Vegan carnitas with a secret method for that perfect texture every time. Simply season and bake then add to tacos or a bowl with your favorite toppings!
Remove the stems of the mushrooms. Using a fork, scrape the stems until you have shredded them into thin pieces. Follow by doing the same with the mushroom caps, the caps will both shred and crumble but continue to use the fork to make the pieces. It works well if you face the caps gill side down, hold the top with your hand and scrape downwards with the fork. Same for the stems.
Put the shredded mushrooms into a colander. Add the sea salt and mix around well. Allow to sit while you clean up and get out the rest of the ingredients, about 5 minutes.
Squeeze out any excess water from the shredded mushrooms, and put it in a large bowl. You will have a little over 2 cups.
Add the rest of the carnitas ingredients and mix well.
Spread on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. The edges will begin to crisp a bit and it will not be watery.
Once the carnitas are done, serve as preferred!
Notes
To remove the gills of the mushrooms, simply use a spoon and scrape them away. You don’t have to do this, but I think it leads to a better result.
I tried these with and without the serrano pepper and crushed red pepper, and I loved the added flavor with it. The serrano pepper version isn’t too spicy if you remove the seeds. You can also use less to add a touch of flavor but remove most of the spice.
To make the optional rice and cabbage simply combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix.
Nutrition is for carnitas only.
Baby/kid food idea: Do not use the spice in either the carnitas or the rice. Slice cabbage extra thin and massage with hands when mixing salad to soften. Serve each separately as finger like foods if preferred.