This recipe was as Mahar/DeSana household group effort, it was written, created and shot by me but was inspired, made and adjusted by Andrew. When we first started dating one of the first things Andrew made for me was zucchini fries baked in the oven. They came together so quick and easy that I was inspired to take an easy recipe and make it more delicious by doing guess what?? Wrapping it in a taco DUH! If you’re looking for a recipe that is easy to make after work on weekdays but better than grabbing take out, these Fried Zucchini Tacos with Jalapeno Ranch hit all the marks.
As we all know, tacos are pretty much my all time favorite food. I truly believe that when in doubt, wrap it in a taco are words to live by. Andrew and I lived off breakfast tacos when we first started dating and once recently we ate only different types of tacos every night of the week! As if that’s not enough, we’re also serving tacos at our wedding. We tend to make our Fajita Tacos a lot because they are so easy and you can pre-cut and marinade the veggies and just toss them in the oven. I have however, been trying to come up with some more creative taco recipes and this was one of my first of my creations.
The zucchini in this recipe is probably one of the best batters that we have made yet! It’s thick and smoky and it crisped up perfectly. Honestly, these were ridiculously good just dipped in the jalapeno ranch and Andrew and I ate way too many before even trying to make them into tacos so if you don’t feel like making tacos and are just looking for a killer appetizer, the zucchini fries work perfectly.
Obviously, I still highly recommend you make these into a taco because the combination of the smoky fried zucchini with the crunchy radicchio and jalapeno ranch is really perfect and its really efficient to combine it into a taco obviously! This is also the first time that I’ve made this specific jalapeno ranch and it was the best! I find a lot of times that vegan mayo can get kind of runny in the food processor, but adding the cashews in here really thickens it up into a perfect dip and its exploding with flavor from the fresh herbs and spices from the jalapenos.
Until Next Time,
Jackie & Andrew
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Fried Zucchini Tacos with Jalapeno Ranch
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 12 tacos 1x
- Category: Lunch, Tacos, Appetizers, Dinner
- Cuisine: Vegetarian, Vegan
Description
Smoky fried zucchini tacos topped with crunchy radicchio and topped with an extra creamy jalapeno ranch dressing.
Ingredients
- Fried Zucchini
- 3 zucchinis, cut into sticks
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 tbs paprika
- 2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1 tbs cumin
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- vegetable oil, enough to fill 1/4 inch at the bottom of a pan
- Jalapeno Ranch
- 3/4 cup soaked cashews
- 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup pickled jalapenos
- 2 tbs brine from pickled jalapenos
- 2 tbs fresh dill
- 2 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- juice and zest of 1 lime
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- water to thin if needed
- Other Optional Ingredients
- corn or flour tortillas
- radicchio
- radishes, sliced
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper.
- Prepare your wet batter by whisking the flour, almond milk, paprika, salt and pepper, cumin and cayenne pepper together.
- One stick at a time, dip the zucchini into the batter and place onto the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the batter crisps.
- To make the Jalapeno Ranch, add all the ingredients together in a food processor and pulse until creamy. If it’s too thick, add some water or lime juice if it still needs some tang.
- Assemble the tacos by placing the radicchio on the bottom, top with the zucchini sticks in the tacos then top with radishes and cilantro and finish with a drizzle of the jalapeno ranch. You can also add other optional ingredients such as avocado if you wish! Enjoy!!
