Mexican Tofu Casserole

Posted on | July 9, 2009 | 7 Comments

It’s been averaging over 100 degrees every day here in Austin and the last thing I want to do is fire up the stove and start cooking. Yesterday driving home the thermometer in my truck read between 108 and 110 the entire way to the house. I’m certain this month that my electric bill will rival the amount spent on the federal bailout. My goals for dinner tonight were healthy, fast, and something that didn’t require a trip outside, especially to the grocery store. Luckily, the tomatoes in my garden are doing especially well in this heat and my herbs seem to be the most tolerant of the bunch. However, if the heat outside didn’t kill them, I was certainly going to.

My neighbor also has a garden.And, they are lazy. Lazy because they installed a drip irrigation system and I didn’t think of it first or before the heat started scorching the earth. The bad news for them is they went on vacation for a month and left me in charge of their garden. (Muhhaahahahaha ) That immediately translates into a larger produce section and free goodies. I’m also glad they don’t frequent my blog so I’m able to share the spoils here, with you. Alas, the heat is getting to their garden as well, but not before the poblano peppers, sweet banana peppers, and some serranos have ripened on the vine. (He merrily scoots away with a small basket full of produce and quickly crosses the property line back into his yard).

This dish is a quick one-pan wonder. I use non-stick commercial aluminum pans from a local restaurant supply. Why? They are relatively cheap ($50), can handle torture and are designed for enormous abuse, and they can be put directly into a 500 degree oven without a problem. A cast iron skillet would do just as well, but these pans are lighter and conduct heat very well. Any oven proof pan or casserole dish would work perfectly for this dish. I also used hard tofu. Remember that the difference between tofu hardnesses is simply the amount of water content based on the amount of time they are pressed. So if you only have soft tofu, wrap it up in a towel, put some weight on the top, and give it about a hour and poof, you have firm tofu. This dish is also just about completely vegan except I used a bit of grated Colby cheese on top. If you want vegan, omit the cheese. And to serve, you can do so over anything including rice, noodles, lettuces, tortillas, or in taco. This is a great omlette filling as well. I chose whole wheat buckwheat soba noodles, why?. That’s what I had in my fridge. (I go for complete Mexican authenticity )

Tomatoes are low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. They are also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Potassium and Manganese. Tofu is very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Protein, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Copper and Selenium, and a very good source of Calcium and Manganese. Onions are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. They are also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Vitamin C and a very strong anti-inflammatory. A poblano pepper is very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Mexican Tofu Casserole

The two tricks to this dish are to press the water out of the tofu between paper towels after slicing into 1/4 inch slabs. Finely slice the tofu first into 1/4 inch slabs and then cut into fine julienne slice so it looks like shredded chicken. The second is the addition of soy chorizo. The soy chorizo is already cooked so this dish comes together fast.

8 ounces hard tofu, cut into thin jullienne (1/2 a water packed tub container)
5 medium tomatoes, ripe, diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 large poblano pepper, finely diced
1 link soy chorizo, removed from casing
1 tablespoon chile powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup finely shredded cheese for topping (Colby Jack or Cheddar both work well)
1 tablespoon sunflower or other neutral oil for cooking

In a pan over medium heat add oil, onion and poblano pepper and cook for five minutes. Add tomatoes, celery, chorizo and spices and stir to mix. Cook for an additional three minutes. Add tofu and stir to coat. Level the mixture in the pan so it is an even layer. Sprinkle cheese on top of the casserole and place into a 350 degree oven for approximately 7 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble. Remove and immediately serve.

Serves 4 as an entree

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