While having a legitimate reason to slip into costume is applause-worthy, perhaps the most progressive and food-conscious determinant of October's worth is the fact that it's also Vegetarian Awareness Month. Since 1977, October has developed into a month focused on appreciating the numerous choices the vegetarian food world has to offer.
In honor of this healthful fall season, OC tapped Alissa Wagner and Sabrina De Sousa of Dimes, the California-tinged eatery tucked into an unassuming pocket of New York's Chinatown (conveniently located near OC), to show us how to create the perfectly balanced veggie taco. With a restaurant menu that boasts tasty seasonal dishes, healthy freshness, and unconventional flavor combinations, the two stylish ladies (and organic lip-balm experts) behind Dimes seemed the perfect pair to show us that meatless doesn't mean tasteless.
Above, the Dimes ladies show how to perfect the veggie taco, also known as the Sayonara Summer Taco.
Below, we caught up with Alissa Wagner to talk about unusual taco ingredients, the great meat debate, and which fellow vegetarian she thinks is a dime. Check out the recipes for the Dimes mango salsa, hot sauce, and Sayonara Summer Taco at the end! And peep their amazing Instagram.
CHLOE DEWBERRY: What goes into making the perfect veggie taco?
ALISSA WAGNER: A good variety of textures and flavors is super important. If you’re doing a breakfast taco, start with the base of really delicious, creamy, soft scrambled eggs. I think it’s important to give a bit of spice, a bit of crunch, and a bit of texture; we do that with our tacos through the use of a spicy mango salsa and fresh, raw tomatillos to balance out that creaminess.
How did you and Sabrina go about concocting the Sayonara Summer Taco recipe?
We saw how popular our egg sandwhich was and we wanted to do something in that sort of realm, but a little different and more fun. With a breakfast taco, you can sort of play around with certain elements and make it less of a classic dish. We change menus seasonally—in the summer we were using a peach salsa and some charred corn—and now we are doing it with fresh tomatillo and mango salsa.
What is the one key ingredient that no taco can go without?
A really good hot sauce. Besides the Dimes' sauce, Valentina is a great hot sauce, and I also love Cholula.
What is the one surprising ingredient that enhances a veggie taco that no one would normally think to use?
I think the fruit element is a surprising ingredient. People are always really surprised by it and they think that it’s going to be a super-sweet thing, but it’s actually not. I think it just sort of rounds out the spiciness.
What is one thing you’d say to carnivores that can’t imagine a taco without meat to convince them to try a Dimes Sayonara Summer Taco?
It’s just as satisfying. It gives you a more exciting flavor profile that you wouldn’t expect. I think sometimes, when people are using meat, they consider that the main event so they sort of forget about all the other things that go into it, like really great vegetables and sauces. They feel that protein takes the stage. But with a veggie taco, it has all of these other elements that bring you in that are sort of unexpected and exc
In honor of this healthful fall season, OC tapped Alissa Wagner and Sabrina De Sousa of Dimes, the California-tinged eatery tucked into an unassuming pocket of New York's Chinatown (conveniently located near OC), to show us how to create the perfectly balanced veggie taco. With a restaurant menu that boasts tasty seasonal dishes, healthy freshness, and unconventional flavor combinations, the two stylish ladies (and organic lip-balm experts) behind Dimes seemed the perfect pair to show us that meatless doesn't mean tasteless.
Above, the Dimes ladies show how to perfect the veggie taco, also known as the Sayonara Summer Taco.
Below, we caught up with Alissa Wagner to talk about unusual taco ingredients, the great meat debate, and which fellow vegetarian she thinks is a dime. Check out the recipes for the Dimes mango salsa, hot sauce, and Sayonara Summer Taco at the end! And peep their amazing Instagram.
CHLOE DEWBERRY: What goes into making the perfect veggie taco?
ALISSA WAGNER: A good variety of textures and flavors is super important. If you’re doing a breakfast taco, start with the base of really delicious, creamy, soft scrambled eggs. I think it’s important to give a bit of spice, a bit of crunch, and a bit of texture; we do that with our tacos through the use of a spicy mango salsa and fresh, raw tomatillos to balance out that creaminess.
How did you and Sabrina go about concocting the Sayonara Summer Taco recipe?
We saw how popular our egg sandwhich was and we wanted to do something in that sort of realm, but a little different and more fun. With a breakfast taco, you can sort of play around with certain elements and make it less of a classic dish. We change menus seasonally—in the summer we were using a peach salsa and some charred corn—and now we are doing it with fresh tomatillo and mango salsa.
What is the one key ingredient that no taco can go without?
A really good hot sauce. Besides the Dimes' sauce, Valentina is a great hot sauce, and I also love Cholula.
What is the one surprising ingredient that enhances a veggie taco that no one would normally think to use?
I think the fruit element is a surprising ingredient. People are always really surprised by it and they think that it’s going to be a super-sweet thing, but it’s actually not. I think it just sort of rounds out the spiciness.
What is one thing you’d say to carnivores that can’t imagine a taco without meat to convince them to try a Dimes Sayonara Summer Taco?
It’s just as satisfying. It gives you a more exciting flavor profile that you wouldn’t expect. I think sometimes, when people are using meat, they consider that the main event so they sort of forget about all the other things that go into it, like really great vegetables and sauces. They feel that protein takes the stage. But with a veggie taco, it has all of these other elements that bring you in that are sort of unexpected and exc