Tacos al Pastor from Chef Carlos Roberto Erez

(Fills about 10-12 tacos)

TVP and Sauce

8 dried Chile Guajillos peppers

1 dried Chile Mulato or Ancho pepper

1 cup TVP chunks

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/4 cup finely minced yellow onions

2 canned chipotle peppers

8-10 garlic gloves, minced

Juice of 1/2 fresh orange

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Deseed dried peppers and hydrate by boiling for about 8 minutes. Keep pepper-boiling water to blend other ingredients together.

     Meanwhile, rinse TVP and in a separate pan, rehydrate TVP by boiling in water for 15 minutes over medium-low heat. Drain thoroughly and set aside when done.

     Add olive oil to a pan and sauté onion over low heat, until lightly browned and fragrant.      

     Next, cook the sauce for the Tacos al Pastor for about 15 minutes. Add rehydrated peppers, pepper-water, chipotles, garlic, orange juice, cumin, oregano, and cinnamon to a pan and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Sauce will thicken and reduce. Add sauce to TVP and allow to marinade a few hours in the fridge or up to 24 hours.

Assemble Tacos

1/2 cup finely minced yellow onion

3 teaspoons olive oil, divided

Taco shells or tortillas, your favorite

Fresh cilantro or oregano, to serve

Shredded lettuce, radishes or other favorite taco toppings to serve

Pineapple Salsa

1 pineapple, skinned and diced

Salt, to taste, optional

1-3 Jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced (to taste)

2 cucumbers, minced

1/2 purple onion, sliced

Juice from 1 lime

     To make the tacos, add marinated TVP to a skillet with onions and olive oil. Sauté over low heat until onions are light brown and everything is cooked through.

     While doing that, begin preparing the pineapple salsa. Finely chop pineapple and sauté in olive oil until charred. This will sweeten the flavor. Add salt if desired.

     Meanwhile, toss Jalapeno, cucumbers, purple onion and cilantro with fresh lime juice. Add charred pineapple.

     To assemble tacos, layer TVP and onion, and pineapple salsa and other taco toppings as desired into a taco shell.

Tofu Con Rajas Poblanas from Chef Carlos Roberto Erez

(Fills about 10-12 tacos)

Tofu Filling

1 box firm tofu

Salt, to taste, optional

3 Poblano peppers

Sauce

4 plum tomatoes, quartered

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 large yellow onion, chopped

3 fresh Jalapeños, seeded and sliced (more or less, to taste)

4-5 cloves peeled garlic

4 Tablespoons cilantro, finely minced

1 teaspoon garlic powder, optional

Salt, to taste, optional

Taco shells or tortillas

Favorite toppings (such as chopped lettuce, radishes, cilantro, etc.)

For the tofu filling, cut tofu into small pieces and sprinkle with salt. Put tofu in an air fryer at 350 or medium power for about 15 minutes, or spread out on a sheet pan and bake in the oven about 20-30 minutes at 350, until edges are crispy and hard.

     Meanwhile, roast Poblano peppers over open flame of gas stove or, in your oven set to broil. They should be pitch black when ready. Place them in a container to sweat for several minutes, until it’s easy to peel the skin. This process imparts a delicious smokey flavor. Peel skin and then slice into thin slivers. Set aside.

      To make the sauce, sauté tomatoes in olive oil over medium heat for about 2-4 minutes until they begin to wilt. Add onion, Jalapeños, and fresh garlic. Cook until all ingredients are lightly charred.

     Add to a blender with cilantro and garlic powder, and pulse until it is the texture of salsa. Add salt to taste. If you want a smooth sauce, add a little water and purée again.

     Transfer sauce to pan and cook over medium heat until slightly reduced. Stir in sliced Poblanos and cooked tofu. Serve in taco shells or tortillas of choice with other toppings, as desired.