Hey! Vegan and vegetarian food CAN and SHOULD taste amazing! Whoever led you to believe otherwise is a darn fool! Here's the secret: a few core ingredients. Lime juice, cumin, chipotle chilis in adobo sauce and cilantro (sorry if you're one of those people who has a genetic thing where you taste soap instead of this fine herb, but it really adds that freshness!!).
Serves 4-6.
Quick Pickled Carrots & Cabbage
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup cold water
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
2 carrots, peeled and grated using a box grater
1 cup shredded cabbage (any kind will do, I used white cabbage for this recipe)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Combine vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Allow to cool and add the carrots, cabbage and cilantro. ** See my note about pickles at the bottom of this recipe!
Quick Pickled Jalapeños
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup cold water
1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
4-5 jalapeños, sliced thin (a Benriner is a great tool for this!)
Combine vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Allow to cool and add the sliced jalapeños to your pickling liquid. ** See my note about pickles at the bottom of this recipe!
Pico de Gallo
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, cubed (I used one giant yellow heirloom tomato for this recipe)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, diced finely
1 jalapeño, seeds removed & minced
Juice of 1 lime, about 2 Tbsp
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt, or more to taste
Combine tomatoes, cilantro, red onion and jalapeño. Toss the pico with lime juice, cumin & salt and serve!
Chipotle Mayo
1-3 Chipotle Chilis in Adobo Sauce, depending on desired heat level (we like it hot at my house!)
Juice of 1 lime, about 2 Tbsp
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until emulsified.
Tofu Sofritas
1-2 Chipotle Chilis in Adobo Sauce, depending on desired heat level
Juice of 1 lime, about 2 Tbsp
1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste (no salt added)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp honey
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup baby spinach, chopped
8-12 corn tortillas (Maria & Ricardo's Soft Corn Tortillas are excellent)
Drain the tofu and place it a bowl. Using a potato masher or your hands ("your hands are your best tools!") break it up into small chunks. If you like your tofu a bit chunkier, feel free to cut it into cubes (pictured here).
In a separate bowl, combine the chilis, lime juice, tomato paste, garlic, honey, cumin, salt and pepper. Whisk to break apart the chilis a bit and blend the marinade. Toss the tofu in the marinade. Meanwhile, wrap your tortillas in foil and warm them in a 350F oven.
Heat a skillet (12" or so) over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add in your olive oil. Then add the marinated tofu and sautée, constantly moving the tofu around for 10-12 minutes. Once the tofu is sufficiently heated through and a little brown, add the spinach and cook just until wilted, a minute or two. Serve the Sofritas immediately with warm corn tortillas and all of your beautiful toppings.
PICKLE NOTE: You can eat your quick pickles right away! They will last for several weeks in the fridge if stored in an air-tight container and will only taste better with age. :)