Curry Tofu Tacos With Pintos & Kale Slaw

Makes 8 tacos
Total time: 30 minutes || Active time: 30 minutes

I’ve been away from home for most of the winter, but the instant I walk through the door, still in an airplane funk, all I want to do is cook. My boyfriend looks at me like I have a carrot growing out of my forehead, and I’m like “I wish! I love carrots.”

Jet-lagged or not, this time of year is always so muddled and I never quite know what I’m craving. The winter makes my taste buds so restless. Let’s see…curry? Or Mexican? Or hippy? Oh, what the hell, let’s do all three. You could even call these YOLO Tacos (if you wanted to be the most annoying person in the world.)

The tofu is simply sliced into slabs, soaked in a little puddle or curry powder, olive oil and soy, then grilled to high heaven. (You can also broil.)

The beans are equally as simple: sauteed onions and an entire field of garlic (ok, 4 cloves), some fresh tomato, cilantro. Done!

And the Kale Slaw is my favorite hippy vegan recipe, and really not much more difficult than making guacamole. It’s sliced into shreds, and doused in a creamy garlicky dressing of avocado, tahini, and red wine vinegar. So easy! Even though there are a few components, the entire recipe should only take 30 minutes or so.

Now that I’m home and relaxed, I hope to be updating a little bit more regularly. Thanks for sticking around, everyone, and I hope you’re having a delicious (if restless) winter!

Notes

~You don’t have to press the tofu here, but if you have time, then it’s not a bad idea. Otherwise, just squeeze as much water out as you can, and blot the tofu with paper towels.~I used my favorite S&B curry powder. Use whichever mild curry you like best!

~I was feeling very hippy vegan, and so I pulled out the old school Bragg’s Liquid Aminos for the tofu. You can use soy sauce or gluten-free tamari, too. If it needs more salt, just sprinkle some on after the tofu is cooked.

~To prepare the kale, pull the leaves from the stems. Roll up a few leaves at a time (into a cigar shape) and slice widthwise to make 1/4 inch strips. That is what “chiffonade” means! I used purple kale because PURPLE! But you can use whatever kind is available. About 1/2 of my bunch equaled the 6 cups needed for this recipe.

Ingredients

For the tofu:
1 14 oz package extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce or tamari)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powderFor the pintos:
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tomato, chopped
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

For the kale slaw:
6 cups shredded kale (stems removed, chiffonade – see note)

Dressing for slaw:
2 cloves garlic
1/2 an avocado
2 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or lime)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water (plus more to thin)

To serve:
Remaining 1/2 of avocado, diced small
8 corn tortillas

Directions

Make the tofu:
Preheat grill over medium high heat, or preheat broiler. Slice tofu into 8 equal slabs, widthwise.On a rimmed dinner plate, use a fork to mix together Bragg’s, olive oil and curry powder.

To grill, spray the hot grill pan with cooking spray. Dredge each slab of tofu into the curry mixture on both sides, then place on the grill. Let cook for about 7 minutes each side, or until grill marks appear.

For broiling, place on a lightly greased baking sheet about 3 inches from the broiler. Broil each side about 5 minutes, keeping a close eye so that they don’t burn.

When ready to serve, slice the tofu slabs into four strips lengthwise.

Make the beans:
Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion in oil with a pinch of salt, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute 30 seconds more. Add the chopped tomato, red pepper flakes and salt. Cook until tomato is broken down and releasing juice, about 3 minutes.

Add the beans and heat through. Mix in the cilantro, and turn the heat off. Keep covered until ready to serve.

Make the Kale Slaw:
In a blender, pulse the garlic to get it a bit chopped up. Add the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. Add extra water as needed in order to get it to a thick but pourable consistency, like a thick milkshake.

Place the shredded kale in a bowl and add the dressing, using a rubber spatula to scrape the blender and get everything out.

Use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale for about 30 seconds. Taste for salt and seasoning.

To assemble:
Warm the tortillas (I wrap mine in paper towels and microwave for 30 seconds.) Place a bit of kale, a scoop of beans and a few strips of tofu in each taco. Add a little chopped avocado, and eat up!