Chorizo Breakfast Tacos
By Lexi from Crowded Kitchen
Hello! I’m Lexi from Crowded Kitchen. Our team shares nutritious, family-friendly vegan and gluten free meals, as well as sustainability tips, photography resources and helpful tips/tricks on vegan cooking and baking.
My mom (Beth) and I co-founded Crowded Kitchen in late 2017 after two years of running a quickly growing Instagram account (formerly @superfoodrunner; now @crowded_kitchen), where we shared the food we were making & eating. Over the last seven or so years, both of us have completely shifted our diets - first, as a result of numerous food sensitivities to ingredients like dairy, gluten & more - and later, for a number of other reasons, including environmental and moral issues.
Nowadays, we both follow mostly vegan diets. I have been fully vegetarian for years, but still on occasion eat some honey and eggs. Our journey is ever-changing, and while we can’t ever imagine going back to eating meat or fish, we try to avoid labeling ourselves one way or another.
There are certainly many differing opinions regarding veganism (which we respect and understand!), but we identify most with the exact same mission as the Reducetarian Foundation. We know it’s not reasonable - or even possible – to expect everyone to go vegan. However, if we can all take even just a few small steps towards reducing animal product consumption, the world would most certainly be a better place.
Our mission at Crowded Kitchen is to inspire families and individuals to try swapping their favorite meals for equally delicious plant-based alternatives. It’s our belief that small steps make the biggest difference, and if we can inspire even one carnivore to reduce their consumption of animal products through delicious recipes and approachable education, we’re doing our job.
On that note, we’re so grateful for the opportunity to join Reducetarian’s mission and share some of our favorite vegan recipes with you, like these Tofu “Chorizo” Breakfast Tacos!
Tacos are, without a doubt, one of my favorite meals. Breakfast tacos are even better. Who wouldn’t want to start their day with one of these? There are plenty of great vegan taco fillings - my go-to is spicy black beans, but tofu is especially perfect for breakfast tacos. Scrambled tofu is a great substitute for scrambled eggs, but this tofu “chorizo” filling has way more flavor.
The filling is incredibly easy to make, and you just need a few simple ingredients. All in all, it’s not only healthier than regular chorizo, but it’s also less expensive (assuming your pantry is pre-stocked with spices!).
The first step is to finely dice an onion and sauté in a few tablespoons of olive oil until softened and translucent. If you don’t want to use oil, you can sauté the onions in a little bit of vegetable broth. I’d suggest using a nonstick pan if you go this route - it will make your life much easier! Next, add some minced garlic to the mix, then crumble the tofu directly into the pan. Note: it’s best to drain and pat the tofu dry before adding to the pan, otherwise you’ll end up with quite a bit of liquid in the pan. If that happens, simply crank up the heat and let the liquid reduce from the pan.
All that’s left to do at this point is to add your spices and other seasonings, give everything a good stir, and let it cook for just a few minutes to slightly brown some of the tofu. Those crispy bits at the bottom of the pan add a ton of flavor!
When it comes to toppings, I like to keep things simple with a warmed corn tortilla, ripe avocado and some re-heated fire-roasted corn. Feel free to add salsa, vegan cheese, pickled or fresh jalapeño slices, or anything else your heart desires.
We hope you give these a try for your next easy weekend brunch!
Ingredients:
2 tbsp oil
1 small onion, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14 oz container firm tofu, drained and patted dry
1 tbsp tamari (low sodium)
½ tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2-3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Taco assembly:
Corn tortillas
Ripe avocado
Fire-roasted corn (we used frozen and heated in another sauté pan until hot)
Salsa
Vegan cheese
Instructions
Heat a medium-sized sauté pan and add oil.
Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, until softened and translucent. Add garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
Crumble tofu directly over the pan, stir well and cook for a minute.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well to coat tofu evenly. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until some of the tofu is browned.
Remove from heat and serve over warmed corn tortillas with avocado, corn, salsa, vegan cheese, etc.