Mexican Chorizo

Your taco nights just got 10x better. Traditional Mexican chorizo is typically made with pork meat and is usually super greasy, but this vegan version is meatless and much healthier! Made with tofu and mushrooms, this chorizo is seasoned similarly to the original – plenty of chilis, garlic, paprika, cumin, and other spices – which all get absorbed within the mushrooms and tofu so it's not dripping grease. Use this delicious "beef crumble" mix in your tacos, burritos, or on top of a bed of greens for a taco salad!

MEXICAN CHORIZO [VEGAN]

INGREDIENTS

• 1 12-ounce package of extra firm tofu, drain and cut into 1/3-inch slices
• 8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
• 3 cups water
• 6 dried guajillo chilis, stemmed and seeded
• 4 dried árbol chilis, stemmed and seeded
• 2 dried ancho chilis, stemmed and seeded
• 4 medium garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

PREPARATION

1. Line a large plate with two layers of paper towels. Place the sliced tofu on top, in a single layer and freeze for 20 minutes. Remove and thaw.
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the chilis and let them boil for 10 minutes. Drain the chilis, reserving 1/2 cup water.
3. Transfer the chilis to a blender or food processor. Add the garlic, vinegar, oregano, paprika, cloves, salt, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and 1/4 cup of the reserved soaking water. Pulse to a smooth paste, adding the reserved water by the tablespoon as necessary. Strain and reserved.
4. Transfer the tofu to a food processor and pulse until chopped to the texture of ground meat. Transfer to a medium bowl, add half the chile purée and mix. Reserve.
5. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms start to release their moisture and begin to shrink, 2-3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, stir occasionally, until the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms start to brown, about 8 minutes.
6. Reduce the heat to low and add the other half of the purée. Stir until the mushrooms absorbed the purée. Remove from the skillet.
7. In the same skillet, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat, add the tofu, and sauté until browned around 8 minutes. Remove from the skillet and mix with the mushrooms. Season to taste.

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