Did you know that before Spanish colonization, Mexican food was mostly vegetable-forward? I never would've guessed that. I always thought of Mexican food as heavy, and always thought of tacos as meat, cheese, sour cream: the opposite of vegan friendly! It was one of those cuisines I didn't think I could share with my vegan husband.
While squeezing tofu to make tofu ricotta one day, it occurred to me I could probably fry up crumpled up tofu to resemble ground meat. Since the first time I made tofu ground meat, I've found so many uses for it: spicing it up with chili and sage for a sausage-like pizza topping, seasoning it with Chinese Five Spice for a noodle topping or a Chinese lettuce wrap...and if you flavor it with taco seasoning? Well then you have the most satisfying vegan taco ever!
Use a store-bought taco seasoning! No judgement. Or mix up my ingredient list below. I left the measurements free so you can play. I love cumin so I use a lot.
VEGAN TOFU TACO FILLING
🌮 Firm tofu
🌮 Onion
🌮 Garlic
🌮 Cumin
🌮 Cayenne pepper
🌮 Paprika + Smoked paprika
🌮 Oregano
🌮 Soy/tamari
🌮 Red bell pepper
🌮 Black beans
Start by squeezing the tofu. You want to get as much moisture out of the tofu as possible so that we can add liquid seasonings without everything getting soggy. I like to start with smaller blocks so I can squeeze really well.
Heat some oil in a hot pan. Add the tofu crumble and cook patiently, letting the tofu dry out further. Once it starts to take on color, add your onion and garlic. When that has softened, add all your spices.
Add your soy/tamari. You'll want to add more oil too as you go, so that it gets "juicy."
Add the diced red bell pepper and black beans, if you're using. Season with salt.
Done in around 10 min!
Shredded lettuce, pickled red onions, pico de gallo, lots of cilantro...and a perfect avocado if you're blessed to have one! Yum!!