vegetarian

Crispy Tofu Tacos

- Elspeth Leave a comment

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Tofu is one of the most unsexy foods to behold on this earth. It’s a wet, taupe-colored block of soy and it’s no wonder many people take one look and say “Thanks, but I’d rather lick my own foot.” But it is deliciously adaptable, weirdly addictive, and, well, just plain fantastic. After you get over the initial weirdness of it all, it’s hard not to become a tofoodie. Tofudie. Tofudite?

Whatever we call ourselves, tofu lovers are always finding new ways to embrace the king of soy. Cholita Linda got me hooked on their spicy tofu tacos and I wanted to recreate it on my own. In my world, the best tacos have a lot of different toppings and components. It makes them a bit complex, grocery-list wise, but completely worth it in the end (ie, don’t be scared off by the ingredient list below!). And the best part is that everyone gets to pick exactly what they want to craft their dinner time masterpiece.

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I’m a saucy gal and wanted lots of it to top the crunchy slaw and crispy tofu, so I made crema and chipotle garlic sauce. Tangy, spicy, and extremely messy, I was very pleased with how it all came together.

Crispy Tofu Tacos

makes about 4-5 tacos

1/2 c vegetable oil
Small corn or flour tortillas, warmed
Cotija cheese, crumbled (optional)
Refried pinto beans or black beans (optional)
Tofu marinade
10 oz firm tofu, cut into 1″x 3″ rectangles
1 lime, juiced
1/4 t chipotle powder
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t chili powder
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t cumin
1/2 t salt
Crema
1/2 c sour cream
1 lime, juiced
1/2 t salt
Chipotle Sauce
1 chipotle pepper (canned), with 1 T adobo sauce
1 garlic clove
1 t paprika
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 c sour cream
1/2 c greek yogurt
1/2-1 t salt (to taste)
Slaw
1/2 head cabbage
2 T olive oil
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 t chili powder
1 t salt
1/2 jalepeno, seeds removed and sliced thinly
1 shallot, sliced thinly

Prep the tofu by pressing it in-between paper towels, until some of the moisture is removed. In a rectangular dish, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Lay the tofu pieces flat and marinade for 20-30 minutes, turning occasionally. You can also marinade it overnight. Meanwhile, make the crema by whisking together the sour cream, lime juice, and salt. Set aside. With an immersion blender, in a Cuisinart, or in a regular blender, puree all the chipotle ingredients until smooth. Salt to taste. *Note: the chipotle peppers are spicy. If you are sensitive to spice, start with half a pepper and work your way up. Make the slaw by very finely slicing the cabbage, so that it is very delicate and thin. Whisk together the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl, then toss in the cabbage. Place a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and remove the tofu from the marinade, patting dry. Add the oil to the pan and, when shimmering, lay the tofu down. Cook until brown and crispy, about 5-7 minutes per side. Assemble tacos by layering beans, tofu, slaw, sauces, and cheese on top. Enjoy!

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Beet and Potato Pancake

- Elspeth Leave a comment

My coworker sent me this last week and it’s sad how close it hit home. I love potatoes. Like, LOVE them. More than so many things. My boss is scared to even look at french fries when I am nearby, because he knows I will fly into a rage if anyone touches them.

I think I have a problem.

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Oh, well! Better happy with a potato, than normal and sad without one.

The true name of this dish is roesti. It’s basically a gigantic plate of hashbrowns, but Cook’s Illustrated gave me a lovely variation that I used for inspiration. They added beets, but I one-upped them with the further addition of celery root (aka, the unsung hero of the underworld…get it? Because it’s a root?…Screw you guys, I’M laughing).

I paired it with some goat cheese and horseradish sauce, fried shallots (clutch), maple-cayenne pecans (make extra, for insanely good snacking), and arugula salad. DIVINE.

Make sure to keep the heat on the medium-low side of things, so that you don’t burn the bottom. The pieces all went very well together and I would definitely recommend this as a complete meal, but if you just go with the roesti I think you’ll still be quite happy. I have visions of this with a poached egg for breakfast. Mmmm.

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Potato and Beet Pancake

inspired by Cook’s Illustrated

For the pancake:

3/4 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 small celery root, peeled and shredded
3 medium beets, peeled and shredded (I used both red and gold)
1/4 c finely diced scallions
salt and pepper
6 T butter

For the horseradish sauce:

3 T horseradish
1/2 c goat cheese
3 T sour cream
pepper

For the pecans:

1 c pecans
1/2 cayenne pepper
enough maple syrup to coat the pecans (approx. 1/8-1/4 c)

Fried shallots (fry at a low heat in peanut oil for best flavor)

Arugula salad (I went with a lemon-dijon-honey dressing)

For the pancake, mix the shredded potatoes, celery root, and beets together in a bowl with the salt and pepper. Melt 4 T butter in a large cast-iron pan over medium-low heat. When hot, press the potato mixture in until you have a pretty compact cake. You may need to move the pan around over the heat, so that the pancake is evenly browned. After about 15 minutes, loosen the pancake with a spatula, place a plate over the top, and invert onto the plate. Add the remaining 2 T butter to the pan and melt, then slide the pancake back into the pan to cook on the other side. Brown another 15 minutes.

For the horseradish sauce, simply mix everything together in a bowl.

For the pecans, spray a baking sheet with oil and then mix the pecans, syrup, and cayenne together on top. Spread out into a single layer and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.

To assemble, place a wedge of the pancake on a plate, dollop on some horseradish sauce, sprinkle with the fried shallots, toss the arugula salad in with some pecans, and enjoy the heck out of one fine meal, you sexy son of a B.

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Cauliflower Crust Pizza

- Elspeth Leave a comment

Word on the street has been that this is just one of those “must try” recipes. I am very glad to have satisfied my curiosity, since the result was very tasty and satisfying. It is by no means pizza, but we can’t hold that against it. I’m glad I chose to make it without tomato sauce, for any more moisture and it would have been quite wet through.

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Err on the side of overcooking this, to ensure the crispiest crust possible. I would also recommend using rubber gloves to squeeze the toweled cauliflower, since the steaming substance nearly burnt my hands and it’s very unpleasant to be upset with a recipe at the very beginning.

I used Deb’s toppings with my own twist, and for the base combined a couple of different recipes (here and here). Adjust to taste!

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Cauliflower Crust Pizza

1 large head cauliflower
2 eggs
2/3 c goat cheese
2 t salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t oregano
pepper
red chili flakes

To rice the cauliflower, cut the head down into chunks and process in batches in a food processor. Do not overdo it or else you will have mush on your hands. Meanwhile, heat a pot on the stove with about 1 in of water. When the cauliflower rice is ready, place in the pot and cook, covered, for 4-5 minutes over medium heat. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and prep two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pass the cooked cauliflower through a fine-mesh strainer, then place in a dish towel or cheese cloth. Squeeze as much of the excess moisture out as possible (this is key, so don’t skip it. And don’t forget your gloves!) and then put the cauliflower in a large bowl. Mix in the eggs, cheese, garlic, oregano, pepper, and chili flakes. Mix very well. Divide the “dough” in two and shape each portion into a rectangle on the baking sheets. Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, place on your toppings, return to the heat for another 10 minutes, remove and cool slightly.

I went with caramelized onions (made a kind of “sauce”), shaved asparagus, grated parmigiano, discs of mozzarella, and thinly sliced green onions. Superb!

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