Bluewater Pepper Farm

Vegan Taco Night

This vegan taco night recipe is quick and easy to make using my Jerk Chipotle Seasoning. It was inspired by an Epicurious sheet pan recipe for shawarma spiced tofu pita wraps. Beyond the seasoning, I’ve switched it up to make it gluten-free by using corn tortillas. Including the simple fixings, you can have it on the table in 45 minutes with time for a drink while it’s in the oven. I’ve made this a few times, and though we’re not huge tofu fans, this one makes it taste great!

aluminum sheet pan — This sheet pan size, 40 x 28.5cm, is perfect for home cooks

Lately, I’ve been making a lot of sheet pan dinners. The beauty is that everything is baked in a single layer, usually on one pan, minimizing the cleanup. Ideally, select and prepare ingredients that will cook in the same amount of time at the same temperature. You can add quicker cooking ingredients part way through, though it adds a bit more complexity. An aluminum jelly roll pan is perfect, but you can use a rimmed cookie sheet instead, or failing that just use a large baking dish. The heat transfer properties of aluminum make it the best material for your sheet pan, so look for one of them if you don’t already have one.

For this meal, I added some sweet red peppers and mushrooms to the pan. Tossed with a little salt and olive oil, it made a perfect little side for the tacos.

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Jerk Tofu tacos

This recipe combines tofu with my Chipotle Jerk Seasoning for an easy and yummy vegan meal

Course Main Course

Cuisine Vegan

Keyword jerk seasoning, tacos, vegan

Prep Time 20

Total Time 45

Servings 4

Ingredients

1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumber
3 tbsp rice vinegar add a few pinches of salt
1 14 oz block of extra firm tofu drained
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Bluewater Pepper Farm Jerk Chipotle Seasoning
1 tsp salt plus a few pinches for the onion and cucumber quick pickle
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1 clove garlic, finely minced/ grated
12 corn tortillas the original recipe uses 1 pita per person – I'm using tortillas for gluten free
chopped cilantro for serving use parsley, chopped green onion or other garnish if you like

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F
Squeeze tofu over a bowl to get as much water as possible out of it. When you've wrung out as much as you can, tear into 1" chunks and spread out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, then with the Jerk Seasoning and salt.
Roast in the oven, turning once or twice until it starts to get crispy and browned – about 20 to 25 minutes. (I added some sweet red peppers and mushrooms to the pan at the same time for a veggie side. That's the beauty of sheet pan dinners!) You might want to put the pan up close under the broiler for two minutes to really get it crispy – just take the veggies off first.
While the tofu's roasting, make your quick pickle by combining the sliced red onion, cucumber and vinegar in a small bowl. Season with a little salt and set aside.
Next, stir together the yoghurt and garlic in a small bowl and season with a little salt. Set it aside for assembly.
When the tofu is done, heat up the tortillas. I like to wrap them in a damp kitchen towel and put them in the microwave for a minute or so.
Assemble by spreading a spoonful of the garlic yoghurt on each tortilla. Then add a few chunks of roasted tofu and top it off with a bit of the onion and cucumber pickle and the cilantro. (I love these taco holders – they make assembly and serving so easy. You can flip them to hold 2 or 3 tortillas.)

Best Chili con Carne

Making the best chili con carne demands a great chili powder. My Bluewater Pepper Farm Chipotle Chili Powder is just the ticket. I start with whole Mexican chilies, genuine Mexican oregano, ground cumin seeds and my unique Hot Smokey Chipotle made from Huron County grown jalapeños. The chili blend includes ancho, guajillo and cascabel with the chipotle adding spicy smoke flavour. The overall heat level is moderate, but you can always crank it up with more chipotle powder. There’s no preservatives or salt added, and the spice blend is sealed in a convenient zip-lock packet for freshness.

There’s nothing like a big pot of chili for an easy and satisfying weeknight dinner. You can throw it together in about 15 minutes. Serve with corn tortillas and a side of green salad or coleslaw. It makes fantastic left-overs and freezes beautifully, so make a double batch and have some on hand for a quick dinner when you’re short of time.

Make it in your Instant Pot, on the stovetop or in the oven. The recipe is a refresh of my previously published Chili con carne with some tweaks.

You can also be creative with the ingredients. I like cubed beef, but ground beef is just as tasty and a bit less fuss. Choose kidney beans or black beans – I prefer to cook mine from dried beans in the Instant Pot, but you can use a can of drained beans instead. For the tomato base, I use my own canned tomatoes, but once again, a large can of crushed tomatoes is great too. Again, the key ingredient is a nice, authentic chili powder.

Serve with chopped fresh cilanto and corn tortillas. For extra flavour, add a good splash of my Chipotle Madness hot sauce.

Chili con Carne

A quick and versatile recipe for this staple using Bluewater Pepper Farm Chipotle Chili Powder

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Tex-Mex

Keyword chili con carne, chipotle chili powder, chipotle powder

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1

Ingredients

1 tbsp Bluewater Pepper Farm Chipotle Chili powder
1 tsp salt adjust to taste
1 lb ground beef use 1/4" cubed beef instead if you like
1 can red kidney or black beans or cook your own dried beans using an Instant Pot or other pressure cooker
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped
2 tsp cooking oil
1/2 cup frozen corn optional

Instructions

Use a 3 or 4 quart pot – oven proof if you want to finish in the oven. A 3 quart Instant Pot is also great. Go bigger if you're making a larger batch.
Heat the oil on med-high and toss in the diced onion and celery. Cook for about 4 or 5 minutes until softened. (preheat the oven to 300F if you're using that method).
Add the ground beef, Chipotle Chili Powder and salt. Break up the meat and sauté until nicely browned – about another 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, beans (and corn if you like) and bring up to a boil – about another 5 minutes.
At this point, you can either put the pot in the 300 degree oven, turn down to simmer to finish on the stove, or set the Instant Pot to "chili" – all with the lid on.
Cook for about 45-60 minutes until it thickens up a bit. The Instant Pot will beep when done in about 30 minutes.
Taste test and adjust the salt if needed. Sauté a little longer if it's not thick enough.
Garnish with a little chopped cilantro and serve with toasted tortillas (I like to use my gas stove).
For some extra zing and awesome flavour, add some of my Chipotle Madness sauce.

As an added bonus, get $7 off (the price of a packet of Chipotle Chili powder) when you buy $30 or more online. The offer is valid until November 21, 2021. Use coupon code 7bucksoff at the checkout.

Introducing Bluewater

While our permanent home is in Toronto, Bluewater is the location of our cottage where we indulge our gardening hobby and the place where Bluewater Pepper Farm was conceived.

Bluewater, Ontario is a rural municipality on the beautiful eastern shore of Lake Huron, one of the world’s largest lakes. Made up of several small towns, and some of the richest farmland in Canada, it has so much to recommend. Bluewater offers great fresh food in it’s many restaurants and farmers’ markets, wonderful beaches and glorious sunsets for which the town of Bayfield is famous.

While our permanent home is in Toronto, Bluewater is the location of our cottage where we indulge our gardening hobby and the place where Bluewater Pepper Farm was conceived.