Scrambled Tofu and Cabbage Enchiladas
By: Cara Shannon
Published: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 - 6:09pm

Ingredients




For the Sauce: 

1 large Anaheim pepper
1/4 cup neutral oil like grapeseed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups vegetable stock
12 ounces can tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste

For the Filling:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
14 ounces package extra firm tofu
1/2 medium head  red cabbage, shredded
6 inches corn tortillas
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1 Char Anaheim pepper on all sides on a hot dry skillet or griddle (about 5 minutes per side) until blackened.  Remove from griddle and promptly store in a brown paper bag.  When cool enough to handle, peel charred skin off pepper and finely chop. 2 Meanwhile, heat grapeseed oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  When hot, add garlic and stir for 1-2 minutes, until browned.  Add chili powder, cumin, and oregano, continually stirring until fragrant (about another minute).  Stir in flour, breaking up any clumps and let thicken for another minute or so. 3 Add vegetable stock, chopped Anaheim, and 3/4 of the can of tomato paste, and whisk until smooth.  Bring to a low simmer, and let cook for 10 minutes until it reaches the desired consistency.  If you like it thicker, feel free to add the entire can of tomato paste.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside. 4 Puree tofu in a food processor until smooth. 5 Sautee diced onion in olive oil until soft and browned, about 5 minutes. 6 Add pureed tofu, and cook on medium low heat until at desired firm consistency.  I like mine on the firmer side, and cooked it for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  The longer it cooks, the drier and firmer it becomes.  Season with salt and pepper. 7 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a 9x13 inch baking dish (I used 9x9 and saved half of the ingredients for a later date!), pour about 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce to evenly coat the bottom. 8 Compile dish one by one as follows: Dip tortilla in the pot of sauce to coat entirely.  If you decide to use your hands at first, you’ll soon realize that tongs are necessary… 9 Lay tortilla in baking dish at one end, and top with a spoon full of tofu mixture, small handful of cabbage, and small handful of cheese.  Roll up and rotate so seam side is down. 10 Once each tortilla has been assembled, pour another cup of enchilada sauce on top, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake in over for 30 minutes, or until cheese on top is bubbly and browned. 11 Serve with a salad, and lick your plate clean!

About


Nothing brings me back to a summer in Queretaro, Mexico like a saucy plate of enchiladas.  However, during an “avoid meat at all costs” phase, I had to get creative in the kitchen to create the ultimate fusion of nostalgia-meets-vegetarian.  Scrambled tofu is the optimal filling when meat just won’t do, and tempeh is a little too hearty.  It can take on the flavor of any seasoning while maintaining a heavenly smooth texture.  You’ll likely end up with an excess of sauce, which can spruce up a batch of scrambled eggs (or tofu) the next morning.