It’s almost a requirement to love tacos if you’re a Texan. However, sometimes, for a variety of reasons, people find themselves avoiding tacos if they’re looking for what some deem as “healthier options.”
But like anything, tacos can be healthy for you. So if you are lactose intolerant, don’t eat meat, or worry about figure, Mando Rayos has some options for you.
He’s the taco journalist and host of the Tacos of Texas podcast. Listen to the interview above or read the transcript below.
This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity:
So you’ve talked about how “tacos por dieta,” or diet tacos, don’t sound appealing, but they really can be. Tell us about this category and the tacos you put in it.
You know, it’s the first of the year, we’re already in February, but the struggle is there and then that constant sound of “se me sube el colesterol” keeps hounding me.
So I think there’s a lot of options, definitely when you think about like, hey, you want to eat smarter – more veggies, less carbs, y todo eso, as long as like the flavors are there, you can mix up anything from nopales to squash. And as long as there’s some good spices in there.
Yeah, it’s how you prepare it. Well, you mentioned nopales, and we had a listener message us recently to ask about tacos de nopal.
Tell people, first of all, those who may not know, what are nopales and why are they so healthy?
Yeah, to be honest, it’s the food of the desert lands, right? So it’s prickly pear cactus. So not only are they high in fiber, but they got that Vitamina T that you need.
Growing up in the northern part of the landscape of Mexico, but also in El Paso, people were selling nopales like on the street. And so I think it’s a really great way to kind of bring in some of the extra vitamin that you need, but also an alternative to the carnes and the meats that you would more than likely kind of get at your local taqueria.
And it goes great with huevos. It’s a big mix of things.
And yeah, we’re very familiar here in El Paso. Well, tell people what’s the best way to prepare nopales.
You know, you buy them at the store because they’re already prepared for you to cook. So you don’t have to like take off any spines or that extra layer that gives it that texture.
And I’m very particular because I don’t like my vegetables overcooked, like very squishy or slimy. So for me, it’s about grilling, but also maybe a slight sautee so that way they’re cooked, but they’re still crunchy.
And even like if you want to do a straight up nopal taco, you know, just add some jalapeños, onions and garlic or even over eggs with some breakfast tacos and that’s the traditional taco where you have nopales con huevos.
Well, what other tacos pair well when it comes to the health-conscious consumer, taco-lover?
Wait a minute, did you say “health-conchas“?
I don’t think conchas are healthy, but they’re delicious! But health-conscious.
Yes. So I love calabazas – you know, squash, green or yellow squash – maybe with some red onions or even add maybe some broccolini or even mushrooms.
I like a good black bean taco or maybe in-the-oven-roast and char some veggies with sweet potatoes. And I’ve actually had, you know, this version of al pastor, a cauliflower taco. So think about like your favorite marinade that you usually use, but maybe use a heartier vegetable, like cauliflower or broccoli for sure.
But you know for me, the main thing is, does it have sazon?
Flavor.
Yeah, flavor. Exactly. So I know you can go to some health-conscious restaurants and, for me, sometimes it’s missing. I want like a strong flavor of a guajillo or a chipotle or even a habanero.
If you found the reporting above valuable, please consider making a donation to support it here. Your gift helps pay for everything you find on texasstandard.org and KUT.org. Thanks for donating today.