Tofu Tacos and a Tofu Blog Hop

Tofu Tacos
Tofu Tacos

I know, tofu can be a sensitive subject. Every time I’ve posted a tofu recipe I’ve had multiple comments saying “looks good but I/my spouse/my children don’t like tofu.” Here’s the thing: tofu is what you make of it. It doesn’t have all that much flavor on its own, but is great at absorbing the flavors of whatever it’s cooked in. If it’s a texture thing, tofu comes in a variety of textures from silky to extra firm so you should be able to find one that suits your mood. I’m just saying, give tofu a chance. This coming from a meat eater. An avid one, in fact. But I think we all know that we should be cutting down on our meat intake for a variety of reasons, which will help the environment and our health.

My love affair with tofu goes back to high school. One of my best friends worked in a vegan restaurant/deli that was conveniently located directly below my apartment (one of the many joys and conveniences of growing up in New York). Whenever I needed a break from homework or my parents (a one bedroom apartment with four nearly grown people was tight to say the least), I would head down to Sacred Chow and chat with Amy while munching on a plate of sautéed kale, stir-fried tempeh, or – my favorite, to this day – baked marinated tofu. I’m not sure what they did to make that tofu so spectacular but  it lives in my memory as one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I know. Tofu.

If you’re still not convinced, take one look at these tofu tacos (which happen to be parve, vegan and vegetarian) and tell me you don’t want to try one. I think this recipe is perfect for anyone who claims they don’t like tofu, or who wants to ease in to tofu eating. The tofu is marinated in spices and lime juice to amp up the flavor, then put on a taco with black beans, corn, and all your favorite taco toppings. It’s so frickin good. Of course, if you really, really, really need your meat kick then you could substitute chicken, but I think even the most stalwart meat eaters will be pleased with this one.

4.1 from 7 reviews
Tofu Tacos
 
Prep Time
Cook Time
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These flavorful tofu tacos are sure to appeal to even the most stalwart meat eaters. Plus they are parve, vegan, and vegetarian and so are suitable for a number of diets!
Author:
Recipe Type: Entree
Yield: Makes 12 tacos
Ingredients
  • ½ teaspoon chile powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon dried coriander
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 package firm tofu
  • 12 small tortillas of your choice
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
  • ½ cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
  • Chopped chives (optional, for garnish)
  • Chopped cilantro (optional, for garnish)
  • Sour cream (optional, for garnish)
  • Sliced avocado (optional, for garnish)
  • Shredded cheese (optional, for garnish)
Directions
  1. Put the chile powder, cumin, coriander, and lime juice in a bowl and whisk to combine.
  2. Add the tofu and mash with a fork until the tofu is crumbled and fully coated. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tacos.
  3. Wrap the tortillas in tin foil and put in a 200F oven to gently heat while preparing the beans.
  4. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
  5. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, 3 minutes or until the onion has softened (do not burn the garlic).
  6. Add the marinated tofu, black beans, and corn and cook until heated through and thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
  7. Remove the tortillas from the oven.
  8. At this point you can either assemble and serve the tacos, or let everyone make their own. To assemble, spoon some tofu into a tortilla and top with the black bean mixture and any toppings you like. Chopped chives, chopped cilantro, sour cream, avocado, and shredded cheese all make nice toppings.
Notes
Gluten free with GF tortillas Parve and Vegan (without sour cream and cheese on top, or with a dairy-free alternative) Vegetarian



54 thoughts on “Tofu Tacos and a Tofu Blog Hop

  1. Lizzy (Good Things)

    Hi, thanks so much for the invitation. I am short of time this week, otherwise I would participate for sure. I love braised tofu with Asian mushrooms and vegetables… will endeavour to post the recipe soon!

  2. Shelby

    I love tofu! Grumpy has taken some convincing but he will now eat it if I crisp fry it and coat it in sauce. He loves the Sweet Chili Lime Tofu sauce and actually complained the last time I made it that I didn’t make enough. 🙂 I’ve quite a few tofu recipes on my blog and have linked up a couple of them!

    • Katherine

      That’s great that you’ve found a tofu preparation that he likes! Fried with sweet chili lime sauce sounds delicious. Thanks for linking up your great recipes!

  3. Heather @girlichef

    I do like tofu, but still don’t cook with it very often…I just sort of forget about it. Can’t wait to get some more ideas. I linked up my all-time favorite tofu dish today… Broccoli tofu. Thanks for hosting!

    • Katherine

      I know what you mean, I used to forget about tofu all the time too, now I cook with it every week! Your broccoli tofu looks fab, thanks so much for linking up!

  4. Shannon | JustAsDelish

    I used to hate tofu in my school days.. learn to appreciate tofu during university days (it’s cheaper on poor student’s budget!).. never crossed my mind to use tofu in tacos, so brilliant! what a great blop hop for tofu.. but I haven’t posted any tofu recipes yet, which reminds me I have to soon.

    • Katherine

      I know what you mean about tofu being cheaper! That’s one of the many reasons I have started using it so often 🙂 Thanks Shannon! Can’t wait for you to post tofu recipes!

  5. Cecilia G

    Absolutely right that tofu will absorb a taste. I am still not convinced that the soya beans are grown in a sustainable manner though and of course the majority are genetically modified and we all know how I feel about that big experiment on our health! It is also processed. However my bother in law grows his own beans some years and makes his own milk and tofu.. it is wonderful, a delightful texture and even has a touch of flavour, i shall suggest tacos to him! c

    • Katherine

      I completely agree with you that we need to be more conscious of how soy beans are grown and how tofu is processed. There have been studies that processed vegetarian foods like fake meats are just as bad for you as processed meats. I like to think that tofu isn’t quite as processed. That is very cool that your brother-in-law grows his own!

  6. Yael

    I eat tofu on a regular basis and cannot be without it;I don’t eat meat and my body clearly craves tofu! There are so many lovely ways to make tofu taste good:one of my favourite is tofu fingers,dipping pieces of tofu in a combination of cornstarch,rice flour and spices and then frying them until crispy,yummy!

  7. lori

    I am so glad I forgot to cook the tofu I had intended to last night with our noodles because we are having these tacos for dinner tonight! They look so delicious, I wish I had time to make them for breakfast

  8. Nami | Just One Cookbook

    Tofu is such a basic item in Japanese cuisine that I don’t know anyone (in Japan) who doesn’t like tofu. So I was very surprised to find out that not everyone likes Tofu when I started blogging! LOL. I really love this post, Katherine. I think it’s better for you to promote Tofu recipe than I promote tofu in Japanese cooking because the recipe like this everyone is familiar with taco but not with tofu so they are willing to try! I hope everyone realizes how great tofu is in terms of nutrition!

  9. Ann

    These look delicious! Thank you for sharing AND the link-up! Jill from Mad about Macarons suggested I come here! I’m SO glad I did! I’m new to using tofu, but I’ve really enjoyed it so far!

  10. Sharon | Chinese Soup Pot

    Hi Katherine, this tofu taco looks *sooo* good! I love tofu and spices. So from looking at your recipe, I can tell I would love these tacos already. Tofu here is an excellent replacement to make a vegetarian dish. I’d love to try making this taco sometimes. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!

  11. thelittleloaf

    I’m trying to convince my boyfriend that tofu is delicious but he’s proving hard to crack. This looks absolutely gorgeous and maybe the fact that it’s in tacos will win him round… 🙂

  12. kitchenriffs

    Great recipe. I love the idea of tofu tacos. I don’t cook nearly enough with tofu, and when I do I’m usually in an Asian frame of mind. Gotta change that. Thanks for this.

  13. Hannah

    What a terrific recipe! I am a tofu fan, so I know I’ll love these tacos. The baked marinated tofu you mentioned sounds marvelous, too. I love that you could pop down and visit your friend so easily!

    • Katherine

      Thanks Hannah!! I think you really would enjoy these. It was so fun to have my best friend work literally below my apartment – a high school gal’s dream!

  14. mjskit

    Katherine, What a great blog hop! I found several recipes to try including your great tacos! I’ve got tofu on my grocery list for next week. WooHoo! 🙂

    • Katherine

      Hi Jen!! Good catch – thanks so much for pointing that out! You totally cook the tofu. Although you don’t actually need to, but I did. Fixing that now 🙂

  15. nicole

    these are basically the most disgusting thing ever. my bf made these following the recipe to the letter and they are nasty. threw away the whole pan and are heating up veggie burger right now. the tofu is mushy from putting liquid back in and the spice levels taste like nothing, added way more then called for and still crap.

    • Katherine

      Nicole thanks for your feedback – I’m really surprised to hear it! I make these often and they’ve never turned out mushy. What kind of tofu did you use? So sorry that you didn’t enjoy it :-/

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