Recipe Review - Nemo's No-Fish Tofu Tacos

Yep, we've gone Disney again.

After months of asking, I finally broke down and agreed to make the Nemo's No-Fish Tofu Tacos recipe from Dishes Inspired by Disney.

I always have panko on hand (for AB mac-and-cheese, among other things) and, of course, I had olive oil and garlic in the pantry, so the only ingredients we needed to purchase were tofu, cilantro, Asian slaw, tortillas, and limes. All of these are fairly inexpensive where we live, so even if the kid didn't eat one, we wouldn't have blown the grocery budget on the meal.

Recipe Review

Ease of Preparation

Easy. 

Even pressing the tofu was easy (you need to press the water out of it for the slabs to take up your marinade) because I've had several years to consider the best way to press tofu.

If my sister ate tofu, she'd be able to make this dish with no difficulty.

Specialty Equipment Required?

Yes and no. 

The recipe notes that one may use small cookie cutters to cut fish shapes out of the pressed tofu slabs - so they're no-fish fish shapes. Because this is fun, and small tin cookie cutters are relatively inexpensive, we bought two small whale-shaped cutters for $2.

Aww, they're so cute!

If you cannot get cookie cutters, you'd be fine marinating the slabs of tofu as-is, and then cutting them into smaller pieces before pressing them into the panko.

Did my husband and daughter enjoy it?

I already know my husband has given tofu several tries and he simply can't get past the texture. That's OK; more for me.

The kid, on the other hand, found the side of Star Wars shaped macaroni more appealing. But, she did ask to eat no-fish tacos this morning, so maybe there's hope.

Regular Rotation-Worthy?

I don't think so. It's not a lot of work to put in for just me, but I prefer not to have to make multiple dishes for a single meal.

It's not a fail, but not a win either.

Tasty, though!

Dinnertime. Yum!

Recipe Trial - Black Bean Enchiladas

It's Lent and, although I'm not observant, I still feel weird eating meat on Fridays in Lent. (Eighteen years of consistency is a hard habit to break.)

So, I decided we'd try a new vegetarian recipe to see if we could add it to the regular rotation.

The munchkin and I were already out & about, so I whipped out my smartphone to consult my Wegmans app for vegetarian recipes ... and to automatically generate a shopping list from the ingredients list.

I took a peek at the Black Bean Enchiladas and decided they were worth a shot.

Fortunately, I only had to pick up a few things because I've already got garlic (whole heads of garlic, but I don't mind peeling it), olive oil, cumin, chili powder, and AP flour in the pantry. 

Shopping List

• 1 16-oz container "Caribbean Black Bean Soup" (if you're not near a Wegmans, they do have a recipe to scratch-make it)
• 1 16-oz package shredded "Mexican blend" cheese (combination of Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, and queso quesadilla cheeses)
• 1 8-oz package shredded "Mexican blend" cheese
• 1 15.5-oz can tomato sauce (store brand is fine)
• 2 15.5-oz cans black beans (again, store brand is fine)
• 1 jar Better Than Boullion brand vegetable base (yes, I know the recipe called for "no-chicken" but my store didn't have any, so I got the vegetable kind)
• 2 10-oz pkgs stone-ground corn tortillas

Recipe Review

Ease of Preparation: 

I think that this recipe is one of the more complicated new recipes I've tried, even when compared to the Ted Allen Belgian Beef Stew I took on for week 1.

I had a sinkful of dirty dishes when I was finished the pre-oven steps, and there were a lot of complicated steps to get there - this involved making a roux (not a problem, as I've done this before - it's a major component of AB Mac & Cheese), ensuring my mise en place were fully "en place" before I started cooking, and grabbing the appropriate blending tools before I could move to the next step.

So, no, it's not easy, but my sister would never try it - it's got too much "spice" for her palate. 

Specialty equipment required?

I needed two 9" by 13" casserole pans (which I do not have, but I do have a 9x13 Pyrex baking dish ... and an oval ceramic baking dish roughly the same size), a "stockpot" (I used a 3-qt saucepan), a large mixing bowl, a non-stick skillet, and a plate (I used a Pyrex pie dish; this, I think, was a stroke of genius.)

It can be a bit of a hassle to get all this stuff out for a single recipe, but it's not as complicated as getting my mini-prep food processor or coffee grinder, which are stored above my fridge. 

Did my husband and daughter enjoy it?

While the kid wouldn't touch it, the husband did.

He likes the flavors, but gave his typical comment to vegetarian dishes I prepare - "it's missing something." 

*sigh* He's a carnivore, no matter how much I try.

Regular rotation-worthy?

Nope.

It's too much work to prepare a dish like this and be the only one happy to eat it.

RECIPE FAIL.