Happy Taco Tuesday!
Or if you’re eating sandwiches, salads, or steak (lucky you), then just happy Tuesday. When did we all become obsessed with granting each and every food a national holiday? I realize that taco tuesday is really just a cute thing, probably to get us through the work week. I mean taco Tuesday is way more fun than four days til the weekend Tuesday. So I guess I’ll play along and stop being a huge fun sponge. Next week though, let’s try something a little different? Maybe tuna fish sandwich Tuesday? It’s a work in progress. I’ll let you know when I come up with something that doesn’t suck.
Speaking of tacos
And also of things that do not suck. These are my contribution to a long running tradition (at least on social media). And today taco Tuesday gets an extra ‘t’. Tofu taco Tuesday! I mean come on, that’s fun! But if you’re standing there, shaking your head, thinking…tofu tacos don’t seem fun at all. Well friends, I’d argue that anything packed into a warm corn tortilla and piled high with spicy salsa is approaching monkey barrel territory. But if you need some convincing hear me out.
With the exception of this particular month, we are usually card carrying carnivores around here. And yet, we choose to make tofu chorizo on the regular because it’s just so tasty and has the added benefit of not being quite as gut busty (a feeling we like to reserve for Friday evenings, when uninterrupted couch time is more of a possibility). I mean seriously, this stuff is a little bit tangy, a lotta bit spicy, and so good you’ll forget about meat for at least 25 minutes (which is how long it takes me to eat exactly four).
Vegan tofu chorizo
I realize that for anyone who doesn’t regularly make vegan recipes (ie: me), that when you see the phrase “vegan tofu” in front of anything you’re immediately concerned about unfamiliar processes, hard to source ingredients, and lot of effort for not a lot of payoff. There are definitely plenty of those floating around the internet, but there are also some really odd, difficult, and not so great meat recipes out there too. So let’s just look at the bones of the thing and see how it turns out, K?
One, the ingredient list is short, and most of it is stuff you probably have in your pantry right now. Two, the amount of prep is almost none. And three, the end product is spicy, flavorful, chewy, a little crispy, and totally worthy of your taco table.
How to make vegan chorizo? Any tips?
Nah, brah. This is honestly the easiest tofu recipe I’ve ever made, mainly because there is no fussy draining, pressing, leaving out to dry nonsense. So my big tip is just to make it, because your life will be better for having done so. And if tacos aren’t your jam (but really is that even a thing?) then feel free to throw your faux chorizo into a salad, burrito, or if you’re like me and not really vegan anyway – a big, cheesy omelet!
Feeling something else healthy for dinner?
Maybe one of these strikes your fancy!
Vegan Buddha Bowls with Almond Butter Dressing
Winter Green Goddess Soup
Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Sheet Pan Pitas with Sausage and Kale
Roasted Root Veggie Salad with Turmeric Honey Dressing
And as always, THANK YOU for reading and hanging out with me on social media and making the recipes! Please feel free to leave a cheeky comment here, snap a pic and tag me on Instagram, or just shout out and say hi (like if you see me on the street … but not in like, a scary way) – I totally love hearing from you. Ok, see you tomorrow for White Asparagus Wednesday? I know I know, still working on it.
Vegan Tofu Chorizo
Feel free to use this vegan chorizo taco “meat” on anything from tacos to salads. Or just eat it straight from the pan!
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 50 Minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Category: Vegan
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
1 block extra firm tofu
1 T canola or vegatable oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 chipotle pepper, minced fine
1 T adobo sauce (from the can of chipotle peppers)
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T water
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Drain any water from the tofu, and pat dry with some paper towels. Then crumble the tofu with your hands on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt, then toss to coat and spread into an even layer. Bake tofu for 30 minutes.
Stir together the remaining ingredients. Remove the tofu from the oven and drizzle the chipotle mixture all over the tofu, tossing with a spatula to coat. Spread into an even layer and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until just a little crispy at the edges.
Serve in tacos, burritos, on salads, etc.
Notes
*Don’t worry about draining the tofu like you would if you were pan frying it. Just give it a good squeeze in three or four paper towels, so most of the exterior moisture is gone.
*Chipotle peppers can be found in a can in the international aisle of most grocery stores. You can save the leftovers, covered in the fridge for up to a month, or the freezer for three months.
Keywords: vegan chorizo, vegan mexican food, oven baked vegan chorizo, vegan tacos
