Vegan Fish Tacos Protected by Tree and Faculties

I trust you guys enough to let you in on a little secret. I didn’t relocate to Florida because of school or jobs or J-Fur’s education. The real reason I’m here is because I’m part of the Foodie Protection Program (hmm…excellent idea for a television show Food Network). It all happened because, as a troubled teen, I walked into a local tacqueria and asked for a chorizo taco. The whole place went silent. Every eye turned and looked at me. If there was a tumbleweed around, I’m sure it blew behind me. People in my town didn’t do that kind of stuff. There was only one acceptable form of taco and that was beef. Anything else and you were taken out back and “handled” accordingly. Thankfully some FPP agents were able to get to me in time. I was quickly whisked away and hidden.

To this day, I’ve never tasted a chorizo taco. I also never enjoyed a chicken one. I hadn’t even heard of a fish taco until a few years ago. This is all to say that my taco experience is pretty limited. Beef, beans, tempeh, tofu, lentils and seitan about cover it. The other night I was perusing the internet looking for something to do with all the vegan coleslaw I had just made. I came across a recipe for fish tacos. I decided to go with it using Vegetarian Times’ version of fish sticks as the meat (still a tofu taco so I can’t really add another check mark to the taco list I have tattooed on my left calf). I can’t tell you if they are authentic or taste anything like what California intended but I can tell you they were good.

Vegan “Fish” Tacos
(printable version)

For the “Fish”:
-1 block of tofu, sliced into strips
-1/3 cup of bread crumbs
-2 Tbs. corn meal
-1 1/2 Tbs. cajun seasoning
-1/2 tsp. ground chipotle pepper
-1/4 tsp. salt

For the Cole Slaw:
-3/4 head of cabbage, sliced thinly
-1/6 cup white sugar
-1/6 cup vegan mayo
-1/4 cup of rice milk, divided in half
-1/4 Tbs. lemon juice
-1/2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
-3/4 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
-3/4 Tbs. lime juice
-1/4 tsp. onion powder
-1/4 tsp. salt
-freshly ground black pepper

For the Tacos:
-soy Cheddar
-flour tortillas
-oil

1. To make the “fish”: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place tofu in paper towels to dry out. Mix all the other ingredients in a large metal bowl. Dredge the tofu sticks (which I froze and then unfroze for an extra meaty texture) in the bread crumb mixture. Place on a wire rack. Spray with cooking spray. Bake for 35 minutes (or until crispy).

2. To make the cole slaw: In a large bowl place the cabbage. In a measuring cup place 1/8 a cup of rice milk and 1/4 a tablespoon of lemon juice. Allow to sit for five minutes. Pour the rice milk mixture into a small metal bowl along with all the other ingredients. Whisk vigorously until everything is combined. Pour the mixture onto the cabbage and stir with your hands to make sure the sauce is evenly spread out. Pour everything into a food processor (in stages if you have to) and pulse until the cabbage is coarsely chopped. Place in the fridge and allow the cabbage to soak up the sauce for a few hours.

3. To assemble the tacos: Heat oil in a cast iron skillet. Place the flour tortilla and fry on each side until slightly browned. Lay on a plate. Top with soy cheese and fish sticks. Place in a microwave to quickly melt the cheese. Finish the taco off with a pile of cole slaw. Deep sea that “fish” in your throat.

Speaking of California, Tree is an experimental, art, hip-hop band made up of a collection of multimedia artists (think a Bay Area version of the Gorillaz with some harmonica and gameboy thrown in). The band’s new single “Universal” features Ariel Thiermann and is a light-hearted and spirtual call to all people to decide where they fit in the universe. The song is made entirely of real instruments except for one electronic sound which came from a gameboy played through an arpeggiator on a keyboard. The cover art for the single was created by visual artists Zane Prater and Drew Grasso.

With the weekend about to happen and big plans for more tacos and kayak trips I can’t help but feel enamored with “Weekend Warrior” by New York City indie/electronic duo Faculties. Influenced by the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Little Dragon, Thom Yorke and Xiu Xiu (among many others) this song has a real ethereal and airy quality to it. “Weekend Warrior” comes from the band’s EP which was released on German Label Samplefreunde.