Tofu jumped out of my Asian repertoire and into a tortilla.
It takes a lot of time to eat healthy with regularity. Or, perhaps it is establishing new eating habits that require the learning curve. I’ve been successful in my plan to eat more salads and increase vegetarian meals but the preparation is sometimes time consuming and prohibitive.
This recipe is a keeper, in large part because it makes tasty leftovers. Would I rather eat this burrito than a steak and refried bean wrap? Well, I’ll just say that I feel better after eating this burrito and I have a lot more chance of dropping my extra 10 pounds. The spices, corn and peppers make the tofu filling flavorful. I think it tasted even better the next day when all the ingredients “stewed” together for awhile.
Moosewood, a restaurant in Ithaca New York, has been serving vegetarian food for nearly forty years. Can you imagine how a strictly vegetarian restaurant was received in 1973? It must have been one of the first of its kind. There are twelve Moosewood cookbooks and on the Moosewood blog you can find a number of tasty veggie and vegan recipes.
If you have favorite make ahead or “yummy leftover” veggie recipes, send me a link. With enough practice, I’ll be whipping out tasty veggie food easily on week nights.
Tofu Burritos
from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home
Serves 4-6
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 fresh chile, minced or 1/4 tsp cayenne
2 medium onions,finely chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
2 teaspoons paprika
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cut corn
2 cakes firm tofu (about 1 1/2 lbs), crumbled or mashed
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup chopped green olives (optional)
salt and ground black pepper to taste
6 wheat tortillas – 10 inch
your favorite salsa
Heat oil in a large skillet and saute the garlic, chile or cayeene, and onions for a minute or two. Stir int he bell peppers and continue to saute on medium heat. When the onions begin to soften, add the paprika, cumin, coriander, oregano, corn and crumbled tofu and continue to saute.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. When the vegetables are tender, mix in the tomato paste, soy sauce, and the olives if you wish. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Lightly oil a baking pan or shallow casserole dish. Fill each tortilla with about 3/4 cup of the tofu-vegetable filling and roll it up. Place the burritos in the oiled pan, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Serve topped with salsa, if desired.