As a family moving toward plant based eating, one of the hurdles we have yet to officially master is tofu.
People who take meat out of their diet need another protein source, a plant source, which is easy enough to find considering that the animals we eat are eating plants in order to survive. We could cut out the middle man and get exactly what we need and more from just plants.
For example, 100 cal of steak is about 8 grams of protein and 7.4g of fat while 100 cal of broccoli is 11.1 grams of protein and 0.4g of fat. It’s a no brainer.
I was shocked too.
The other consideration – the animals themselves – gives even greater reason to move to plant based eating.
Did you know that humans are eating large animals into extinction?
We are responsible, for 170 of 300 species (mammals, amphibians, birds and reptiles over a certain weight) worldwide threatened with extinction. These are the elephants, sea turtles, ostrich, and sharks of our planet. If these animals don’t survive, the ecosystems and smaller creatures below them are disturbed and damaged, sometimes without recourse.
We can’t live without them.
I’m not even touching the subject of the environmental impacts of how we grow and feed our meat protein sources in the US. Now that topic is incredibly disturbing and one reason why we experience hurricane season, ice cap melts and flooding the way we do now. It’s all connected.
After learning and researching a lot about this shocking information, I was a little dejected and thinking “well what can my family possibly do about this?” The only thing I could do was change our habits to support more of a plant based eating lifestyle.
As I researched all of the protein replacements I found there were some really good alternatives out there. Like a lot. And incredibly tasty. My kids don’t even recognize the difference in the Beyond and Impossible options I regularly use in place of beef.
What I am finding harder for them to get on board with is Tofu.
The benefits of Tofu, and soy in general, as a protein replacement is incredible. Tofu is high in protein, fiber, low in saturated fat, cholesterol free, lactose free and a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. I had to figure out how to get it in our diet seamlessly.
But my husband has a preconceived notion that tofu is “gross.” He has said it enough in front of our boys for them to believe it too. I myself had to get over my preconceived notions about tofu. Tofu gets a bad rap. So I have had a hurdle in front of me to prove us all wrong.
I won’t lie. The texture is definitely something you have to get over and experiment with. We have baked, fried, stir-fried and sautéed to play around with the texture. My family definitely prefers a crunchy version to a softer one, but when I saw that this recipe could be a good substitute for a “chicken” burrito, I had to try it a softer texture this way.
So here’s a recipe I think you should try out. Using nutritional yeast gives the tofu a more savory flavor, but taste and see how you like that add to the recipe before you go all in.
A burrito is a great place to start because most of the time, your family is going to dig in and bite instead of inspecting what’s inside. Don’t even tell them and let me know the result! BTW the spicy vegan mayo is to die for!
Enjoy!
Southwest Tofu Burrito
Ingredients
Sofritas
- 12 oz Tofu, firm or extra firm
- 1 cup chunky salsa
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (more or less based on preference)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Also
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 cup red cabbage or carrot, thinly sliced
- 1 can black beans
- 4 large burrito-sized tortillas, or many taco sized
- 1/2 cup vegan or regular cheese
Vegan Spicy Sauce
- 1/4 cup vegan mayo
- 1-2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
Instructions
- Combine all vegan mayo ingredients – whip together in small bowl. Place in fridge to chill.
- Drain tofu and squeeze dry with a paper towel or clean dish towel.
- Add olive oil and heat pan. Add onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes on high heat. Add tofu by crumbling into small scrambled pieces with hands. Stir. Add salsa. Stir. Sprinkle in spices and nutritional yeast. Fold everything together using spatula.
- Reduce to medium. Allow to cook for 5-7 minutes, or until moisture cooks off and tofu softens, marinating all flavors. Most excess liquid should be absorbed or cooked off. Remove from heat.
- Warm tortillas and start filling. Add generous slather of vegan spicy mayo. Add cooked black beans then a heaping portion of tofu mixture. Followed by optional additional toppings.
- Roll tortillas burrito style and serve warm with chips and salsa.
