National Vegetarian Week & A Favorite Recipe

Thursday, May 26, 2011



So, in 21 years of being a vegetarian this is the first I've heard of National Vegetarian Week. (I'm either really unobservant or the universe has been holding out on me!) Regardless, I love a good reason to celebrate and what kind of vegetarian would I be if I didn't share one of my favorite dishes. It's a relatively new fave, adapted from the Vegetarian Bible that hubby gifted me last summer. (He's a meat lover but has enjoyed all of the dishes I've attempted thus far.)  This recipe involves quite a bit of prep (chopping/dicing) however, that opinion comes from a person who appreciates a great meal but doesn't like going through a ton of steps to make it happen.  (Time is an issue people. But this one is sooo worth it.) It also involves tofu, which, to me, is a hilarious vegetarian sterotype. Most vegetarians I know don't even like tofu, including myself, until I prepared it with this recipe. Consider me a stereotype! This serves 8 - also known as plenty for dinner, plenty for lunch leftovers. Enjoy!

Chili Tofu Tortillas
Makes 8

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
8 oz. tofu, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 large red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
1 large ripe avocado
1 Tbsp lime juice
4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded & chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
8 soft flour tortillas
2/3 cup sour cream
8 oz salsa
salt & pepper
cilantro sprigs
jalapeño pepper, sliced



1. Preheat the oven to 375*. Mix the chili powder, paprika, flour and salt & pepper. Coat the drained tofu with seasoning.

2. Heat oil in a skillet and gently cook the tofu for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and set aside.

3. Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper to the oil and cook for 2-3 minutes, until just soft. Drain and set aside.

4. Halve the avocado peel and remove the it. Slice lengthwise, put in a bowl with the lime juice and toss to coat.

5. Combine the tofu and onion mixture and gently stir in the chopped tomatoes and half the cheddar cheese. Spoon 1/8th of the filling down the center of each tortilla, top with sour cream and roll up.

6. Arrange the tortillas, seam side down, in a shallow oven proof dish in a single layer.

7. Spoon salsa over the tortillas, sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese and jalapeño and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling.

8. Garnish with cilantro springs and serve immediately.


And for an excellent summer salad, try this. You will love it!

16 comments:

  1. hum wow - never knew u had a week - a bunch of my friends are veggies - this looks YUMMY!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yum - I'm a vegetarian totally want to try this out!

    xoxo ~ Courtney
    http://sartorialsidelines.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Those look so good!

    ReplyDelete
  4. That looks yummy! I'm not a vegetarian and I love tofu, but have stopped eating it because of GMO's and such. I need to do a little more research...I believe everything I read ;)

    Have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  5. That looks like my kind of cookin'! Too bad we think I might be allergic to soy :( I <3 tofu.

    ReplyDelete
  6. These sound absolutely delicious-yum! A tofu recipe I might actually pick over something with a meat protein is rare, and very exciting for me!

    ReplyDelete
  7. With ingredients like these I wouldn't miss meat at all. Plus it looks very tasty too

    ReplyDelete
  8. this looks delicious! looking at this it doesn't need meat to be satisfying :D

    ReplyDelete
  9. o.m.g.

    ok i can crush burgers and steaks like nobody's business, but even i would be completely content with this. as for tofu, for me i've found that its pretty decent when it's cut into smaller pieces. i don't care for the texture of the big chunks, which is the reason i used to believe i didn't like it. but prepared the right way, i'm all in. also grilled eggplant with the right seasonings is a fantastic substitute for sausage in italian meals.

    can i ask a favor? will you please post a few more vegetarian meals from time to time? easy stuff with lots of flavor, preferrably heat. :) i've been on a pretty strict diet lately of fish/seafood, rice and all kinds of vegetables. but it's really easy to get bored.

    thanks ash!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow. That looks so good. And I was almost fooled that it was chicken, too. I will have to try this soon!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Jabberjaws - I would be happy to share more! And if it comes from me, you know it'll be easy - I don't like cooking :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. This recipe looks amazing and is making me so hungry. I will definitely try it out :)

    Zoe xx
    Life of a Vegetarian Girl

    ReplyDelete
  13. 21 years? that's impressive! i'm going on year 3 :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. cannot wait to try this in india. im already pretty veg but there i dont thinke we'll have much option. keep the recipes comin lady!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This sounds amazing! I'm not a vegan but I love tofu and since I'm on Weight Watchers this would work very well. Thanks for the recipe!

    Megan

    ReplyDelete

You want to leave a comment? How very sweet of you!