⚕️ » Dr. Igor’s Vegan Sweet Potato & Hemp Heart Tacos Recipe

Roasted Red Garnet Yams on Half Wheat Half Blue Corn Tortilla topped with Roasted Pepper, Black Bean & Hemp Heart Salsa, Spiced Crema, and Guacamole

DAIRY-FREE/MEDITERRANEAN/PLANT-BASED/VEGAN/VEGETARIAN

Dr. Igor’s Vegan Sweet Potato & Hemp Heart Tacos Recipe

Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Makes: 8 servings

Allergens: tree nuts, wheat

Having a fully vegan option on taco truck menus are hard to come by, so why not make everything yourself at home? Tortillas are always best when they’re made fresh to order, and this recipe simplifies all the steps for you. This tasty heart healthy veggie option is something everyone can enjoy!

One taco provides you with 6 grams of dietary fiber, half your daily recommended intake of calcium, 100% of your required vitamins A and C, and has zero cholesterol. Plant-based street food for the win!

Related: Could CBD help you in your weight loss journey? Click here for our comprehensive guide to CBD for seniors seeking weight loss. 

Ingredients

TORTILLA

  • ½ cup of blue corn masa
  • ½ cup of all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup + 2 teaspoons of hot water
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon of baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt

SALSA

  • 2 bell peppers of any color or a combination of, tossed in olive oil
  • ½ cup of canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon hemp hearts
  • 2 scallions, sliced
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • ½ lime, juiced
  • ⅛ teaspoon of salt

CREMA

  • ⅓ cup of vegan Greek yogurt
  • ⅓ cup of vegan cream cheese
  • ⅓ cup of vegan mayonnaise
  • ¼ teaspoon of paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon of ground coriander
  • ¼ teaspoon of ground pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt

TOPPINGS

  • 1 large sweet potato (sold as red garnet yams) tossed in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper
  • 8 tablespoons of pre-made guacamole
  • 1 radish, thinly sliced
  • Cilantro
  • Hemp hearts

Steps

1.) Tortilla: in a heat proof mixing bowl, combine the masa, all-purpose flour, hemp oil, baking powder, salt and hot water. Knead into a dough, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rest on your countertop for 30 minutes. Preheat an oven to 425°F.

2.) Roasted veggies: While waiting on the tortilla dough, prepare everything else. Toss the sweet potato wedges in olive oil, salt and pepper, place them on a baking tray lined with non-stick aluminum foil, and roast for 20 minutes, flipping halfway. Do the same for the peppers, but roast them for 15 minutes instead.

3.) Crema: In a food processor, add the vegan yogurt, cream cheese and mayonnaise. Add your spice mix and pulse everything together into a smooth sauce.

4.) Salsa: When the peppers are done, dice them into small pieces and toss them into a mixing bowl with the scallions, cilantro, black beans, lime juice, garlic, hemp hearts. Fold everything together and season with salt to your taste.

4.) Tortilla continued: On a lightly floured surface, knead your tortilla dough for a minute, form it into a big ball, divide the dough into 8 portions and roll each one into smaller balls. Line a tortilla press with a ziploc bag split open to prevent the dough from sticking, place a dough ball and press to flatten.

5.) Tortilla continued: heat a non-stick frying pan to medium. Fry the tortilla in a little bit of oil for a minute on each side. They should be a little golden brown with tiny air pockets that deflate eventually. Stack them up onto each other and keep them hot in a tortilla warmer or a bowl wrapped with plastic wrap.

6.) Assembly: Take two pieces of roasted sweet potato and lay them on a tortilla. Top with guacamole, crema, salsa, extra hemp hearts, some cilantro sprigs, and thin slices of radish. Serve with lime wedges and enjoy!

Dr. Igor’s Vegan Sweet Potato & Hemp Heart Tacos Recipe

Tips

  • Tortilla making tips:
  • Waiting 30 minutes before working with the dough is ideal. Resting the dough will prevent it from breaking during the rolling process.
  • When pressing the dough into tortillas, make sure there is some sort of barrier between the press and the dough to prevent it from sticking. You can use parchment paper cut into smaller squares, sandwich bags cut split open, or spraying the press with oil in between presses..
  • If you do not own a tortilla press, use a rolling pin. Roll out the dough as thin as possible, then fry.
  • The cook time can vary from 1 to 2 minutes depending on the thickness of the tortilla and how high your heat is. Be attentive during this process because the tortillas can either burn or dry out easily.
  • This recipe makes exactly 8 portions but if you decide to double the tortilla recipe and save extras for another day, store them in a ziploc bag or an airtight container for up to 4 days to keep fresh. 
  • To reheat cold tortillas, place them on a plate, cover them with damp paper towels and microwave for 20-30 seconds. The steaming action will rehydrate them.
  • In the United States, most tubers sold as yams are actually members of the sweet potato family. Your Garnets, your Jewels, the “yams” with the rich orange flesh and reddish-brown exterior, are, botanically, sweet potatoes

Q&A

  • I follow a gluten-free lifestyle, how can I make this according to my dietary restriction? Personally, I love the combination of both flours for texture and taste, but you can definitely opt for only corn flour if you suffer from gluten intolerance or prefer without it. Aside from the tortillas, every other ingredient in this recipe is free of wheat.
  • Can I use yellow or white corn flour for the tortillas? Yes. They are 1:1 replacements so no need to change the measurements.
  • Can I use a different oil in the tortillas? Melted coconut oil, olive oil or melted vegan butter work great too.
Dr. Igor’s Vegan Sweet Potato & Hemp Heart Tacos Recipe
Nutrition Info

Related: Looking for a sweet treat to follow up your Vegan Tacos? Click here for Dr. Igor’s Keto Hemp Berry Clafoutis Recipe. 

Dr. Igor Bussel, M.D., M.S., M.H.A

Dr. Igor Bussel, M.D., M.S., M.H.A is a clinician-scientist and ophthalmic surgeon. Before attending Chicago Medical School, he worked as a Research Scientist in a Healthspan Pharmacology Laboratory at University of California, Irvine focused on investigating the impact of botanical extracts and dietary supplements that can slow the aging process and add healthy years to human life. He has served as a clinical/scientific consultant to multiple stage companies focused on developing interventions for age-related diseases.

Dr. Igor started to learn about CBD through his research as well as from patient experiences and has since become an advocate for their efficacy. He teamed up with long-time activist Richard Cowan to co-create CBD Seniors in 2020.

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Dr. Igor Bussel, M.D., M.S., M.H.A

Dr. Igor Bussel, M.D., M.S., M.H.A is a clinician-scientist and ophthalmic surgeon. Before attending Chicago Medical School, he worked as a Research Scientist in a Healthspan Pharmacology Laboratory at University of California, Irvine focused on investigating the impact of botanical extracts and...