![Panko-Encrusted Tofu Tacos
1 Package Water-Packed Tofu, (firm or extra firm) pressed*
1 cup Panko
1 cup All Purpose Flour
½ cup Soymilk (or other preferred non-dairy milk)
Canola or Vegetable Oil, just enough to coat a large skillet
1. Put panko and soymilk into bowls and set the bowls up next to each other.
2. Take pressed tofu and cut into strips.
3. Heat about a tablespoon or so of oil in a large skillet (you’ll need to add more between each batch of fried tofu).
4. Put flour into a Gladware/Tupperware/plastic bag (whatever your preference or what you have handy – you could even mix by hand in a bowl, I prefer a large Gladware with a lid), add tofu strips, close then shake to coat.
5. Take flour-coated strips and dip into soymilk one at a time, then dredge in panko. Add tofu to pan and saute until golden brown, turning to brown all sides. This takes about 5 minutes. I find that I like to do the soymilk/panko/fry step in small batches of 5-7 strips. When tofu is brown, remove from pan and lay out on a paper towel to absorb any extra oil.
I served these with homemade guac and pico on corn tortillas with a little hot sauce and Vegan “sour cream” and a squeeze of lime. I kept this pretty simple, but you could garnish with any favored taco toppings. Everyone loved these, even Oliver! Well, he mostly liked to dip the tofu in the guac and lick it off, but I’ll take it!
[*To press tofu without a tofu press, I will set the tofu on an upside-down plate (so the water runs away from the tofu) in the sink then cover with another upside-down plate topped with my soup pot full of heavy things from my kitchen. I try to press it for 20-30 minutes minimum. There are probably easier/better ways of doing it; I just work with what I have.]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4cndeqMKG1qfu3tco1_1280.png)
Grow Kid Grow
Let’s face it, kids are expensive. They grow like weeds, and are rough on - well everything. :)
In an effort to keep costs down, I use things like Amazon Mom for Subscribe and Save for Diapers and Wipes, but I also like to buy second hand. Sometimes we use Craigslist, but I like consignment shops because I feel like they are more reliable.
In any case, one of my favorite consignment shops in Silverlake is having a Living Social Deal - $20 to Spend on Children’s Clothing for $10. The shop, Grow Kid Grow is pretty awesome, and keeps clothing costs to a minimum.
![Taco Night.
During the last part of my undergrad while living in Minnesota, some friends and I had a bi-weekly taco night. It always felt like a special occasion, but really it was just nice to sit down to dinner with people I loved.
Now, living in California those nights seem so far away, and with my husband working much later than the dinner hour, we seldom eat dinner as a family.
Tonight was one of those rare nights where Oliver (who napped later than normal and) was up during our dinner so we all ate as a family. In honor of this rare family dinner, I made tacos with all the fixings for us and quesadillas for Oliver.
I love these family moments, I want to take a mental snapshot of dinners like tonight when everything feels like a picture perfect family. (Which we are by no means, but sometimes, there are these brief moments that make me feel like we are - sometimes). An awesome way to end the weekend!
[Not pictured: Virgin Margarita. I always find it funny being prego and calling non-alcoholic drinks “virgin.”]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3mwhelNKd1qfu3tco1_1280.png)
