Today’s recipe is all about comfort food. Now I know it’s tempting to think of clean eating as salads, salads and more salads (which, I love. don’t judge) sometimes we need something a bit more substantial to get us through our daily routine.
To help out with that, I’ve taken a bit of inspiration from one of my favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican places and made sopes! For those of you who haven’t heard of them, think tostada with a softer “na’an-like” base. They’re good. And what makes these special is the slew of topping choices ranging from spicy to cool and creamy and just about everything in between. 
As you can see, these are best served buffet style so everyone can assemble their sope however they wish. I like mine with a thin spread spicy chili sauce, topped with the mushroom and tofu sauteé, followed by a dose of salsa verde, green cabbage and a touch of fresh lime. Perfection, friends. Now, the key to making an awesome sope is by going heavy on the sauces. 
Basically forget any hopes of emerging from this meal with sauce-free hands, because they will get dirty, and you will love it. Now before I get into the actual making of this delicious meal, I have a confession. 
The sope tortilla pictured in these photos wasn’t my favorite. In fact, I’ve made these guys a few times in the past few weeks and have come to the executive decision that I liked my first version best. SO. I am sharing the recipe for that instead of the corn cake looking thing pictured below. Honestly, making a “healthy” corn sope is pretty difficult. So instead I’ve got a whole-wheat version that will knock your socks off.
First up, let’s talk about the sauces (because there are three). There is the chili infused “crema”, the plain cashew “crema”, and the tomatillo and avocado salsa. The chili crema gives a nice kick against the bread and the tomatillo salsa a touch of brightness, and the cashew cream helps bring it all together. Now I’m not gonna lie, these sauces take a bit of prep work. But most of it is just waiting so you aren’t tied to the kitchen all day. 
And in the end you are left with something so deliciously complex your friends will never believe you when you say it’s vegan, gluten-free AND 100% clean eating approved. That’s what I call a trifecta.
- Sope:
- 2¾ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbs. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- Mushroom And Tofu Sauteé
- 3 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 package of extra firm tofu
- ½ yellow onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 tbs. earth balance butter
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. paprika
- Chili Crema
- 2 ancho chilis
- 2 chili de arbol
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- ½ cup almond milk
- Cashew Crema
- 2 cups cashews (soaked for two hours)
- 2 cups almond milk
- 1 tsp. salt
- Avocado and Tomatillo Salsa
- ½ avocado
- 6 tomatillos
- 1 tsp. salt
- the juice of one lime
- In two small containers, begin soaking the chilis and the cashews for about two hours.
- Sope
- In the mean time add the whole wheat flour, baking soda, garlic powder, chili powder, and salt to a medium-sized bowl and whisk together. Add the milk and integrate with your hands until the mixture forms a ball.
- To make the sope, simply separate into about 5 balls and roll out until they are about ¼ of an inch in thickness (I laid the dough on a sheet of parchment paper then sprinkled with flour to prevent sticking).
- Once they are all rolled out, Head on a medium-sized pan until both sides are golden brown. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized pan, add the thinly sliced the onion and the earth balance and sautée until golden brown.
- Drain the tofu and place between two paper towels and lay a cutting board and a few heavy books on top to remove any excess water. (15 min)
- Cashew Crema
- While the onions are cooking, add the ingredients for the cashew cream into a food processor (or blender) and blend until completely smooth. Transfer to a small container and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Chili Crema
- To make the chili crema, simply add all of the ingredients to the same food processor (I didn't even rinse mine out) and blend until smooth. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Tomatillo Avocado Salsa
- To a large pot of boiling water, add the tomatillos and boil until they turn a dark shade of green.
- Remove from the water and place into the food processor. Blend along with the avocado, salt and lime. Transfer to a bowl and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
- To the sautéed onions, add the spices, tofu and the mushrooms (along with a few tbs of water) and cook until the mushrooms are soft and tender.
- To serve, simply compose your sope as you see fit! I recommend using lots of sauces!
