch Sauce [Vegan, Gluten-Free]

Ingredients

For the Tacos:

• 1/3 cup hot sauce
• 3 tablespoons Sriracha sauce
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or melted vegan butter
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar (optional)
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups room-temperature cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 recipe celery ranch sauce (recipe follows), divided
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery or cucumber
• 1 teaspoon safflower or other neutral oil
• 1 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 8 to 10 tortillas or taco shells, gluten-free if needed
• 2 cups baby spinach

For the Celery Ranch Sauce:

• 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked for 15 minutes and drained, or ground raw cashews
• 2/3 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy milk or 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 4 cloves roasted garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives or 1 teaspoon dried chives (optional)

Preparation

To Make the Tacos:

1. Combine the hot sauce, sriracha, olive oil, and vinegar (if using) in a medium bowl. Add the chickpeas, tossing to coat them in the sauce, and set aside. In another medium bowl, combine half the celery ranch sauce with the celery. In a third medium bowl, thin the other half of the celery ranch sauce with water if needed.
2. Heat the safflower oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook the bell peppers until they are golden on some sides, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Warm the tortillas if desired.
3. Add some of the baby spinach, roasted bell peppers, and celery to every taco. Divide the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt between all the tacos. Add some Buffalo chickpeas and a generous drizzle of the celery ranch sauce to each taco and serve.

To Make the Celery Ranch Sauce:

1. In a blender, combine the cashews, milk, salt, oil, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, vinegar, parsley, thyme, and dill. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add the chives (if using) and stir gently to combine.

Notes

From Vegan Richa’s Everyday Kitchen copyright © 2017 by Richa Hingle. Used by permission Vegan Heritage Press.

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/buffalo-chickpea-tacos-with-celery-ranch-sauce/