Preheat the oven to 425F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.
Prep the cauliflower: Chop cauliflower into small florets. Rinse cauliflower and pat dry. Transfer to the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, tossing until well coated. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Roast on the middle oven rack at 425F for 20 minutes.
Make the chipotle sauce: Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, lime juice, tomato paste, agave syrup to a blender. Blend until peppers are mostly broken down. It will be a chunky sauce. Taste for salt and agave. **If making the vegan cheese sauce, don't rinse out the blender**
Remove cauliflower from the oven after 20 minutes. Toss and brush with the chipotle sauce so that the florets are mostly coated. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, roasting until the cauliflower is fork tender and blackened in some spots.
Cashew Cheese Sauce
Add the soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, vegetable broth, and salt to the blender used to make the chipotle sauce. Blend on medium strength until the cashews are smooth and entirely broken down.
Taste for salt and nutritional yeast. Warm over medium heat on the stove top, stirring frequently OR in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute.
Zesty Slaw
In a small bowl, mix together the vegan mayo, 1 tablespoon lime juice, zest from ½ a lime, agave syrup, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.
Add the shredded cabbage to a large bowl. Toss with the sauce. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Tacos
Heat corn tortillas in a large skillet over high heat until starting to brown. You can toast the pepitas in the same skillet. It will only take 1-2 minutes to toast them.
To each tortilla, add a base of slaw, top with a few cauliflower florets, a drizzle of cashew sauce, toasted pepitas and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Chipotle peppers are pretty spicy. This recipe uses 1 can chipotles canned in adobo sauce. Decrease to 2 jalapenos for a little less spice.
Cashews: Cover cashews with an inch of water and soak overnight OR cover with an inch of almost boiling water and soak for an hour. Drain water before using. You can skip this step if you have a very strong blender.
Limes are used across most of the recipe. I recommend buying at least 5-6 because the amount of juice in a lime varies. I usually just buy a bag of limes.
Leftovers and reheating: Keep leftover cauliflower, slaw and cheese sauce refrigerated for 3-4 days. Reheat the cauliflower in the microwave in just about a minute, or heat on the stove top over medium heat until warmed through and crisped.
How to use frozen cauliflower: Let the frozen cauliflower fully thaw and pat it with a towel to remove extra moisture before tossing it with oil. It will take 20-25 minutes to roast instead of 30-35 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the chipotle sauce. Cook until the cauliflower is ultra tender and starting to blacken.
Nutrition facts were calculated using 2 tablespoons cheese sauce per 2 tacos.