Meatless Monday: Tofu Tacos!

We’ve been having various Mexican-inspired dishes in my house lately. Here’s one for all the vegetarians that even meat-eaters will love!

Tofu Tacos

Ingredients:

Filling

1 14oz package of firm or extra firm tofu, drained

½ cup water

½ cup tomato sauce

1 small onion, finely diced

1 tbsp olive or canola oil

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Wraps and Toppings Suggestions 

Wholewheat tortilla wraps

Shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, queso fresco)

Diced tomato

Diced onion

Shredded lettuce

Baby spinach

Sliced avocado

Corn

Guacamole

Salsa

Sour cream

To drain the tofu, remove from packaging and wrap in two paper towels, then place on shallow plate. Place another plate on top of it and leave it for at least 30 minutes up to an hour. If possible, do it over night for best results. The pressure from the plate will slowly drain the liquid from the tofu without putting too much weight on it. Once drained, unwrap and then cut into cubes, slices, or just crumble it up into small chunks.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet then add the onion and brown. Add the tofu and cook over medium heat until lightly browned on each side; press tofu occasionally to enable any leftover liquid to seep out. Turn after 5-7 minutes to brown on each side; if using crumbled tofu, stir and sauté in the pan frequently so as not to burn it or allow it to get stuck to the pan. Once tofu and onions are good and brown, add the water and tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low, then add all the seasonings. To save time, mix the seasonings in a Ziploc bag or bowl ahead of time then add altogether at once. Here’s another thought: make triple or quadruple the amount of seasoning and store the extra for future use!

Cook it all for about 5-10 minutes, adjusting seasoning as you deem fit. Scoop tofu into wraps and add the toppings of your choice. Serve with beans or a salad. Delish!

This became a family favorite a while ago, and it is the only way Lily will even eat tofu at this time. She really likes spicy food! So, if you have a picky eater who you’d like to get into eating tofu, give this recipe a try and see how it goes. This recipe can also be used for beef, chicken or fish, and probably even pork though I wouldn’t know since I don’t eat pork.

For baby: mash tofu with cheese and/or tomato sauce and optionally add veggies your little one eats at their age, such as corn, avocado or spinach. Ole! If you want to learn more about the safety and health issues involved in eating soy product, please read my previous post Somethin’ Sweet ‘n Spicy. 

I do not recommend the use of non-stick pans that you may think would make frying tofu easier. Most people are familiar with the danger involved in using such cookware, but if you are not, read here to learn more. Carcinogenic toxic fumes that are very cancerous can emit from the pans with non-stick coating as you cook with them. You can inhale these fumes and they will also leak into your food! Pans that get burned cause a higher risk, so if you have any that have been damaged from cooking, throw them out! In fact, get rid of any non-stick cookware you own- it’s not worth the risk. Use glass or stainless steel for safest cooking.

 Enjoy, and have a good week!