korean street tacos with baked tofu

wow, i think that i forgot how to write a blog in the month and a half since i last had a breath to sit down and write about food (don't worry though, i've still been cooking and eating).


a lot has happened since the beginning of december (these pictures are proof that i've been doing something other than sitting around not blogging): i got to go home for winter break and see my wonderful family, turned 20 (on the 20th, so yes that makes it my golden year!!!), and then my cute boyfriend moved to ashland when i came back for the winter quarter of school (which means someone else that gets to taste my food, yay! and sometimes he even helps me cook the food...sometimes).

my 20th birthay with my best friend!!

me & the cutest sister ever

waterfall on the way to ashland, photo by mercer!

okay so now for the fun: korean street tacos with tofu - vegan, flavorful, spicy (if you want), and obviously fantastically delicious! they're not hard to make and perfect for anyone who wants to branch out into the vegan world without jeopardizing taste or texture; and for all you non-believers out there, i promise tofu is yummy. buuuuut if you really don't want to try tofu you are also welcome to replace the tofu with shredded chicken or beef!

here's the ingredients you'll need:

• corn or flour tortillas, depending on your preference (i prefer corn and they're GF-shoutout to you dad)
• tofu/chicken/beef (i'm only giving instructions for cooking tofu)
• cornstarch - 2 tbsp. (only if you're cooking the tofu, this will make it crispy)

sauce for tofu/meat:

• garlic - 3-4 cloves, minced
• brown sugar - 1 tbsp. 
• soy sauce - 1/2 c. 
• sesame oil - 2 tsp. (unless you're allergic, which i found out i am, after making this recipe a couple times- LOL funny story... if you are, just use canola oil)
• gochujang - 1-4 tsp. (this all depends on the spice level you're looking for... if you can't handle spice at all i recommend omitting this. also, gochujang is a korean red chili paste and you can find it in the asian aisle at any grocery store)

slaw:

• cabbage - 4 c. sliced/shredded thinly
• mayonnaise - 4 tbsp. 
• gochujang - 1-2 tbsp. (you choose)
• chili garlic sauce - 1-2 tbsp. (again, you choose)
• green onions - 5, thinly sliced
• cilantro - 1 cup, finely chopped

directions:

1. 30 MIN BEFORE YOU WANT TO REALLY START COOKING: place your tofu block onto a cutting board with a layer of 5-6 paper towels under the tofu and 2 on top. fill a large pot of water and place it on top of the tofu (this is called pressing the tofu... i had no clue this was even a thing until i began cooking tofu a couple months ago). leave this pot on the tofu for about 30 min until the tofu seems like it has lost most of its water content. 
2. preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. cut tofu into 1/2" cubes and mix into bowl of cornstarch, ensuring that the tofu is coated evenly.
4. grease a sheet pan and place tofu onto pan in an even layer, and bake in oven for 12-15 minutes. 
5. while tofu is baking, mix all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
6. mix mayonnaise, gochujang, chili garlic sauce, green onions and cilantro in a large bowl.
7. slice cabbage and add into the large bowl, mixing well to make sure that the cabbage is covered in the mayonnaise mixture.
   
   
   
8. take tofu out of oven and put it into the medium bowl you set aside earlier. allow the tofu to soak for at least 15 minutes in this sauce so it soaks up all the goodness!
9. to brown tortillas either place them onto a burner directly, or put them in the hot oven for 3-5 minutes (keep an eye on them)
10. add the slaw and tofu into a tortilla and ta-da! an amazing vegan meal!

xoxo, happy cooking!!
♡lex

(p.s. this recipe is inspired by the korean tofu tacos from the blog "delish knowledge", but edited based on my preferences!)