While Mother’s Day is traditionally celebrated with dinner out, to give mom the “day off,” Father’s Day is traditionally celebrated with dad being wined, dined and cooked for at home.
Get cooking mom! You had your day off!
Luckily, I love to cook, so I got cooking.
Tacos, a dad favorite. I took them up a rung on the culinary ladder by using giant blue oyster mushrooms, a stunning gourmet variety from Fungi Valley. Oyster mushrooms shred easily and have a meaty consistency, which makes them a perfect substitute for animal-derived proteins. I’ve created a plant-based version of carnitas adobo tacos with all the fixings, including cabbage salad, salsa and guacamole.
The mushrooms cook down quite a bit in the pan, taking on the intense flavors and amber color of the sauce. The texture is dense and chewy on the interior, while crispy on the exterior as I cooked them until a bit charred. YUM!
You can find canned chipotles in Adobo sauce and boxed mushroom stock at the local market. Mushroom stock imparts a much richer flavor than vegetable stock.
The cabbage salad is vinegar-based and adds a good bit of acid to break up the richness of the Adobo mushrooms, as well as the guacamole. The mango salsa is another dad favorite. You could substitute peaches or nectarines or simply make a traditional tomato salsa if you prefer it less sweet.
Corn tortillas are a must to keep it authentic. Plus, they have so much more flavor and texture. I like to warm them on a low flame on my gas stove to add a bit of crunch and char.
I made a batch of refried black beans to serve on the side.
Make sure to have lime wedges to squeeze a bit of juice on top of the tacos. That citrus flavor brings everything together for a divine mouthful.
If you love to cook, perhaps you’ll try these yummy tacos…otherwise buck tradition and take dad out!
Father’s Day Mushroom Adobo Tacos
16 oz. blue oyster mushrooms
3T oil (I used avocado)
1 cup finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 chipotle pepper and 3 T of the Adobo sauce from a small can of chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
2 T tomato paste
2 T soy sauce
¼ cup mushroom stock (or vegetable stock)
1 T maple syrup
½ tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste
3 T fresh squeezed orange juice
Corn tortillas
Fresh lime wedges for service
Cabbage salad (recipe follows)
Mango salsa (recipe follows)
Guacamole (recipe follows)
Shred the mushrooms with your hands. They tear easily. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onions and cook until translucent but not browned, stirring occasionally. Turn down heat if necessary. Add the garlic and cook another minute, stirring all up.
Add the dried herbs and spices and cook about 30 seconds. Stir to incorporate the spices into the onion/garlic mixture. This deepens the flavor of the spices.
Mash the chipotle pepper into the adobo sauce. Add that and the tomato paste into the pan. Stir up and incorporate.
Add the mushrooms and stir up. The pan will be overflowing but will cook down quickly. Add more oil if necessary.
Add the soy sauce and stock and cook the mushrooms until they have absorbed most of the liquid.
Add the maple syrup, pepper, salt and orange juice. Cook, stirring frequently, until all is heated through and the mushrooms start to char and blacken.
Have all of your sides and condiments out on the table.
Heat the corn tortillas.
Serve family style.
Cabbage Salad
½ head green cabbage, hand shredded
½ cup of very thinly sliced Maui or other sweet onion
4 red and purple radishes, sliced thin
2 carrots, shredded
1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves
½ jalapeno, seeded and sliced thin
½ cup fruity vinegar (I used citrus champagne, apple cider works, too)
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp fine sea salt
In a small bowl dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar. Put all of the other ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the vinegar dressing and stir up. Let marinate a few hours in the fridge. Toss up again before serving.
Mango Salsa
2 cups firm ripe mango cut in small chunks
Juice of 2 limes
¼ cup finely chopped red onions
4 T chopped cilantro leaves
Pinch of salt
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Taste for seasoning. Let marinate in the fridge at least 30 minutes.
Guacamole
2 Ripe avocados cut in large chunks
Juice of 1 lime
2 T minced Maui sweet onion
Salt to taste
Mash up everything together leaving some chunks of avocado. Serve immediately or cover well and refrigerate to avoid the avocado turning brown.
