Tex-Mex Tofu Fajitas

Grilling vegetables is a rite of summertime .  I love how heat transforms crisp, colorful peppers, onions, and squash into caramelized, tender morsels. They become the multi-hued canvas for these fajitas featuring tofu flavored with a magical marinade.  Tofu fajitas are a fun way to bring more vegetables to the table with a south of the Border spin.

Preparing the Tofu

I adapted this recipe from Dana Jacobi‘s cookbook Amazing Soy.  She begins  with a marinade that includes a couple of unusual ingredients for a Tex-Mex dish—pineapple juice and soy sauce. Familiar flavors like garlic, cumin, and lime juice add other dimensions.  Since tofu takes on the flavors of what it is cooked in, I doubled the garlic and added a sliced Fresno chile for some heat.

The first step in making the marinade is boiling the pineapple juice, intensifying the flavors.  Then off-heat, the other ingredients go in, creating a mixture that combines salt, heat, acid, and fat.  The tofu soaks up a lot of flavor before being lifted out of the marinade.

On to the vegetables

While Jacobi called for one green pepper and one-half Spanish onion in her recipe, I changed things up to have multicolored peppers, more onion, zucchini, and a bit of jalapeño.

After the tofu marinates, the next step is to grill the vegetables. Using my grill pan indoors, I chose to cook the onions, zucchini, and peppers in stages so that each could attain its proper level of doneness. I created a seasoning of salt, cumin, black pepper, and ancho chile powder to flavor the vegetable components as they grilled.

At the point that each vegetable group finished, I placed them in a large bowl to rest. The tofu went into the pan last, taking on great grill marks from the fond left behind by the vegetables.

Summer is perfect time to try this version of fajitas, as the vegetables are plentiful.  You can opt to cook inside as I did or make the fajitas on an outside grill using a slotted pan or wok.  The order would remain the same, but that smoky flavor from the barbecue will only make them better.

Served with flour or corn tortillas, some lime wedges, and a bit of cilantro, these tofu fajitas make a great meal to welcome summer.

Tex-Mex Tofu Fajitas

Dawn Dobie

Grilled peppers, onions, and zucchini accent seasoned tofu for a colorful, vegetarian take on this Tex-Mex favorite.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

For the tofu:

• 16 ounces extra firm tofu drained and cut into 3 X 1/2-inch X 1/2-inch batons
• 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 Fresno chile sliced thinly
• 1 lime --juiced
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or other vegetable oil that can withstand high temps)

For the vegetables:

• 1 red onion sliced in 1/4-inch crescents
• 1 zucchini cut in 3 X 1/4 X 1/4-inch sticks
• 2 colored bell peppers seeded and sliced in 1/4-inch strips
• 1 jalapeño seeded, chopped in small pieces
• 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil divided---see below

Seasoned salt:

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ancho chile powder (or more to taste)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)

Serve with:

• lime wedges
• cilantro leaves
• prepared salsa

Instructions

 

For the tofu:

• Boil the pineapple juice in a large nonstick or nonreactive skillet until it is reduced by one third (2/3 cup remains in skillet). Remove from heat and add soy sauce, garlic, cumin, sliced chile, lime juice, black pepper, and grapeseed oil. Stir to combine.
• Slide the tofu batons into the marinade and bring contents of skillet to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow to sit for one hour, turning the tofu sticks occasionally so that all sides soak in flavor.
• Using a slotted spatula, remove the tofu from the marinade. Set aside in bowl.

For the vegetables:

• Put ingredients for seasoned salt together and set aside.
• Take out two large bowls: one for tossing vegetables with oil and another to place cooked vegetables in.
• Heat grill pan over medium high heat. Toss the sliced onion with 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in large bowl. Add the onions to the grill plan and cook, tossing with tongs for about five minutes. Meanwhile, toss the zucchini sticks with 2 teaspoons of oil. Add to onions and season mixture with 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt. Cook, tossing occasionally, for about five minutes. Remove onions and zucchini to clean large bowl. Return grill pan to heat.
• Meanwhile, toss sliced peppers and jalapeño with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in large bowl. Add to grill pan and season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt. Cook for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally. Place in same bowl as onions and zucchini.
• Brush grill pan with remaining oil, coating surface evenly. Lay tofu batons down crosswise on grill ridges. Cook for two minutes, then quickly turn to cook opposite side for about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer tofu sticks to bowl of grilled vegetables and mix together lightly, using tongs.
• Arrange fajita mixture on large platter, garnishing with lime wedges and cilantro.
• Serve with flour or corn tortillas and salsa.

Notes

Once removed from the marinade, the tofu can be covered and refrigerated for up to two days.  Return to room temperature before grilling.

If cooking inside, you may want to use the hood vent when you add the Ancho chile powder and jalapeños to the grill pan.

Adapted from a recipe in Amazing Soy by Dana Jacobi.