New Vegan Bowls at Flame Broiler

You know it is definitely the year of the vegan when a chain restaurant makes a menu change for the first time in 21 years and it is to add a vegan item to their menu! The Flame Broiler, a fast-casual restaurant chain with locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma, made its first menu change since its founding (!!!) to include a brand new vegan option for its customers. The demand for plant-based entrees has sky-rocketed, and The Flame Broiler has wisely met this need with a healthy, vegan charbroiled tofu bowl that everyone, vegan or not, can enjoy.

Spicy Tofu Tacos

My boyfriend made the yummiest spicy tofu tacos the other night and I just couldn't wait to share the recipe with you all!

Doesn't this just make you salivate:

The picture doesn't really do it justice!

Ingredients:

1 package extra firm tofu
1 small can Mexican hot style tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 white onion, diced
1 green jalapeño, chopped
1/2 cup cooked black beans

Drain tofu and press it for a few hours. We usually wrap drained tofu in paper towels, place it on a plate and stack a heavy bookend on it to expel as much water as possible out of it.

When you are done pressing the tofu, crumble it into chunks and marinate it in the hot tomato sauce for as long as possible (up to 24 hours) to give the tofu a chance to absorb all the flavors.

 We use El Pato Mexican Hot Style Tomato Sauce

Bonus: It's only about 50 cents a can!

Heat the olive oil in a pan, then lightly saute the diced onion and chopped up jalapeño until slightly cooked (do not brown). Toss in black beans and tofu, including any leftover marinade; cook until heated through, about 8 - 10 minutes.

Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce on corn tortillas and top with fresh tomatoes and salsa or hot sauce, if desired.

Gratuitous close up:

Easy Orange Flavored Tofu

I have a confession to make: I'm a lazy cook. I hate spending hours slaving away in the kitchen on a meal that will be gone within minutes, especially when I've been working all day and just want to relax during the evening.

So, my meals tend to skew towards the easy-peasy approach. And when I stumble upon a recipe that uses 5 or less ingredients, I'm totally stoked! This particular recipe (I found it somewhere online, though I can't remember the source - apologies!) calls for only 3 ingredients, which had my lazy bum leaping for joy (at least on the inside...it's entirely too much effort to physically leap for joy)!

And check out the results, with a nice base of brown jasmine rice and edamame:

Easy Orange Flavored Tofu