Tempeh Tacos with a Roasted Poblano Salsa

FROOOOOSTY THE SNOWMAAAAN WAS A JOLLY HAPPY SOUUUUUUUUUUL.

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Well guess what, fah-reshy fresh. We got snow! Don’t ask me how much though because to me it’s all 17 feet. No matter how little or how much, 17 feet. Even the lightest dusting, 17 feet.

“MY CAR IS COVERED IN 17 FEET OF SNOW I’M STUCK HERE FOREVERRRR.”

“Bev, I can wipe those two tiny flakes away with this torn kleenex. You’re fine.”

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I’m the world’s most enormous whopper of a sissy when it comes to snow. I love to watch it fall of course (duh), and I love watching all the hundreds of thousands of birds pop around on the white blanket in our backyard looking for fallen bird seed because my husband hangs no less than 45 bird seed planter thingies in the trees because we’re grandparents, but aside from that? Sissy blimp.

So what today means for me is, in no particular order:

A) Leaving this house? Fat chance.

B) Not getting out of this plush warm robe that I’ve worn and I’m not kidding since Tuesday morning because I can’t get off the couch because Amber was just in a car accident on Parenthood and my whole life is revolved around this don’t judge me.

C) Opening a bottle of wine early? prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrobably so.

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‘Tis the season? Let’s just go with that.

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Oh btw, WITH A CORNCOB PIPE AND A BUTTON NOSE AND TWO EYES MADE OUT OF COOOOOOOAL. Which, I’m sorry, but coal? Ow.

You’re so ready for Christmas to be over so I’ll stop screaming all these obnoxiousities (weird I’m getting a squiggly line) at you.

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So these here tempeh tacos, oh my gosh. Consider these your break from the heavy stuff. The meaty stuff. Which I loooove, but geez Louise, next week we’re all going to gain like 17 feet of pounds (get it?) and then we’re going to be feeling all kinds of blorbalicious. THAT’S when you make these. Or tonight or now. You choose.

Super quick to pull together. And I can’t even describe the roasted poblano salsa to you without bawling. Basically I want to replace the inside of my mouth with it.

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And I think we’re up to 18 feet of snow now, ugh.

Anddddd, the winner of the Desserts In Jars cookbook iiiiiiis (drum roll please): Chelsea @ Chelsea Eats Treats who said, “Hmmmm I suppose the weirdest thing I’ve ever put in a jar is probably insects, like you said. Lady bugs, lightening bugs, butterflies, etc. Possibly a frog too. I was quite the nature kid growing up ;)”

Congrats, Chelsea! Check yo’ inbox. And thanks to everyone for parteeecupatin’!

Okay now the tacos.

Tempeh Tacos with a Roasted Poblano Salsa:

What it took for 8 tacos:

* 2 poblano peppers
* 5 cloves garlic, divided
* 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 cup diced red onion, divided in half
* 2 (8 oz) blocks tempeh, crumbled with your hands
* 3 Tbs. favorite taco seasoning
* 1 cup cilantro, divided in half
* 1 lime
* 16 corn tortillas
* crumbled queso fresco
* 1 avocado, thinly sliced
* coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the poblano peppers and 3 cloves garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Stick it under the broiler and broil until the peppers have charred and are black on all sides. You’ll need to rotate the peppers with tongs. The garlic will cook quicker, so remove it if it’s becoming too charred.

Once the peppers have blackened, place them in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 minutes, until the skin loosens from the peppers. Once it’s loosened, slice the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Pull the skin away from the peppers. Slice the peppers into little strips. Peppers peppers peppers.

Then throw the strips into a food processor, along with the garlic, half the diced onion, half the cilantro, a good spritz of lime juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bliiiiiitz until you get a nice (HOT HOT HOT) salsa.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the remaining onions and sauté until they start to soften, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and bloom 30 seconds. Add the tempeh crumbles, taco seasoning and a pinch of salt. Sauté 3 minutes. Go ahead and toss the rest of the cilantro in. And a couple of big spritzes of lime juice. Taste it. Nooooot kidding.

Heat your tortillas any way you prefer – gas range, oven, microwave, it’s all about what makes you sing.

Double up the tortillas, and top with a good mound of seasoned tempeh. Arrange the sliced avocado on top, and finally spoon a nice amount of the poblano salsa over it all. Oh gosh. And then the crumbled cheese. Another spritz of lime? I think so.

And there ya have it.

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Wait a minute I thought snowmen had CARROTS for noses. Not buttons. What is this b.s.?

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22 Responses to Tempeh Tacos with a Roasted Poblano Salsa

  1. Liz @ The Lemon Bowl December 20, 2012 at 8:47 am #
    Sharing is sexy and so are you. Your ginger is also sexy. In a creepy 95 year old man kind of way. Hi. I want these tacos. And I want to drink wine at 3:46pm with you.
  2. Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar December 20, 2012 at 8:49 am #
    Loving this! I haven't cooked with tempeh, but I need to get on it. Looks awesome!
  3. Brian @ A Thought For Food December 20, 2012 at 8:56 am #
    Oh... is that how the song goes? I just thought it was Frosty the Snowman was a lah lah lah lah lah. Now I know! Yeah, these tacos rock my world.
  4. Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings December 20, 2012 at 8:57 am #
    you're singing all my favorite songs :)
  5. Emily @ Jelly Toast December 20, 2012 at 9:01 am #
    You crack me up! and I totally needed that this morning after being up all night with my sick 3 year old, so I can't thank you enough. Plus, these tacos look rockin'! I have big plans for gaining that 17 feet of pounds, so this is perfect for before or after that happens. Enjoy your snow, and more importantly, your wine!
  6. Averie @ Averie Cooks December 20, 2012 at 9:09 am #
    I love tempeh and this just took it to new levels! And the roasted poblano too!
  7. Julie December 20, 2012 at 9:14 am #
    I love that 17 feet is your go-to. When I was in grad school, my immediate answer anytime anyone asked me "Can I ask you a question?" was 17! Eventually it paid off and I defended my thesis on the 17th ;) Regardless, 17 is the best number to exaggerate to, in my humble opinion. Now I want to eat 17 of those tacos. They look delicious! :)
  8. thelittleloaf December 20, 2012 at 11:24 am #
    Ooh yum, these look really good and the perfect anecdote to all the Christmas food around at the moment - sometimes you need a bit of spice in winter!
  9. Chelsea @ Chelsea Eats Treats December 20, 2012 at 11:47 am #
    Yay so excited for the cookbook!!! Thank you so much :)
  10. Kristen@Slender Kitchen December 20, 2012 at 12:43 pm #
    Yum! This look incredible and I never would have thought of adding the tempeh. Great idea!
  11. a farmer in the dell December 20, 2012 at 1:06 pm #
    These look great! Also, it snowed here yesterday and I did not leave the house all afternoon. And a nice bottle of pinot noir was opened at 4 p.m. I was feeling restless and it was already dark outside. That bottle saved me!
  12. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts December 20, 2012 at 2:43 pm #
    Never had tempeh, but this makes me want to try it! Anything that I can drink wine with :)
  13. Kevin @ Closet Cooking December 20, 2012 at 3:40 pm #
    Another great healthy and tast taco!
  14. Cookie and Kate December 20, 2012 at 9:26 pm #
    I was so excited to see the snow this morning and totally content parking myself at home all day. These tacos look right up my alley. Oh and confession: I've taken many a food photo in my fluffy robe. I really am the laziest.
  15. Megan @ Country Cleaver December 20, 2012 at 10:51 pm #
    Taco kisses for me preeezz!!!
  16. Katie @ Blonde Ambition December 21, 2012 at 7:36 pm #
    I need that roasted green salsa and I need it on everyyythang.
  17. Amber @ Slim Pickin's Kitchen January 4, 2013 at 2:11 pm #
    Ugh. Tempeh...the stuff scares me. I want to try it so badly b/c I'm sure I would like it...but I don't know...(insert expressions and noises cousin Eddie makes when trying not accept Clark's offer of buying little Ruby Sue & Rocky's Christmas presents)...it just looks so strange!
  18. sasha January 14, 2013 at 9:32 pm #
    I made this, used jalapenos instead it was rocking, the husband said he would eat it every day and drank a South Oz Shiraz with them..yum yum

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Vegetarian Meal Plan for the Year - January 9, 2013 [...] 2: Tempeh Tacos with a Roasted Poblano Salsa [...]
  2. The scoop on nutrition » The scoop on tempeh – by guest expert Holly Harris APD - May 23, 2013 [...] does, tempeh can do (…better – without the saturated fat). Authentic down to the roots, these tacos are topped with a roasted poblano salsa. Poblano is a Mexican pepper, although, ancho chillies would be great as a tasty [...]
  3. Tempeh Tacos | Leanna Pelham - January 20, 2014 […] (this is an adaptation of Bev Cooks’ Tempeh Tacos): (makes 6 […]
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