ACORN SQUASH WONDER TACOS/CHALUPAS

Acorn Squash Wonder Tacos/Chalupas image

This is one of those recipes where you'll cross your eyes in pleasure after tasting. Great for vegetarian meat substitute or hiding veggies from your kids. They do not taste like squash. If you don't have cotija cheese, you can substitute Parmesan. But cotija marries well with cumin. Serve with refried beans for extra yum.

Provided by Wonder Becky

Categories World Cuisine Recipes Latin American Mexican

Time 40m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

1 cup canola oil, or as needed
1 large acorn squash - peeled, seeded, and grated
2 tablespoons grated red onion
1 serrano chile pepper, finely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg
2 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
4 corn tortillas
¼ cup shredded lettuce, or to taste
1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and chopped
1 tomato, chopped
¼ cup freshly grated cotija cheese

Steps:

Heat canola oil in a deep fryer or heavy pot over medium heat.
Mix squash, onion, serrano pepper, flour, egg, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a bowl.
Drop squash mixture by the spoonful, working in batches, in the hot oil; fry until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer squash fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Fry the corn tortillas in the hot oil until crisp, about 2 minutes per side.
Layer each tortilla with lettuce, squash fritters, avocado, tomato, and a tablespoon of cotija cheese.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 331.9 calories, Carbohydrate 39.6 g, Cholesterol 55.2 mg, Fat 18 g, Fiber 8.4 g, Protein 8.4 g, SaturatedFat 3.9 g, Sodium 429.2 mg, Sugar 5.4 g