Wordless Wednesday

Whisky. Pumpkin Pie. I would eat this everyday of my life.

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Cooking from Vegan MoFo: Bourban Seitan Tacos

Cooking from Vegan MoFo: Bourban Seitan Tacos or Whisky Tofu Tacos

Last year's MoFo was teaming with taco recipes! We are not a huge taco family but will imbibe every few months. When recipe planning tacos always seem to get bumped for a one-dish meal because tacos always seem too messy. However, every time I make tacos I think/say “Damn these are good. I should make tacos a regular thing – I decree Taco Tuesdays a thing!” But when Tuesday rolls around, I make soup.

While on the surface these flavors – whisky, chili, cinnamon – seem a little crazy the final product is actually very well balanced. The whisky sauce is a complex sweet sauce which pairs alarmingly well with the slightly spicy and warm heat of the tofu spice blend. Either element alone is off balance but when combined it's a wonderful thing!

I made corn tortillas from Viva Vegan. They were good but I need to cook them more often to really get them perfect. I have a tendency to either overcook them or under cook them. Simply another reason to install Taco Tuesdays!

Whisky Tofu Tacos

Whisky Sauce:

1 cup whisky (Collingwood recommended)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Tofu:

1 package extra firm tofu, cubed or cut into strips

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

To serve:

homemade corn tortillas

Put all the sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan and whisk well to combine. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until reduced by half. This will take approximately 15-20 minutes.

While whisky sauce reduces, prepare the tofu. Combine the chili powder, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Toss the tofu with the spice mixture until coated.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the spiced tofu and cook, stirring frequently, until browned.

Make tacos!


Original Inspiration: coldandsleepycooks

Mention this blog for a free zine at Canzine on 21 October!

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Drinking: Spiced Caipirinha

The majority of my Christmas holiday was spent drinking. We went through close to three bottles of whisky mostly because we managed to found a brand of affordable, smooth made-in-Canada whisky called 'Collingwood'. It is smooth enough to drink neat but is also flavorful and interesting (not to mention cheap enough) to mix.

However, after one and half bottles my palate grew a little tired of whiskey so I moved on to this mixed cocktail from "Spice and Ice" by Kara Newman. I have had this book for a while and have enjoyed other cocktails from it including Spiced Iced Tea and Spicy Cucumber Margarita. I was craving a wintry, Christmas drink but did not want a literal warm drink. This cocktail, made with a cinnamon and nutmeg simple syrup, satisfied that craving perfectly.

Rough instructions: Muddle some citrus (orange and lime) with some simple syrup. Add some rum. Add some lime juice. Add some orange liqueur. Shake with ice. Strain.  

    

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