Hiya! Happy Monday! Think of these delicious Crunchy Cauliflower Tacos with Spicy Mango Slaw as an antidote to all the stuffing, pie and other goodies you consumed over the holiday weekend. You’re welcome!

Not only are they nice and light and completely vegetarian, they’re also miles away in flavor, texture and looks from the traditional holiday fare leftovers we’re all beginning to get the teensiest bit tired of. Full of zesty, wake-up-your-mouth goodness!

Plus, they’re so bright, cheery, which works wonders against the drabness of the ever early darkening days!

And happily, they come together in under an hour which means you can tackle them on a reasonable weeknight! Fingers crossed that’s tonight for you!

Okey-dokey, enough of a sell—here’s how these too can be yours— you start by using a bag of coleslaw mix and tossing it together with some cut up mango, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro or parsley and salt. Easy-peasy and done!

Next you dip cauliflower florets into a coconut milk mixture, coat them in panko and coconut and bake them. They smell amazing while you’re cooking them and turn out so tender, crunchy and flavorful!

While all that’s happening, you make a simple mayo and sour cream based sauce that eventually gets drizzled over everything and is the perfect balance to the spiciness of the slaw. YUM!!

You are going to love the explosion of texture and flavor big time and c’mon, what’s more fun than a big old messy, summery-style taco on a cold winter day?! Welcome to December, lol!!

Crunchy Cauliflower Tacos with Spicy Mango Slaw

Makes 6 servings

Prep Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients

For the Mango Slaw

About 8 ounces (generous 3 cups) coleslaw mix
1 small mango, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
The juice of 1 large lime
1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro or parsley
1 small jalapeño, minced
Pinch of kosher salt

For the Tacos

1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

1 cup panko

1 cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon garlic powder

A few shakes of cayenne pepper

About 1 pound cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets

Small corn tortillas (figure 2 per person)

For the Sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise (you can use light)

¼ cup sour cream (you can use light)

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons minced cilantro or parsley

Pinch or two of salt

The Recipe

1. To make the Slaw: place the coleslaw mix, mango, lime juice, parsley, jalapeño and salt in a medium bowl and toss together well. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

2. To make the tacos: Preheat oven to 450 F and spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the coconut and panko in a shallow dish and mix together. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, garlic, cayenne and a generous pinch of salt. One piece at a time, coat the cauliflower with the mixture, let the excess drip off and then roll the piece in the coconut-panko mixture to coat it well, pressing to make sure the crumbs stick. Place on the prepared sheet.

3. Bake the cauliflower for about 30 minutes, turning at least once during the process so that the pieces get tender and golden brown on both sides.

4. To make the sauce: Mix together the mayo, sour cream, water, cilantro or parsley and salt in a small bowl and chill until ready to use.

5. When you’re ready to serve, warm the tortillas in the oven or microwave. Top each one with a few pieces of cauliflower and mango slaw and drizzle with the sauce.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Vegetables Illustrated by the editors of America’s Test kitchen.I tinkered a bit with different spices and cooked the cauliflower longer so it would be extra crispy.