Tacos of Texas

Mando Rayo: Mi gente, mark, your calendars give back. Gig is happening April 29th at Skybox on sixth and it’s going to be a night to remember Top Chefs rising, culinary stars, incredible food, all for an amazing cost. And all. Be your mc. For the no check proceeds go to Visit Austin Foundation. Good work Austin and Urban Roots.

Tickets are going fast, so get yours at Eventbrite under give back gig 2026.

Hey, this is Mandore from the Tacos of Texas. We’re busy cooking up season six, but in the meantime, here’s a segment from my interview on the Texas Standard and Austin Signal. You can hear me every month talking about tacos and taco culture, and get ready for safe premiering on August, 2026. The S of Texas is produced by Identity Productions in partnership with KUT and KUTX studios.

Listen on k ut.org or wherever you get your podcast.

Angela Kocherga: This is the Texas Standard. I’m Angela Coga. It’s almost a requirement to love tacos if you’re a Texan. However, sometimes for a variety of reasons, people find themselves avoiding tacos. If they’re looking for what some deem as. Healthier options, but like anything, tacos can be healthy for you.

So if you’re lactose intolerant, don’t eat meat or worry about your figure. Mando REOs has some options for you. He’s the taco journalist and host of the Tacos of Texas podcast. Mando, great to talk with you once again on the standard.

Mando Rayo: Hey, Angela. It’s great to be back and you know. Uh, I’m not gonna be watching your figure.

I just watch my own. Okay.

Angela Kocherga: I think we all have that job. We’re, we’re a month into the year, so those who wanted to lose weight. Well, good luck here. So, you know, you really can, you’ve talked about tacos or diet tacos don’t sound appealing, but they really can be. Tell us about this category and, and the tacos you put.

Mando Rayo: You know, it’s the first of the year. We’re already in February, but the struggle is there and that constant sound of keeps hounding me. So I think there, there’s a lot of options, definitely when you think about like, hey, you wanna, you know, eat smarter, uh, more veggies, less carbs. As long as like the flavors are there, you can mix up anything from no bales to squash, and as long as there’s some good spices in there.

Angela Kocherga: Yeah. It’s how you prepare it. Well, you mentioned, uh, nopales and we had a listener message us recently to ask about da Nopales. Tell people first of all, those who may not know what are nopales and, and how do, why are they so healthy?

Mando Rayo: Yeah. To be honest, it’s the, the food of. Was the desert land, right? So it’s prickly P cactus.

So not only are they high in fiber, but they got that vi that you need. Growing up in the northern part of the landscape of Mexico, but also in El Paso, people were selling nopales like on the street. And so I think that’s, it’s a really great way to kind of, uh, bring in some of, some of the extra vitamin that you need, but also an alternative to the cognis and the meats that you would more than likely kind of get at your local taqueria.

And it’s, it goes great with Vos. It’s, it’s a big mix of things.

Angela Kocherga: Yeah. We’re very familiar here in El Paso. Yeah. Well tell people what’s the best way to prepare Nopales.

Mando Rayo: You know, you buy ’em at the store because they’re already prepared for you to cook. So you don’t have to like, take off any spines, uh, or, or that extra layer that gives it that texture.

And I’m very particular, ’cause I don’t like my vegetables overcooked, like very squishy or slimy. Mm-hmm. So for me it’s about grilling, but also maybe a slight sauteed, so that way they’re cooked but they’re still crunchy. And even like if you wanna do a straight up Noal taco, you know, just add some jalapenos, onions, and garlic, or even over eggs with some breakfast tacos.

And that’s a traditional taco where you have no convos.

Angela Kocherga: Well, what other tacos pair? Well, when it comes to the health conscious consumer, yeah, taco.

Mando Rayo: Wait a minute. Did you say health conscious?

Angela Kocherga: I don’t think CES are healthy, but they’re delicious. Not bad, bad, bad, bad, but health conscious mindset.

Mando Rayo: Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

Uh, so I love calabasas, you know? Mm-hmm. Squash green or yellow squash, maybe with some red onions or even add maybe, uh, some broccolini or even mushrooms. Um, I like a good black bean taco. Or maybe in the oven, roast and char some veggies. With sweet potatoes, and I’ve actually had, um, you know, this version of Al Pato, a cauliflower taco.

Yes. So, so think about like your favorite marinade that you usually use, but maybe use a hardier vegetable like cauliflower broccoli for sure. But, you know, the, for me, the main thing is does it have s. I know flavor. There’s some Yeah. Flavor. Exactly. So, you know, I know you, you can go to some health conscious restaurants and for me it’s sometimes it’s missing.

I want like a strong flavor of a Wahi or a Chipotle or even aero

Angela Kocherga: as usual. You’ve now made me and everyone else hungry, so we appreciate you sharing all your taco recipes. Uh, we’ve been speaking with Mando Rayo, host of the Tacos of Texas podcast. Thank you again for talking with us on the standard.

Mando Rayo: Thank you.

Stay healthy my friends.

You can find Tacos of Texas on kut.org or wherever you get your podcast.