Thai Tofu Tacos
This next post is for all us “stay-at-home” moms out there. Well, actually, I am a man and a dad; however, I perform the same duties, have the same responsibilities, and have the same headaches. I make lunches, get the kids to school, take the kids to their afternoon activities, and volunteer as room parent. I even drive a mini-van. Actually, I drive a Mazda 5, classified as a micro-van, but it still rocks the carpool line with my 80’s tunes blasting from my satellite radio.
I am proud of my role as man of the house. My wife “brings home the bacon and I fry it up in a pan” –Enjoli!! But, I will be the first to admit that this job is hard as hell. You need an advanced degree in logistics to ensure everyone gets to whatever on time. You need skills as a mediator to keep everyone on their side of the car. You have to have patience, understanding, and sometimes an iron will if you want to successfully navigate carpool, school politics, snacks, and traffic while being a referee, confidant, confessor, judge, jury, and executioner.
And on top of this, you still have to make dinner when you get home. Because I believe there is a federal law that states you can only order take-out 3-4 times a week. So even though you might be tired, cranky, and bit frazzled, you can still whip up a delicious vegan feast for the whole family. This next dish is pretty simple but it sounds exotic and a bit out of the ordinary. So I give you my version of THAI TOFU TACOS. Pour some wine, turn up the satellite radio and get ready to impress the whole family…
Ingredients Instructions First of all, don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you off. Once you have everything out on the counter, the dish moves along pretty quickly. So shred your tofu and place it on several paper towels. Cover with additional paper towels and something very heavy (I use my cast iron skillets), and press for at least 30 minutes. While the tofu presses, assemble your coleslaw.
In a glass mixing bowl, add your grated ginger and garlic along with your lime juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and sweet chili paste. It is easy to grate garlic and ginger if you have a micro-plane zester; however, finely dicing works just as well. Whisk these ingredients together and then add in your peppers, cabbage, carrots, green onions, and cilantro. Toss to combine and then put the slaw in the frig to let the flavors blend.
Now you can marinate your tofu. Combine the ginger, garlic, onion powder, soy sauce and fruit juices in a small bowl. Whisk to combine, then pour this mix over your tofu. Let the tofu marinate for at least 10 minutes. While the tofu marinates, make your peanut sauce, dice your mango, chop your cilantro, and warm the tortillas. I wrap my tortillas in foil with a sprinkle or two of water and bake in a 200 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
Using a non-stick skillet over medium heat, sauté your tofu until brown on all sides (about 3-5 minutes). Spread the tortillas out and evenly divide the tofu onto them. Top each tortilla with a generous helping of coleslaw then garnish with hot sauce, mango, cilantro, and peanut sauce.
Shredded Tofu
Thai Coleslaw
Sautéed Tofu
Dinner is served, and your day is almost finished…almost time to clock out. You just need to do the dishes, take out the trash, finish homework, wash, rinse and dry small people, read a book or two, brush teeth, sing a song, snuggle, cuddle, and say good night. Now you are done, sleep well. Longer Letter Later.
Dinner is Ready
Love, Bob aka The Grassfed Carnivore
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