I shook up my taco repertoire this week. I’ve only had a seafood taco once in my life while visiting family in California. Needless to say, my popcorn shrimp and walleye palette wasn’t suited for a grilled lobster taco. Or even coleslaw for that matter. For someone who wasn’t into fish much as a kid, I LOVE tofu battered in tons of nori and other ‘fishy’ seasonings. Tacos are always a no brainer in my household, so I finally joined the two together and decided it was a match made in heaven. Instead of refried beans, fajitas, or other typical accouterments, I stuffed mine with coleslaw-spiked with chipotle hot sauce of course, pickled red onions for extra tang, and tons of fresh cilantro and avocado to add a traditional spin on those walleye fish-fry’s I grew up with as a kid.
Start the coleslaw first so that it has time to marinate while you prep the tofu.
Chipotle Coleslaw
1 softball sized head of cabbage
1/4 c veganaise
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs agave nectar, or roughly 1/2 tbs sugar
1/2 – 1 tbs Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
Easy Peasy. Thinly slice your cabbage into 1/4 inch thin shreds, mix with the dressing ingredients, and chill until dinner time. I like to put everything into a snap-lock lidded tupperware and just shake the living daylights out of it.
Jamaican Jerk Lime Sweet Potatoes
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
juice of 1 lime
1 tbs Jerk Style Seasoning- I love Penzeys’ blend
Salt
1-2 tbs olive oil.
Toss the potatoes with oil and lime juice in a large bowl. Sprinkle on the jerk spice and toss again until evenly coated. Spread potatoes onto a baking sheet and roast (toaster or conventional oven) at 400 until browned and soft when pierced with a fork. Alternatively, par-boil the potatoes first, and you can grill them in a veggie basket!
For the Tofu
Makes 12 fishy fillets to stuff 8-12 tacos with
1 1/2 cups Glutino gluten free bread crumbs, or regular bread crumbs
1 pound tofu, frozen, thawed, and cut into 12 slices
1 tbs kelp powder
1 nori sheet, ripped into small chunks
1 Tbs Old Bay Seasoning
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbs Tapioca starch
1- 1 1/2 almond milk
oil for pan frying.
To serve:
Chipotle Coleslaw
Lemon or Lime Wedges
Avocado
Fresh Cilantro
Pickled or fresh red onions
Start by pressing the tofu between a few tea towels and weighted with a large pot. Mix the breadcrumbs and the salt in a wide shallow bowl and set aside. In a food processor, combine the kelp through the almond milk (start with 1 cup) and process until a viscous green slurry forms. Stream in just enough almond milk to even out the consistency. It should cling really well to the tofu, but not seem goopy or chunky. Prep a baking sheet if you want the lowest-cal version by spritzing it with spray oil and heating the oven to 400- otherwise, heat a cast iron pan over medium heat with just a tablespoon of oil in it; you don’t want to deep fry these babies, just give them a golden crunch!
To assemble, using your left hand, dunk a tofu strip in the green goo, shake of the excess and drop into the bread crumbs. With your right hand, scoop crumbs over the top of the tofu, and press them well into the coating, getting the tofu coated all the way around, and then plunk it down onto your baking sheet or frying pan. If baking, turn once after 10 minutes- but spray them with a little oil before flipping. If pan frying, cook until nice golden brown flecks form and then flip once.
Fill your tacos with a nice layer of slaw, a piece or two of tofu, avocado, some onions, cilantro, hot sauce, vegan tartar sauce- whatever floats your boat!
