Yummy, Yummy, Tofu Tacos & WWC Raw & Finished

As promised, here's my guide to Yummy Yummy Tofu Tacos. Sure to satisfy even the pickiest of carnivores. Just ask Wifey. But don't call her "Wifey" when you ask, she hates that name. Let me tell a little story to highlight just how much Wifey hates being called Wifey.
Friday, on the way home from work, we actually had this conversation:
Wifey: " You've got to get a new name for me on your blog"
me : "Why? You don't like "Wifey" now?"
Wifey: "No! It's too...too...I just don't LIKE it!"
me: "well, you didn't like me using your real name, and you didn't like me calling you "wifey-pooh" and you get mad if I say you're my girlfriend, since we did get married..."
Wifey: "I know, I know, just find a better name for me"
me : "How about "Miss. Picky Pants" how's that work for yah?"
Wifey: "Nooooooo!"
me: inaudible laughter

ah...now, on to the feature... I'm using my recipe to illustrate going from Raw to Finished for this week's WWC, hosted by the ever fabulous Tink, of Pickled Beef.

Tofu Tacos

*1lb extra firm tofu
*diced onion
*shredded cheese (I like cheddar and Monterrey)
*salsa of your choice
*olive oil
shredded lettuce (optional)
*sour cream (optional)
*2 pkts of you favorite taco seasoning mix
*corn tortillias
*red wine of your choice
*wine glass
*1 minced garlic clove
*crushed red pepper
* 1 tsp cumin
*1 tbsp red chili powder
*non stick cooking spray


start by draining your tofu, and squeeze the excess water out. Crumble the tofu in a mixing bowl and add all dry seasonings and 1 taco packet.

(Raw tofu, crumbled)
set that aside in the bowl. Be sure to Spray your skillet with non stick cooking spray, or half the tofu will be left in the pan when it's done.
next, let the pan heat over medium-high heat, then add extra virgin olive oil. when oil heats, add diced onion, if you like, add diced peppers of your choice red, green, yellow are all good here. sweat onion and peppers, adding the minced garlic. as the onion turns translucent, add the tofu.
It will look somewhat like scrambled eggs at first, don't worry. Keep stirring it, preferably with a wooden spoon, crumbling it more and more as you stir. Feel free to add whatever seasonings you like at this point. Remember that the majority of your flavor will come from your taco seasoning packet. I like to add pepper, crushed red pepper, and garlic. The cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning packet will suffice. Keep cooking, until it browns like this:



this is a good time to pour your self a glass of that wine...

for those of you who'd rather make your own seasoning mix, here's my favorite taco seasoning combo.
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
mix all these together, add to the mixture, and cook away. You can adjust it to your taste. Add more or less of what you like or don't like.
but meanwhile, keep stirring with the other hand...

Now it's ready for the second taco seasoning packet. I know, I know, your going what? Two? Well, tofu has no flavor, so what you cook with it, it absorbs. Which means that those flavors tend to get a bit lost in there, it takes a bit more to season tofu, first you were just trying to make it taste like meat, now, you want to make that meat have the taco sauciness. Get it? Good. I knew you would.(*tip: the more you chop up the tofu as it cooks, the less eggy and more meaty it will look later) So after you follow the directions on the taco packet, your tofu will look like this ( Tofu and seasonings when finished cooking)
keep cooking it till it thickens, just like you do with ground beef or ground turkey...
then turn burner down to low, heat your corn tortillas by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and placing them in the microwave for 45 seconds. Spoon filling into the tortillas and fold over, you can add cheese now, if you like melty tacos, or later it's all up to you! Wifey, Miss Picky Pants, likes hers melty, so I like to use our little handy grill for these too. There's no need to fry these, or add any oil to the grill, if you wish, you can bake them at 450 for 10 min or so, until they are golden, you'll have a crunchier taco shell. We like the crispiness, yet tenderness when they are grilled.


and serve with your choice of condiments, I like peach salsa, shredded lettuce, and a dollop of sour cream, how about you? what's you taco sides?
...and FINISHED!

Remember, go see Tink if you wanna join the photo-fun, and stop by the WWC Flickr group to see more great photos!