Chef Bai’s Vegan Sweet Potato Flautas with Avocado Salsa Verde
Chef Bai shares one of her favorite vegan recipes from her cookbook Cook. Heal. Go Vegan!
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
This recipe for sweet potato Flautas with avocado salsa verde comes from Chef Bai’s cookbook, Cook. Heal. Go Vegan! Learn more about Chef Bai and the health journey that lead her to write the book here.
Flautas, taquitos, and rolled tacos are all in the same family and all share a special place in my heart. Flautas come in a bigger portion size, which means they hit the spot when you’re hungry. The filling on these guys is a little bit of everything I love about vegan Mexican food: The raw ground walnuts add an amazing meaty texture and pair perfectly with the spices and sweetness of the sweet potatoes. This will become one of your go-to recipes when you’re having friends over for margaritas.
More Related Recipes to Try Next:
Oven-Crisp Black Bean and Corn Flautas
Jicama Tostada with Avocado, Guajillo, and Hibiscus
Grilled Pepper Salad with Black Beans and Avocado
Sweet Potato Flautas with Avocado Salsa Verde
Ingredients
Avocado salsa verde
- 8 medium tomatillos, peeled and cut in half
- 1 cup (40 g) fresh cilantro leaves and stems
- 2 scallions, coarsely chopped
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper, deseeded
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh lime juice
- 1 medium avocado, peeled
- 1 tsp salt
Flautas
- 3 cups (426 g) coarsely chopped sweet potatoes
- 1 (15-oz [425-g]) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup (50 g) ground walnuts
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp chipotle powder
- 10 corn tortillas
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) avocado oil
Garnishes (optional)
- Cashew cream
- Finely chopped fresh cilantro
- Thinly sliced hot pepper
- Lime wedges
Preparation
Makes 10 flautas and 2 cups of salsa
-
Make the salsa verde: In a blender, combine the tomatillos, cilantro,scallions, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, avocado and salt. Pulse the ingredients 10 to 15 times, until smooth, then transfer the salsa to a bowland set aside.
-
Next, make the flautas: Fill a medium pot with a small amount of water and insert a steamer basket. Place the sweet potatoes in the basket. Set the pot over medium-low heat, cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Steam The sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes, until they are fork-tender. Drain the sweet potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl. Add the beans, walnuts, salt, black pepper, granulated garlic, coriander, smoked paprika and chipotle powder. Mash everything together with a fork until well combined and all the spices are evenly incorporated. Set aside.
-
In a dry small sauté pan or on a flat top grill over medium heat, cook your tortillas for 30 seconds on each side, just until they are warm. Transfer each cooked tortilla to a tortilla warmer or a bowl covered with a kitchen towel, so they can steam and soften before you roll them. Don’t skip this step or your tortillas might break as you try to roll them.
-
Scoop about ½ cup (120 g) of the filling and create a line with it in the middle of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla over the mixture until you’ve created a rolled taco. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas. Heat your oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add your flautas to the pan with the seam side down. This will help the flautas stay together. Cook Them for 3 to 5 minutes, turning them as needed to ensure that they cook evenly, until they are golden brown and crispy on all sides.
-
Garnish the flautas with the cashew cream, cilantro, hot pepper slices and lime wedges, and serve them with the avocado salsa verde. Try picking these up and eating them with your fingers rather than a fork for a fun take on dinner.