We had something similar to this dish many years ago in a wonderful restaurant in Santa Fe. They were so yummy that I re-created the recipe when we returned home. It's been so long since I've made them that I can't clearly remember the original taste, but I was thinking about how delicious they were and, inspired by the memory, I made them for dinner tonight. The recipe made enough for two very overstuffed (as in hard to pick up but very satisfying) burritos. I think you can probably make more than two. These are really fast and easy to make even though the recipe looks long, and they taste wonderful. They go perfectly with oven sweet potato fries. (1/18/08 post)
Tofu and kale burritos
sauce
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon rice syrup
1 tablespoon fresh or bottled lime juice
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Put the mustard into a glass measuring cup. Add the other ingredients and mix. Add enough water to make about 1/3 cup.
Filling
1/2 (or more) large bunch kale, about 6 leaves
1/4 lb. firm tofu (water packed or vacuum sealed in plastic, not the kind in the box)
1 small peeled carrot
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 or 2 chopped green onions
1 clove minced garlic
1 minced chipote pepper in adobo sauce (save the rest of the can for another recipe)
Strip the kale from the ribs. (Hold the stem in one hand with the leaf's underside facing up and just slide the thumb and finger of your other hand firmly along the rib, taking the leaf off as you go. You should end up with a bunch of bare ribs for the compost.) Put the leaves in a large bowl of water and swish them around to clean. If the water looks dirty, do it again. Shake off the excess water and mound the leaves on a cutting board so you can shread through them with a knife. Move the leaves a bit and slice some more until they are roughly shredded. Now cook the tofu.
Cut the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes and saute with the garlic in a wok or skillet in a small amount of oil until the tofu starts to brown. Add the chipotle and about a tablespoon of sauce and toss and cook a minute longer. Remove tofu from the wok. Add the kale and cover the wok so the kale can steam in the water clinging to it. Turn the heat down a little so it doesn't burn. When the kale is nice and tender but still firm (in other words, don't cook it until it turns to mush - just until you can bite it easily-you want to retain some bulk and mouth appeal) grate the carrot directly into the wok and toss in the corn. Cover for a minute to heat the corn, but the carrot can stay a little crunchy. Add the tofu, the onion and the rest of the sauce and flip it all together.note: I love raw onion but it tends to upset my stomach so I add the green onion to the wok just before the tofu is finished cooking, to take the raw edge off.
Tortillas
I use whole wheat tortillas from Whole Foods or from our co-op. My husband likes to warm them on a nonstick griddle but I do it right on the gas burner. I use a fairly low flame and keep counting to 5 and flipping the tortilla over until it starts to puff and gets some toasty spots. When it's ready, lay it on a plate, pile the filling in, fold in one end and roll it up. Enjoy!
Optionals
sliced black olives
avocado
hot sauce
parsley or cilantro
note: If you want to double the recipe to make 4-6 burritos, use the whole bunch of kale, 1/2 pound of tofu, a large carrot and add enough water to the sauce to make 1/2 cup. Taste to see if it needs more lime juice or other seasoning.
