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    Oh My Veggies » Vegan Recipes » Vegan Main Dishes

    Chickpea Chorizo Tostadas with Avocado Crema

    Published: Mar 1, 2017 · by Nicole · Updated: Sep 15, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Chickpea Chorizo Tostadas with Avocado Crema

    I don't eat a whole lot of meat substitutes, but I do have a few favorites, and every now and then I'll see something new at the store and decide to give it a go. And every now and then one of the new ones I try gets added on to my favorites list. That's what happened with Trader Joe's vegan chorizo. I've never had traditional chorizo, so I was curious. It was delicious, so now it's one of the few meat substitutes that I do indulge in on occasion.

    It was all the spices that made me love veggie chorizo so much. A little bit hot, a little smoky, and so much flavor. That got me thinking, if all the flavor I loved so much in this stuff comes from the spices, it shouldn't matter too much what the chorizo is actually made out of. The base is really just a vehicle for all the spice.

    Chickpea Chorizo Tostadas with Avocado Crema

    That's what prompted me to take my first crack at vegan chorizo with these stuffed zucchinis. I made that chorizo out of lentils and walnuts, thinking they'd be perfect for the texture. This time around I decided to switch things up and go with chickpeas and walnuts. I liked it even better.

    Chickpea Chorizo Tostadas with Avocado Crema

    The chickpeas get briefly blitzed in a food processor to create this meatless chorizo. The key is not to overdo it—4 or 5 pulses is plenty. Once you've chopped your chickpeas and walnuts in the food processor, they get cooked up quickly in a skillet with lots of spices, to give you that hot and smoky chorizo flavor. The chickpea chorizo gets piled onto crispy tostada shells and topped with a drizzle of avocado crema, to balance out the heavy spices. I threw a bit of shredded lettuce and tomatoes onto my tostadas for texture. Feel free to substitute or add your favorite veggies or tostada toppings though.

    Recipe

    Chickpea Chorizo Tostadas with Avocado Crema

    Chickpea Chorizo Tostadas with Avocado Crema

    Spicy meatless chorizo made from chickpeas and walnuts is piled onto crispy shells and drizzled with rich avocado crema to make these mouthwatering vegan tostadas.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Chickpea Chorizo Tostadas, Chickpea Chorizo Tostadas with Avocado Crema, vegan tostadas
    Servings: 6 tostadas
    Calories: 248kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Ingredients

    For the chickpea chorizo:

    • 1 14 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    • ½ cup chopped walnuts
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 small onion diced
    • 3 garlic cloves minced
    • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
    • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or more, to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • Generous pinch ground cloves
    • ¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste
    • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

    For the shells:

    • 6 corn tortillas
    • Cooking oil or spray

    For the avocado crema:

    • 1 ripe avocado pitted and peeled
    • 1 cup unflavored soy or almond milk
    • 1 tablespoon lime juice
    • ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste

    For serving:

    • Shredded lettuce
    • Diced tomato
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Make the chickpea chorizo:

    • Place the chickpeas and walnuts into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S-blade. Pulse 4 or 5 times, just until the chickpeas are chopped and crumbly, being careful not to overdo it.
    • Coat the bottom of a medium skillet with oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté about 1 minute more, until very fragrant. Add the chickpea mixture, paprika, cumin, ancho chile powder, thyme, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, cloves, and ¼ teaspoon of salt to the skillet. Gently flip a few times to incorporate the spices into the mixture. Cook, flipping occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the mixture dries out a bit and begins to crisp in spots. Add vinegar and flip a few more times to incorporate. Remove from heat and season with additional salt and cayenne pepper if desired.

    Make the shells:

    • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly spray both sides of the tortillas with oil or cooking spray, then place them in the over, arranging them flat, directly on the oven rack. Bake until they begin to brown and crisp, about 8 minutes.

    Make the avocado crema:

    • While the shells bake, place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Taste test and season with additional salt if desired.

    Assemble the tostadas:

    • Divide the chickpea chorizo among the shells and top with lettuce, tomato and avocado crema. Serve.

    Notes

    Adding more cayenne pepper will make the chickpea mixture taste more like chorizo, but a little bit goes a long way. I suggest starting with ¼ teaspoon, taste-testing, and adding more as needed.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 248kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 5gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 330mgPotassium: 374mgFiber: 5gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 627IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 105mgIron: 2mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
    « Lentil Kibbeh
    Vegetarian Crockpot Enchiladas Made Easy »

    Vegan Main Dishes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Main Dishes, Vegetarian Recipes avocado, chickpeas, main dishes, mexican, walnuts

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Izzy | pinch of delight says

      March 01, 2017 at 1:32 pm

      Great post! x
      Izzy |http://www.pinchofdelight.com

      Reply
    2. Aleeha says

      March 01, 2017 at 6:16 pm

      I am OBSESSED with chickpeas at the moment... random thing to say, I know! I will definitely have to try this
      Aleeha xXx
      http://www.halesaaw.co.uk/

      Reply
    3. Krista @ Gringita says

      March 02, 2017 at 8:47 am

      yum this looks so good!! Especially avocado cream on top! love it

      Reply
    4. Sarah Cook says

      March 06, 2017 at 12:38 pm

      Drooling over these, Alissa!! Such a creative use of chickpeas. I can't wait to try them!

      Reply
    5. Jess says

      September 04, 2017 at 7:48 pm

      These tostadas were amazing!!!! I'm so impressed; you did such a phenomenal job with the spices in this recipe! Thanks! I definitely have to check out your other recipes.

      Reply
      • Alissa says

        September 05, 2017 at 7:41 am

        I'm so glad you enjoyed them!! Thanks Jess!

        Reply
    6. Caitie says

      August 12, 2019 at 9:31 pm

      4 stars
      Tried this evening! Doubled the recipe for leftovers. Very delicious. I plan to add this to the weekly meal rotation!

      I held back on the cayenne, maybe 1/8 t. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow. Yum! ?

      Reply
    7. Eds says

      May 19, 2020 at 7:18 pm

      3 stars
      This wad soooooo good. The chorizo spices were spot on! I did extra onion and left the chickpeas whole. Definitely a versatile dish.

      Reply
    4 from 4 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
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