Thursday, November 15, 2012

Pumpkin, Black Bean & Tofu Fajitas + A Giveaway!


Tofu – you either love it or you hate it. I used to be a hater…until I had tofu prepared, seasoned and served appropriately.

Now that I’m a vegetarian, liking tofu makes creating meals that much easier. Tofu is such a versatile food, and I’ve become increasingly educated on ways to prepare (and enjoy) it.

So, when Nasoya asked me if I’d like to try some of their more “unique” tofu products (and to give one of you some in return), I happily obliged.

Nasoya offers a wide variety of vegetarian-friendly products, but I was most impressed with their tofu offerings. They offer a decent selection of Organic and Natural Tofu, as well as their TofuPlus. Since I had never seen, let alone tried, Black Soybean tofu before, I decided to try Nasoya’s TofuPlus creation, which is a good source of calcium and protein, and is rich in antioxidants. And since we had leftover canned pumpkin in the fridge, I decided to use the tofu in these seasonal fajitas.

Nasoya's Black Soybean TofuPlus.

Pumpkin, Black Bean & Tofu Fajitas
Yields: About 6 fajitas

-1 package Nasoya Black Soybean TofuPlus (Organic Firm), drained and cut into strips
-1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
-Cumin powder
-Chili powder
-Pinch of cayenne
-Dried thyme
-Salt and black pepper
-2 tbsp. olive oil
-1/2 yellow onion, sliced
-1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
-1/8 cup fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
-1/2 lime (cut the other half into wedges and use as garnishes)
-6 fajita tortillas
-Other garnishes (optional): Shredded cheddar cheese, sliced avocado, and chipotle salsa

Directions:
1.) In a large Tupperware container, mix pumpkin with cumin, chili powder, cayenne, thyme, salt and pepper. Add tofu, and stir carefully. Place lid on Tupperware, and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes, so that the tofu soaks up all of the flavors.
2.) Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, and let cook until translucent and slightly caramelized, about 7-8 minutes (I also added a little sugar to my pan to help the caramelization process). Lower heat if onions begin to brown.
3.) Place onions on a plate; in the same pan used to cook the onions, add marinated tofu strips (feel free to add more olive oil if necessary). Cook tofu on medium heat, and allow all sides of the tofu to turn a light golden brown (about 5-6 minutes total). Add beans, stir, and turn heat to low; let cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4.) Taste bean and tofu mixture for seasoning; adjust as necessary. Add onions, cilantro, and juice from 1/2 the lime. Stir, and remove from heat.
5.) In a microwave, warm the tortillas. Pile each tortilla with about 1/4-1/2 cup of the tofu filling. Garnish with cheese, avocado, salsa, cilantro and one lime wedge.


After eating this meal, Z said – and I quote – “this was the best meal I’ve had in a long time.” And it was healthy to boot!

Neither of us noticed a difference in taste with the Black Soybean tofu vs. regular tofu, but it was nice to know we were eating tofu that was even better for us. Taken right from Nasoya’s website:

Nasoya Organic Black Soybean TofuPlus uses black soybeans, traditionally used in Chinese medicine because of its healing benefits. It's rich in antioxidants, fortified with Vitamin E and Calcium and has 8g of protein.

I found this Nasoya product at Whole Foods (they seemed to have the best selection), but click here to see where you can pick-up Nasoya products near you.

Or, would you rather try out Nasoya's products for free? I have two coupons for two FREE Nasoya products for one lucky EE reader to win! Just comment on this post letting me know what your favorite way to prepare tofu is (baked? fried? pureed into a smoothie?). For an extra entry, tweet "I want to #win free tofu from @MichellePC and @Nasoya!" and leave a separate comment saying you did so. I'll pick and announce a winner on Tuesday, November 20th.

Good luck!

15 comments:

  1. My favorite way to prepare tofu is a "tofu scramble" with veggies for breakfast or Asian style in a stir fry. Simple, healthy and delicious!

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  2. My favorite way to make tofu is as "tofu scramble."

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  3. I just tweeted about your giveaway!

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  4. roasted or as is in a simple sauce... YUM! (my absolute FAVE!)

    m8usi at yahoo dot com

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  5. tweeted:
    https://twitter.com/cappytweet/status/269098954950594560

    m8usi at yahoo dot com

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  6. I like my tofu simple. The simplest way is to steam it a while then topped with chopped garlic and soy sauce.

    zelda007 (at) rocketmail dot com

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  7. I love tofu "pudding" and tofu stirfry!

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  8. I loved the tofu in the hot and sour soup I made recently. Since it sat in the soup for a long time, it really took on the flavors!

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  9. I've recently been mixing small cubes of tofu with buffalo sauce (a local bran from Whole Foods) and putting them in a wrap with lettuce, ranch dressing, and croutons. It really satisfies my cravings for buffalo chicken :)

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  10. Mmm...that sounds so good!!! My favorite way to use tofu is to actually bake it, but not before smothering it in bbq sauce. Bone suckin' good Sauce to be exact. If you haven't tried it, I highly suggest you do! It's so tasty and does not have any crazy ingredients.

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