Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A Very Vegan Addendum: Beer Battered "Fish" Tacos


I got a wonderful surprise on Sunday. I found out that someone actually used something I made on the blog (aside from my mom using it to brag to people). For the next forty-five minutes, I put on a toga and did my special muse dance (It's kind of like the robot but with more sexy hip action.). Fellow scientician and old grad school/ In-N-Out burger comrade Courtney used her special alchemy skills to turn the beer battered fish tacos into a vegany delight thanks to the magic of tofu.

Here is a quick how-to guide to making your very own vegan fish tacos (as spread through the generations by oral history or gchat...)

In essence, it's the same recipe as that featured in the beer battered fish taco post with the following changes:


1. Keep the slaw the same (although obviously this used regular cabbage instead of the super fun purple one. It's ok. We won't fault her for her lack of royal colors.).

2. Replace mayonnaise with vegenaise. Now, veganaise is a little sweeter than normal mayo, so add a pinch or two of salt to counteract this. (Also, it's really bugging me that vegenaise isn't spelled veganaise. You really dropped the ball on this one, rich vegan food entrepreneurs.)

3. Instead of the obviously not vegan fish, use extra firm tofu. Drain it for 30-45 minutes (you can put it between two plates surrounded by paper towels with a canned good on top of the plates). Cut the tofu into large fish sized strips then dip in the beer batter (note: she used Moylans' Irish style red ale, a darker beer, for more flavor) and fry until golden brown (flipping once to get both sides).

According to Courtney, these "fish" tacos were deliriously delicious, and I know she wouldn't lie so I'll just have to drool and feel a sense of longing that I couldn't partake in these. Two things really stood out to me with this incredible meal. First, Courtney isn't actually vegan, so it was great to see her go that extra mile to try something new and have a slightly healthier meal (well as healthy as things fried in beer can be). Also, I was incredibly jealous at how much nicer her pictures turned out compared to my usual ones. But I shouldn't be too shocked at that, since she does have a pretty awesome photography blog.

To round out the meal (because obviously fish tacos aren't enough. I like her style.) She also made my first weekly vegan entry- potato & kale enchiladas with Mexican quinoa (a quick fix from my Mexican millet).

Well done, old friend. If any of you other readers try any of my dishes or make anything super awesome, send me the results.

Now if you'll excuse me, I just have to anxiously await the next time I'm in Los Angeles, so Courtney and I can collaborate on a meal (perhaps she can impart some of her pizza making guru knowledge).

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