Ground Tempeh Tacos

Shamelessly veganized and modified from Alton Brown's original recipe.

Taco Filling

Start by dicing 2 small (or 1 large) potatoes. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then roast at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes, stirring once midway through.

In a small bowl, mix together the following:

2 tbsp chili powder*
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground chipotle (or hot smoked paprika)
1 tsp ground coriander

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 tbsp vegetable oil, then add:

16 oz tempeh, ground into small pieces
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp sea salt

Cook the tempeh uncovered, stirring occasionally so that the pieces can start to brown evenly, for 10 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of veggie broth and cook, covered, for 3-4 minutes until the broth has mostly absorbed. Add your bowl of spice mix, the roasted potatoes, and 2/3 cup more broth and continue to cook, uncovered, until the tempeh is at the desired consistency - around 2-3 more minutes.

Tortillas

To serve, I took corn tortillas and lightly fried them in 1/3 cup of oil for 20 seconds on each side so that they were still pliable, and kept them warm in a 250 degree toaster oven while I made the filling.

*Chili Powder

Part of the reason this was so good was because of the homemade chili powder I used in the spice mix (also from Good Eats:

3 each of ancho chiles, cascabel chiles, and dried arbol chiles (stemmed, seeded and sliced) get dry fried in a pan over medium heat along with 2 tbsp whole cumin seeds until fragrant, around 4-5 minutes. Grind together in a coffee grinder or blender along with 2 tbsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp dried oregano, and 1 tsp ground chipotle. Makes enough for my spice jar, this recipe, and a good bit leftover.

Sesame Garlic Tofu

Cube a block of firm or extra firm tofu and freeze overnight (this will change the texture somewhat, making it firmer and chewier). Allow the tofu to thaw, and let marinate overnight in:

1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp low-sodium tamari
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp cane sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp dried ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
red chili flakes to taste

This is best mixed together by beginning with the tahini and slowly whisking in the tamari, vinegar, and sugar, then adding the broth bit by bit.

Remove the tofu from the marinade and, while still wet, dredge in:

1/2 cup white rice flour or tapioca flour (see below)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt

If using white rice flour, the tofu can be deep fried or pan fried on both sides; if using tapioca flour, they can also be baked on a well-oiled pan at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.