1cupEasy Cheezy Sauce(about ½ a recipe. For the queso variation, make the thick version of the sauce using ¾ cups of stock. Then add ½ cup of salsa. See notes)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Get out a muffin pan.
If your tortillas are larger than 6 inches, cut them down to size. (I used a 6 inch bowl. Save the scraps to bake up as chips.) Then, cut each 6 inch tortilla in half.
Brush one side of each half very lightly with flax egg and sprinkle with taco salt. (This not only adds flavor, it helps make the cups crispy.)
Fold each half into a cone shape (with the salt on the outside) and tuck the bottom under to create a flat bottom. Push the tortilla cup into the muffin pan, firmly pressing the bottom section and side seam so that they form a cup.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the sides and bottom are firm, crisp and no longer flexible. (Note-your baking time might vary depending on they type/thickness of your tortilla.)
To assemble
Fill each cup with red quinoa taco 'meat' (make sure to drain any liquid first) to about ⅔ full. Top with black beans, a dollop of thickened vegan queso cheeze sauce (see notes), and finely diced red pepper, jalapeno and red onion. Or, substitute other toppings of your choice. Garnish with cilantro if desired.
Notes
About the Tortillas
GF/OIL-FREE: You can easily find store-bought tortillas that are Gluten Free or made with little oil (about ½ tsp. per tortilla), however it's very hard to find oil-free tortillas. (Let me know if you find some!) To make your own 100% oil-free tortillas: mix 2 cups whole wheat flour, and 1 teaspoon each of baking powder and salt, with 1 cup of water. Mix completely, knead until soft, roll out very thin on a floured surface, cut into 6" rounds, then cook on medium-high heat for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side.
'TORTILLAS' THAT DIDN'T WORK: I tried both cassava and corn tortillas for this recipe, but they didn't work well. Because we're not adding any oil, you need a thin tortilla that will be light and crispy when you bite into it after baking, and these tended to create a too-dense, too-chewy texture. I also tried brown rice wrappers. They're great for wrapping, but refuse to be molded into cups! And wonton wrappers would probably be perfect--IF they didn't contain egg, but they all seem to. :(
About the cheese sauce: When you first make the Easy Cheezy Sauce, it will be a bit thin and runny. It will thin after a couple of hours or overnight in the fridge. However, if you need to thicken it fast, you can cook it over low heat in a skillet, stirring continuously, until it thickens. This takes 5-10 minutes.
Optional Toppings:
Refried beans (add or sub for taco meat)
Guacamole or chopped avocado (add or sub for queso)
Vegan shredded cheese and/or sour cream (sub for queso)