Crispy Honey-Sriracha Tofu Tacos with Cucumber Mango Salsa (Vegetarian)

More tacos! I know you are excited! This summer I have made coconut fish tacos and steak tacos with smoked tomatillo salsa, and today I am bringing you these vegetarian crispy honey sriracha tofu tacos with a cucumber mango salsa. Hip hip hooray! How excited are you?

I recently went out to San Francisco to visit family, and I got to enjoy lunch at a favorite place, La Taqueria, in the Mission District of the city. It was hard to move in the restaurant and we had to circle like hawks to find seats to eat our food, but it was all well worth it. I tried the pork tacos there for the first time, and they were amazing. One thing that stood out about the tacos we ordered was that they were made with a double shell, with one crispy tortilla and one softer tortilla. We were given the best of both worlds, a soft taco and a hard taco all at the very same time! I tried the double shell method with these tofu tacos, but after trying a couple times, I found that the tastiest way to eat these is with one tortilla, baked in the oven to crisp up a bit. I think the best tortillas to use are* La Tortilla Factory white corn tortillas. They taste great, and they don't break! One of these days I am going to master the double shell method, though...

I topped these delicious tacos with cucumber-mango salsa, mashed avocado, and extra Sriracha sauce.  I was a little nervous about tofu in my tacos, and I was truly amazed at how good they turned out. Even if you are not a vegetarian, I am pretty sure you will find these tacos to be quite tasty. Enjoy!

Stay tuned for even MORE taco recipes!

*In the photos, I used a different tortilla than the La Tortilla Factory brand and the tacos were made with the double shell.

Recipe for Crispy Honey-Sriracha Tofu Tacos with Cucumber Mango Salsa (Vegetarian)

INGREDIENTS:
For the Cucumber-Mango Salsa
1 large, ripe mango, cut into 1/4-inch chunks
1/2 English cucumber, peeled and with the seeds removed, finely chopped
1/2 shallot, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, minced (with seeds removed)
Juice from 1/2 lime (save the other half for the avocado)
1/2 tsp. honey
Salt and pepper

For the tofu
12 ounces extra firm tofu, drained well, patted with a paper towel, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
2 Tbsp. Sriracha sauce (plus a little more for adding to taco)
2 Tbsp. honey (plus a little more for drizzling)
1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp. of cornmeal
1/3 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper - about 1/8 tsp.
3/4 tsp. Ancho chile powder
1/8 tsp. of sweet smoked paprika
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 - 2 Hass avocados

full-fat Greek yogurt
Good quality soft taco sized corn tortillas (I recommend La Tortilla Factory white corn)

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare the cucumber mango salsa. Toss the cucumber, mango, jalapeno, shallot, lime juice, honey, salt and pepper into a bowl and mix well. Cover and place in fridge until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 315 degrees. Place tortillas on a baking sheet. Rub a very small amount of olive oil all over each side and sprinkle one side with a pinch of fine sea salt. Set aside.

Put the tofu in a large bowl. Mix together the honey and Sriracha sauce in a small bowl. Pour over the tofu, and gently toss to coat well.

In another bowl, mix together the cornmeal, Panko breadcrumbs, flour, salt, pepper, chili powder, and sweet smoked paprika. Then pour 1/3 of the cornmeal mixture over the tofu, and toss gently. Add another 1/3 of the mixture, toss again. Finish with the remaining mixture and toss again to coat the tofu well. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat until hot. Then carefully add in the tofu. Cook, undisturbed, for a few minutes, then gently stir and flip over, a few at a time, until all pieces have been flipped. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes more, then gently stir again. Continue to cook and gently toss until tofu is crisped up on all sides. Add in a drizzle or two of honey, and stir. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle the tofu with salt and pepper.

While the tofu is cooking, place the tortillas in the heated oven. Cook for a few minutes, then flip. You want the tortillas to be a little crispy, but not hard. You want a very light crisp so that they still fold well without breaking. That is why it is important to buy good tortillas!

While the tofu and tortillas are finishing up, mash up the avocado. Squeeze lime juice over the avocado, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Assemble the tacos. Top each warm tortilla with desired amount of tofu, cucumber-mango salsa, avocado, and Greek yogurt. Add a squeeze of Sriracha sauce, if desired.

Recipe makes approximately 6  - 8 tacos. 

Tofu taco recipe adapted from: The Woks of Life
Cucumber-Mango salsa adapted from:  Oh My Veggies 

More taco recipes:
Potato, Chorizo & Goat Cheese Tacos with Smoky Aioli 
Simple White Fish Tacos
Paladar's Sweet Potato Tacos 
Coconut Encrusted Fish Tacos with Mango, Avocado Crema, and Sweet Chipotle Sauce
Steak Tacos with Smoked Tomatillo Salsa

Sweet potato tacos

Coconut-Encrusted Fish Tacos with Mango, Avocado Crema, and Sweet Chipotle Sauce

I decided that this is going to be the summer of tacos! I searched the web for some super tasty taco recipes, and I also have been dreaming up a few recipes myself. I am kicking off the start of taco recipes with these delicious coconut-encrusted fish tacos with mango, avocado crema, and sweet chipotle sauce. They are amazing! I am planning on including vegetarian tacos, crab tacos, chicken tacos, pork tacos, grilled scallop tacos, shrimp tacos, and so much more over the next couple of months I hope you are as excited about these taco recipes as I am. Enjoy!

*This summer I am also hoping to make many recipes with tomatoes and squash from our garden, as long as they do well this season. Last season our zucchini crop did not produce. I want to make lots of recipes from this list. And, of course, I will be making plenty of yummy desserts this summer!

Recipe for Coconut-Encrusted Fish Tacos with Mango, Avocado Crema, and Sweet Chipotle Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
4 (4 ounce) frozen filets of flaky white fish (such as Alaskan Flounder), thawed
2/3 cup of flour
2/3 cup of Panko bread crumbs
1 1/4 cup of shredded sweet coconut (such as Bakers brand)
1/4 tsp. of smoked sweet paprika
1/8 tsp. of salt
Honey
Sea salt
Olive oil
Avocado Crema
2 large Hass avocados
Pinch of sea salt 
3 Tbsp. of full fat Greek yogurt
Juice of one lime
1/2 tsp. of pure maple syrup
Sweet Chipotle Sauce
One chipotle pepper from can, minced very finely
1 tsp. of chipotle pepper sauce from can
1 tsp. of honey
1/3 cup of full fat Greek yogurt
Mango
2 mangoes, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
Juice of one lime
Pinch or two of sea salt
Assembling
Shredded carrots or cabbage
4 - 6 soft taco size flour tortillas

DIRECTIONS:
In a shallow dish, stir together the flour, Panko bread crumbs, coconut, smoked paprika, and salt. Pat thawed fish fillets dry with a paper towel. Drizzle a little of honey over one side of the fish,  use your hands or a spoon to make sure honey is rubbed in, and then sprinkle with some sea salt. Flip, and repeat on the other side. Then dredge the fish fillets into the coconut mixture, coating each side. Place the coated fish on a plate or pan and set in the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes. Chop up the mangoes and place in a bowl. Squeeze juice of one lime over the chopped mango and sprinkle with sea salt. Place in container, cover, and put in fridge until ready to use.

Heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil in a large non-stick saute pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add in 2 of the fish fillets (more if there is room in your pan, without overcrowding) in the pan, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Then flip, and cook for an additional 2 - 3 minutes, or until coconut is browned, but not burnt, and fish is cooked through and flaky. Remove fish from the pan. Place fish on a baking pan and keep warm in oven at 200 degrees while you cook up the remaining two fillets of fish. Before cooking the rest of the fish, wipe the pan clean with a paper towel and add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Once all fish is cooked, transfer to a plate, drizzle with a little honey, sprinkle with sea salt, and cut up.

While the fish is cooking, make the avocado crema sauce and sweet chipotle sauce. For the avocado crema sauce, pit the avocados and remove the skin. Put the fruit of avocado into a bowl. Add the juice of one lime, pinch of sea salt, Greek yogurt, and pure maple syrup. Use a fork to stir well until completely smooth.

For the sweet chipotle sauce, add Greek yogurt, minced chipotle pepper, chipotle sauce, and honey to a bowl and mix well.

To assemble, warm tortillas by wrapping in paper towel and heating in microwave for about 30 seconds. Put cut up fish in tortilla, top with avocado crema, mangoes, sweet chipotle sauce, and carrots. Enjoy!

Recipe serves 2 - 3 
Recipe Inspired by Beer Battered Fish Tacos, by Pink Parsley 

Simple White Fish Tacos

I am not sure why, but I have always thought that making fish tacos wouldn't be easy. Boy, have I been so wrong! This is one of the simplest meals to throw together, and it takes only 30 minutes from start to finish. I love the combination of the lime and cilantro in this recipe. We topped our fish tacos with mango, avocado, cabbage, mild cheddar cheese, and Panko bread crumbs I think these tacos would also be really good with some jicama. You can add whatever you want to your fish tacos, as long as you promise to top them with the creamy cilantro sauce. Oh, and the Panko bread crumbs really do add a nice crunch to the tacos, so you might want to consider those too. This is a great recipe for summer because it is so light, healthy, refreshing, and easy. Enjoy!

Recipe for Simple White Fish Tacos

INGREDIENTS:
For the fish
8 ounces of white fish (I used tilapia)
1 Tbsp. of fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 Tbsp. of cilantro leaves, torn
1/8 tsp. of cumin powder

1 clove of garlic, pressed
Salt and pepper

For the creamy cilantro sauce
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 Tbsp. of cilantro leaves, minced
1/4 cup of Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
1 clove of garlic, pressed
A pinch or two of ground cayenne pepper (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper

For serving
6-inch flour tortillas
Chopped mango (from 1 medium mango)
Chopped avocado (from 1 medium Hass avocado)
Shredded green cabbage
Finely grated mild cheddar cheese
Cilantro leaves
Panko bread crumbs (gives it a nice crunch)!
Or, whatever you want

DIRECTIONS:
In a shallow dish, stir together the fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cilantro, cumin, and garlic. Put the fish in the dish and coat. Cover and put in the fridge to marinate for 20 minutes.

While the fish is marinating, make the creamy cilantro sauce. Stir together the lime juice, cilantro, Greek yogurt, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Once it is simmering, put the fish into the skillet and cook, without touching, for 3 minutes. Then carefully flip the fish over and cook on the other side for 2 -3 more minutes, or until cooked through. Remove the fish and season with salt and pepper as desired. Let it sit for a couple minutes, then use two forks to shred the fish into bite-sized chunks.

Assemble the tacos on the tortillas with the fish, cilantro crema, and favorite toppings.

Recipe makes approximately 4 - 6 tacos.

Recipe Adapted from: Annie's Eats, originally from The Way the Cookie Crumbles

Arugula and Fruit Salad with a Blood Orange Vinaigrette

Here is a super healthy and delicious salad for you! I am quite a fan of arugula. If you look through my blog postings, you'll see plenty of meals made with arugula. I'll post some yummy arugula recipe links at the bottom of this entry for you because I am very generous. I love the flavor of arugula. It is so much more sophisticated tasting than most of the leafy greens that are out there, and it also has tons of health benefits. It is a good source of several vitamins, folic acid, iron, and phytochemicals that fight cancer. And, not only is it good for you, but eating arugula also makes you more sexually energized - it's an aphrodisiac!

I think you'll find this salad to be very tasty. You'll love the combination of the fruit, avocado, and toasted walnuts with the sweet tasting vinaigrette. This salad makes quite the pretty display of colors and it is fun to eat. Enjoy!

Recipe for Arugula and Fruit Salad with a Blood Orange Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS:
6 cups of arugula leaves
2 medium Hass avocados, chopped
2 large mangos, chopped
3 mandarins (I use Wonderful Halos), separated into pieces
1/3 cup of walnuts
2 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. of honey
1 1/2 Tbsp. of blood orange vinegar
1/8 tsp. of kosher salt
Several grinds of fresh black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Toast the walnuts. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and arrange walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place in oven and cook for about 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

While walnuts are toasting, mix up the dressing. Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk well. Set aside.

Divide the arugula onto plates. Top each with chopped mango, avocado, mandarin pieces, and toasted walnuts. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and then sprinkle with some extra black pepper, if desired.

Makes 4 servings

Original Recipe

More Tasty Arugula Recipes
Mediterranean Orzo Salad
Asparagus and Arugula Pizza
Penne Pasta with Arugula Pesto
Asparagus and Arugula Risotto
California Pizza Kitchen-Style Quinoa Salad 
Greek Pizza

Jicama Salad with Mango

Jicama is a fun word to say (so is Francisco). For so long I pronounced it "yickama" or "jicama" (with the sound of the j), until one night when I ate at a yummy Spanish/Latin restaurant in Annapolis with Greg and some friends. My friend and I ordered and shared a dish with jicama. My friend and I told the waitress how much we liked the "yickama," and we kept repeating the mispronunciation until finally the waitress corrected us! It is pronounced with an 'h' instead of a 'j.'

Jicama is also known as a Mexican potato and it is an ingredient found in latin cooking. I love the texture and taste of jicama, especially in salads. The other night my mom asked me and Greg to join the rest of the family at the new Wegman's in Columbia for dinner. At first I wasn't too excited about the idea, until I got online and read the menu. I saw the jicama salad on the online menu, and I knew I needed to have some. The salad did not disappoint. Cool, crisp, refreshing, and light - it had jicama, pineapple, and cucumber in a tasty lime dressing.

As we were leaving the store, I bought a jicama (my first jicama purchase ever)! I found the recipe in the Wegman's catalogue and I reproduced it with some changes. I didn't feel like dealing with a pineapple, so I used mango. I also added some carrots and added a bit of red pepper flakes to the dressing, then topped with whole raw cashews. Greg likened it to a papaya salad, but better. The salad was sweet but not too sweet, spicy but not too spicy - it was just right!

Recipe for Jicama Salad with Mango
INGREDIENTS:
For the salad:
1 medium jicama, peeled and grated with largest grate on a box grater
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into thin 1-inch slices
1 small carrot, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces, then peeled into strips with a vegetable peeler
1 medium mango, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Whole raw cashews or cashew pieces, for sprinkling on each salad
For the dressing:
3 limes, juiced
Zest of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup of olive oil
3 Tbsp. of honey
1 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes (more or less as desired)
1/2 tsp. of sweet chili sauce (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
Make the dressing first. In a smallish bowl, combine the lime juice, lime zest, honey, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and sweet chili sauce. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.

Add the grated jicama to a large bowl. Pour dressing over the jicama and toss well. Cover bowl and put in the fridge for an hour or more. About 15 - 20 minutes before serving, add in the cubed mango, sliced cucumber, and carrot strips. Toss together and then put bowl back in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Serve salad on individual dishes and top each dish with whole raw cashews or cashew pieces.

Recipe Adapted from: Wegmans Catalogue 

Mango & Avocado Salad

Recently I posted a recipe for sweet potato tacos, courtesy of Paladar Restaurant. If you haven't had a chance to look at the recipe yet, I suggest you do! A really nice addition to the sweet potato tacos is this mango and avocado salad. This salad actually is a great side for many meals.
I love it because it is simple to make and super healthy. The most difficult part about making the salad is cutting up the mangos! I have had several close calls while chopping them; so take the extra time and learn how to cut them properly ahead of time.
I also love this salad because it is so bright and colorful. It makes me happy to just look at it, but of course it makes me happier while I'm eating it up! I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.

Mango & Avocado Salad Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
2 - 3 ripe mangos, cut in to 1-inch chunks

1 - 2 ripe avocados, cut in to 1-inch chunks (to be cut and added right before serving)
2 limes, juiced
2 tsp. of canola oil
1 Tbsp. of granulated sugar
1/8 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes (leave this out if you don't like spicy)
Sprinkling of Kosher salt
Sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Make the lime dressing. In a medium container, add the lime juice, canola oil, sugar, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir together well. Add in the mango slices, sprinkle the mango chunks with a little bit of salt, and then coat with the dressing. Cover the container and put in fridge for about an hour. Right before serving the salad, add in the avocado pieces and mix together. Enjoy!

***Original Recipe***

NOTE: Have leftover mango & avocado salad? Add in some canned black beans, and then use it as a filling in a tortilla. Makes a nice lunch!