This recipe was written by me but it was executed and adjusted by my wonderful boyfriend Andrew! It has been super crazy around our house lately because of my new job so I’ve been trying to come up with some quick and easy recipes that fit well into everyones busy lives, things that can be made easily after work in a short amount of time and still be delicious and these Fried Zucchini Tacos with Jalapeno Ranch hit all the marks.
Let’s get this out of the way as well, tacos are my absolutely favorite food. 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 is the first of my creations on that front.
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 in the pan. 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.
However, I still highly recommend you make these into a taco because the combination of the smoky fried zucchini with the bright crunchy slaw 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.
As always please share on social if you make these and like, share and comment! We appreciate the love and support!
Until Next Time,
Jackie & Andrew
- Fried Zucchini
- 3 zucchinis, cut into sticks
- 2 cups 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 ¼ inch at the bottom of a pan
- Crunchy Kale Slaw
- 2 cups cabbage, shredded
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 8 radishes, sliced into rounds
- 1 onion, sliced into thin strips
- 2 jalapeno, sliced
- 2 cups kale, massaged and sliced thin
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbs Dijon mustard
- juice and zest of one lime
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- Jalapeno Ranch
- ¾ cup soaked cashews
- 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ 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
- Other Optional Ingredients
- corn or flour tortillas
- sliced avocado
- diced tomatoes
- chopped cilantro
- First, heat the oil in a large deep pan. Next, prepare your frying station by placing the almond milk in one shallow bowl and the flour and battering spices in a second shallow bowl. Double batter the zucchini sticks by dipping them in the almond milk then the flour and spice mix, back into the almond milk then back into the flour and spice mix.
- Next, drop the zucchini sticks into the oil and cook for three minutes on both sides or until both sides are browned. While you're cooking the zucchini, heat the tortillas in another pan or in oil.
- Make the slaw by adding cabbage, jalapenos, carrots, radishes, onions, kale and cilantro in a large bowl and toss them together. Whisk together, the olive oil, mustard, vinegar, lime juice, and zest and drizzle the dressing over the slaw along with salt and pepper and toss.
- 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 zucchini sticks in the tacos first, then add the slaw and drizzle the jalapeno ranch on top. You can also add other optional ingredients such as avocado or tomatoes if you wish! Enjoy!!
