Everybody who knows me knows that I LOVE street food. And Mexican food. Since today just happens to be Cinco de Mayo, it seems quite appropriate to offer some Mexican-style street food. Gorditas are basically little corn cakes stuffed with whatever fillings you want – imagine something along the lines of a marriage between a pita pocket and a fried taco. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
This recipe came about unexpectedly. I had picked up a package of cornmeal in the hopes of doing a zucchini and onion cornbread to accompany my Cajun-style black-eyed peas. The recipe didn’t work out, but as I put the package back into the cupboard I noticed the indication on the package that this cornmeal was ideal for preparing arepas, polenta and gorditas. Mmmm, gorditas.
The product I’m talking about is the P.A.N. brand of pre-cooked yellow cornmeal. I went to the company’s website and found their gorditas recipe. Now, I’m not sure (mostly because I’m not Mexican), but I don’t believe that this kind of cornmeal is the same as the masa harina normally used to make gorditas. But considering how difficult is was for me just to find regular cornmeal here, finding true masa harina would be a monumental task most likely requiring a special trip to the one and only Mexican grocer across town.
So, whether “authentic” or not, these vegan gorditas were super tasty, super corn-y and super street food-y. I stuffed mine with some pinto beans, cabbage, pico de gallo and avocado. But, like a taco, anything goes and they’re great for using up any leftovers you’ve got hiding out in your fridge. I had some leftover sriracha mayonnaise from my vegan meatball banh mi and it was a great addition to my vegan gorditas. Gorditas are basically little corn cakes stuffed with whatever fillings you want – imagine something along the lines of a marriage between a pita pocket and a fried taco. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Vegan Gorditas
Ingredients
For the pico de gallo
For the gordita masa
For the vegan gorditas
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8
Serving Size: 1 gordita
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 419Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 643mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 8gSugar: 7gProtein: 5g
barb gibbs says
disclaimer: I hate cilantro and avocado. With those opinions taken into account, this recipe sounds great! Pico de gallo is something I can eat a lot of on its own, and the filling sounds yummy. Pinning....thanks!
Melissa says
Thanks Barb. They'd definitely still be good even without the cilantro and avocado or substituted for something else.
Sol says
I’m Mexican & vegan. These are genius! I’m making them because gorditas have the best texture.