For MoFo, I’m going to be posting different tips every Tuesday about packing a vegan lunch, complete with recipes. And it shall be Lunchbox Tuesday.
My lunch today was a burrito, a cupcake made by my lovely friend Letecia, and coffee. Bonus: VEG secretary Julie in the background chompin’ on a cupcake!
I was so excited to finally be able to use the cupcake holder I found at a cooking store in the Vanity Fair Outlets in Reading! The cupcake recipe was from the new book Are You Sure That’s Vegan? and had a very light, airy texture with a nice, not-too-sweet chocolate taste. Recipe here.
Now onto the burritos: Every vegan I know loves burritos. They can be stuffed with so many things. They can also be conveniently wrapped in foil and thrown in your lunch box! Then, after you’re finished you can fold the foil up, take it back home, and use it again for your next burrito!
You can make all the fillings for your burrito the weekend before, then just put each one together whenever you make up your lunch for the day (I do mine the night before) or make them all up at once, throw them in the freezer and take them out one at a time whenever yer fixin’ for a burrito.
My go-to burrito fillings are brown rice, spinach, guacamole, salsa, and a protein. I usually use refried beans, but I’ve got three fillings for you today: refried beans, smoked tofu, and grilled veggies with black beans.
Refried Beans
I’m not claiming this to be the best recipe, since I’ve never tried any others, but it’s my go-to recipe for refried beans and I’ve adapted it a lot from the original.
2 cans black, pinto, or kidney beans (or any combo thereof), drained and rinsed
1 onion, diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Hot sauce to taste (optional)
veggie broth or water, as needed (about 1/2-1 cup)
Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and pepper and saute for about a minute.
Stir in the spices, adding a few splashes of water if sticking to the pan. Add the beans and then enough water to almost (but not quite) cover them. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, covered, then remove the lid and continue to simmer until the liquid is almost all gone.
Mash with a potato masher or fork. Add hot sauce if using. Enjoy!
Marinated Smoked Tofu
My favorite burrito joint ever, Cali Burrito in Allentown, has a really good smoked tofu burrito. I decided to try making my own smoked tofu the cheating way, with liquid smoke, and this is what I threw together. It turned out quite well. You can also purchase smoked baked tofu from Soyboy, which I must admit ain’t bad either… just more expensive.
2 cups veggie broth or cooking wine
2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos, tamari sauce, or soy sauce
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon paprika (smoked, if you have it, which I didn’t)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
Mix all marinade ingredients in a shallow pan and whisk together with a fork. Cut pressed tofu into about 1” cubes. Marinade for at least an hour and up to overnight, flipping about halfway through.
Preheat oven to 400F.
Place the tofu on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Flip and bake for 10 more minutes. Place under the broiler for 3 minutes for extra chewiness.
Veggies & Beans
You don’t really need a recipe for this. I just sauteed up some onions, red bell pepper, green pepper, black beans, and spices. You can also add hot peppers, zucchini, mushrooms… you name it.
