tempeh taco lettuce wraps

i was on the train home the other day trying to think of what to make for dinner. the first thing i thought was "tacos!" because i could eat them every day. but i knew that if i went home and kris asked what i want to make and i said "tacos!" he would say "of course you do..." and i don't want to be that predictable. so to keep some mystery about myself and also get my taco fix i went for a slight twist with taco lettuce wraps. in the past my lettuce wraps have consisted of mostly asian inspired innards so this was a nice twist on them too. you could make any taco-y fillings you like but i went with tempeh, potatoes, carmelized red onions and avocado. this was the first time in a long time that i made tacos and didn't end up feeling stuffed so hooray for lettuce! here's how it went (all seasonings are to taste).

tempeh taco lettuce wraps
for the potatoes:
cut potatoes into small, bite sized pieces. place in a baking dish and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and chili powder. cook at 375 until tender (20 minutes?). these were a success on their own because kris said they "look so professional! like diner potatoes!" and we all know that diner potatoes are among the best potatoes.

for the tempeh:
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 serrano chili, finely chopped
1 package tempeh
hot sauce
cumin
coriander
dried oregano
salt and pepper
olive oil

heat oil in a pan and add the chopped tomatoes (seeds, juice and all) and serrano. crumble the tempeh into the pan as well. add hot sauce and spices to taste and cook it all up until the tomatoes break down and the tempeh is heated through and coated with all the spices.

to assemble place a bit of tempeh and potatoes in a butter lettuce leaf, top with onions and chopped avocado. enjoy!

-d

soft tofu ceviche tacos

we recently brought back our good friend soft tofu for a super easy, fast and - most importantly - delicious no-cook taco filling. rather than cooking the tofu we opted for a ceviche-ish approach of marinating it in a limey mixture before eating.

as i was eating these tacos i just kept thinking how refreshing they were. sounds weird i know...even i, with my extreme love of tacos, don't normally find them to be refreshing...but with the marinated soft tofu these were citrusy, cool and smooth and that my friends makes for one refreshing taco.

you could certainly eat these as soft tacos but i liked the crunch from the crispy shell paired with the filling. top with your favorite taco toppings - we did lettuce, avocado and tomato which was simple and delicious. you can adjust the marinade to your liking (which you will have to do since i didn't measure) but, roughly, here's how it went:

soft tofu taco filling
(for one pound of soft tofu)
ingredients:
juice of 8 limes
a few glugs of olive oil
several dashes of hot sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
coriander
cumin
salt
pepper

combine all ingredients in a bowl large enough to hold your tofu. taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

drain your tofu and pat it dry. scoop spoonfuls of tofu into the marinade and gently toss so that all the tofu is covered. let sit for as long as you want...i did this first and just let it stand while i prepared the rest of the taco ingredients.

-d

crispy tempeh tacos

i have a thing for tacos. i love them. and i'm always in the mood for them. kris likes them but, for some reason, does not want to eat them EVERY day. weird. so yesterday as i was on the fence about whether to meet him for drinks after work or go straight home and cook something for dinner he convinced me to go out simply by telling me he would buy me a taco for dinner if i went. that's all it took.

in the end i decided that i still wanted to cook dinner thus leaving leftovers to bring for lunch. kris, being the brilliant and taco accommodating guy that he is, suggested we make quick tacos at home. these were indeed super quick to prepare and even tastier than i predicted they would be. i didn't start off planning to write about this spur of the moment meal but after my first taco i decided they were really yummy and need to be shared. hence the quick half-eaten dinner photo above.

since it was a little late when we got home and we were trying to make this as quickly as possible, there was not one bit of measuring that went into this (but eyeballing it should work just fine). we ate these with an equally quick and simple red cabbage slaw.

crispy tempeh tacos
ingredients:
1 package tempeh
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
soy sauce
liquid smoke
hot sauce
cumin
olive oil
green leaf lettuce, thinly chopped
1/2 tomato, diced
1 avocado
crispy corn taco shells

turn oven to warm and put the taco shells in to heat while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and add the garlic. cook a few minutes until fragrant. add the onion and tempeh. add a splash of soy sauce, a few drops of liquid smoke, a drizzle of hot sauce and a sprinkle of cumin. cook until the onions are soft and the tempeh is heated through.
serve in taco shells with lettuce, tomato and avocado.
-d