Tacos With Spicy Tofu, Tomatoes and Chard

Tacos With Spicy Tofu, Tomatoes and Chard
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
About 45 minutes
Rating
4(287)
Comments
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In these tacos, tofu stands in for meat in a vegan picadillo, cooked in a modified salsa ranchera. I’ve never been one for meat “substitutes,” and I normally don’t advocate using tofu in anything other than Asian dishes. But I find this pretty irresistible, a sort of vegan picadillo. You can make it spicier by adding more chiles, milder by using less. The tofu is cooked in a modified salsa ranchera; being tofu, it absorbs the sweet and spicy flavors of the tomatoes and chiles. I used firm tofu and mashed it with the back of my spoon. Silken tofu is also a good choice, though then you will have something more akin to Mexican scrambled eggs.

Featured in: Vegetarian Taco Night

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Ingredients

Yield:8 tacos, 4 servings
  • 1pound tomatoes
  • ½pound Swiss chard, stemmed, leaves washed in 2 changes of water
  • Salt to taste
  • 1tablespoon grapeseed oil
  • 1small or ½ medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 2large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1teaspoon lightly toasted cumin seeds, ground
  • 1teaspoon mild chili powder
  • 1 to 2serrano or jalapeño chiles (to taste), seeded if desired and minced
  • 114-ounce box firm tofu, drained and cut into medium-size cubes
  • ¼cup chopped cilantro (more to taste)
  • 8warm corn tortillas
  • Salsa fresca (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

333 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 23 grams protein; 862 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat broiler with rack set about 4 inches from the heat. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place tomatoes on foil and broil for 6 minutes, until blackened in spots or all over. Using tongs, flip over and broil for another 4 to 6 minutes. The tomatoes should be charred and cooked through. Remove from oven and tip, with juices, into a bowl. Allow to cool until you can handle them, then core and discard skins. Purée, along with juices in the bowl, in a blender or a food processor.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem and wash the chard. When water comes to a boil, add salt to taste and chard. Blanch for 1 minute and transfer to a bowl of cold water. Drain and take up chard by the handful to squeeze out excess water. Cut in ¼-inch wide strips and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add onion. Cook, stirring, until tender and beginning to color, 5 to 8 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, the garlic, cumin and chili powder and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add puréed tomatoes, which should sizzle as soon as they hit the pan. Cook, stirring often, until purée thickens and leaves a canal when you run your spoon down the middle, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

  4. Step 4

    Add minced chiles and tofu, and mash tofu into the tomatoes using the back of your spoon. Add Swiss chard and salt to taste, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring and mashing tofu. Stir in cilantro. Taste and adjust seasonings.

  5. Step 5

    Heat tortillas and top with tofu mix. Serve with salsa on the side if desired.

Tip
  • Advance preparation: The cooked tofu keeps well for a couple of days.

Ratings

4 out of 5
287 user ratings
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Comments

Made these and enjoyed them. Next time I will add extra tomatoes for more sauce. I also think they could use a little crunch. Maybe some cabbage, tortilla chips, or pepitas. I tried pepitas but didn't roast them long enough. A little lime juice could have been nice too. Took about 45 minutes to cook.

This is a simple, filling, and delicious taco filling that is overcomplicated by fiddly details. A few small changes move it into the "fast weeknight dinners" category: use a large can of peeled whole tomatoes instead of broiling and skinning them yourself, use ground cumin, and skip blanching the chard -- it cooks fine when you mix it with the other ingredients. It came out on the juicy side for a taco filling but maybe that's because I didn't blanch and dry the chard.

Yummy but I'm not sure I'd classify it as a vegan picadillo.
That said, the flavors are delicious. The cumin, garlic, onions and broiled tomato make a nice base for the tofu and chard. Next time I will try it with double the tomatoes to make a thicker base. It was easier to make then it seems. Broiling the tomatoes was fast and easy and blanching the chard was as well. I made the whole thing start to finish in an hour. I will definitely make it again.

Very good. Have made 2x. The second using canned tomatoes and it was still good and saved time. We like flour tortillas, but add tortilla chips for crunch.

Made as a ragu for polenta. Lots of chard and tomatoes and even a jalapeño from the garden. Just diced and sautéed the tomatoes and steamed the chard on top of the bubbling sauce instead of blanching ahead. No other changes - very tasty and a nice alternative from the more obvious Italian-ish options. Would likely go nicely with other vegetarian proteins such as tempeh or TVP.

Delicious. Used full pkg of TJs extra-firm tofu, crumbled, about 2 oz TJ soy chorizo, and 1 can of TJ fire-roasted tomatoes. Sauteed chard stems with the onion and added the ribboned leaves as described. Upped all spices. Served with plain greek yogurt, pickled jalapeño slices, sliced avocado, salsa, TJ vegan Buffalo-style dip and both flour and corn tortillas. Very filling and very good.

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