Vegan Soyrizo Tacos

We had family over tonight for dinner, and I made this up on the fly using ingredients we had in the house. It was a hit with the vegetarians and omnivores alike, and had folks going back for seconds! I typed up the recipe to recreate again sometime! The two specialty ingredients in this really made it. One was the Soy Chorizo from Trader Joe's. I was anticipating the kind of chorizo that is a sausage you can slice, but I was thrown off that this was like a ground meat product once you removed the casing as instructed. It ended up being a blessing as it converted a boring grain dish in to TACO TUESDAY! It was really flavorful, with a strong salt and cumin flavor that meant the whole dish required no additional seasoning.

The second special item was a bag of "Earthly Grains Quick Cook 5 Grains" from Aldi. It has spelt, barley, wheat, rice, and wholegrain oats. I've seen these at a couple Aldi's, but as with all things Aldi they are ephemeral and you might not find them. Any healthy grain - quinoa, farro, freekeh, wheatberries, brown rice, etc. would do nicely, but I'd recommend some of the larger. chewier ones for the texture. 

Vegan Chorizo (Soyrizo) Tacos

1 package Earthly Grains 5 Grain Blend (or 1.5 cups dry grains of your choice)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch fresh spinach, stems removed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 package Trader Joe's Chorizo
1 bag (10 oz) frozen corn
1 can (~16 oz) great northern beans (or canellini beans/white kidney beans)
1 tomato, chopped
1 can (6 oz) black olives, sliced
20 small taco size tortillas (flour or corn)
Grated soy cheese, as desired

Prepare the grains according to the package. While the grains cook, in a large pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook the spinach until wilted, and set aside. Add another tablespoon olive oil and sautee the onions on medium until slightly translucent and browned. Add the green pepper and cook another few minutes. Remove the casing from the soyrizo and add to the pan, stirring to break up the crumbles. After a few minutes add the frozen corn and cook until thawed. Add in the beans, tomato, olives and spinach, stirring to combine. Add the chorizo mixture to the grains and fill tacos with the mixture and top with cheese.

This made a LOT of food, and I bet it would freeze well rolled up burrito style to reheat later. Speaking of reheating, I'll have to add a picture of the final product when I have the leftovers!