Last night I made grilled tofu that was marinated in a citrus marinade, baked potato and salad. Since I didn’t want to waste the leftover marinade, I thickened it up and made it into a sauce to go on top of the tofu.
Ingredients
1 lb extra firm tofu
1 ruby red grapefruit
1 lemon
1 11oz can whole mandarin oranges
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried rosemary (fresh would probably be better, but I didn’t have any)
Directions
Take the tofu out of the packaging and wrap it in a clean tea towel. Place it on a large plate and put another large plate on top of the tofu. Weigh down with a heavy can and let it stand for 30 – 60 mins.
Juice the grapefruit and the lemon and pour the juice into a medium bowl. Discard the pulp and skin. Pour the juice from the mandarin oranges into the bowl, along with the maple syrup, olive oil, soy sauce, and rosemary. Whisk everything together, gently stir in the mandarin oranges.
Once the tofu has been pressed, remove it from the tea towel and cut into 1/2″ thick slices. You should get about 8-9 slices from a block of tofu. Place the sliced tofu in a single layer in a sealable container. Pour the marinade over the tofu, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. The longer you leave it the more the marinade will soak into the tofu.
Remove the tofu from the marinade, and set the marinade aside to make the sauce. Grill the tofu on medium heat, for about 2-3 minutes per side, until you see grill marks and the tofu is heated through.
To make the sauce, pour the marinade into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Spoon out a few tablespoons of liquid from the pan and put into a bowl. Whisk one tablespoon of flour into the liquid. Turn the heat down and slowly whisk the flour mixture into the pan. Continue whisking until the sauce starts to thicken, 1-2 minutes. Let it simmer on low until you are ready to serve it over the tofu.
This is my favorite way to make chick’n salad. It’s great in a pita or just on it’s own. I used Gardein Chick’n Scallopini, but feel free to use whatever your favorite brand is.
Ingredients
1 pkg Gardein Chick’n Scallopini – cooked, cooled and diced (made about 2 cups)
1 small apple – diced
1 cup red grapes – quartered
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise (I use Vegenaise)
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
I made an apple pie a couple of weekends ago and had some left over dough, so I froze it. I took it out yesterday morning and let it thaw and used it as the crust for this quiche. The recipe below uses canned asparagus, but since I had a bunch of fresh asparagus I used that instead. I did everything the same, I just chopped the asparagus into small pieces and mixed that in instead of the canned. I also used all cheddar cheese cause that’s all I had. It was so tasty, but I have to admit it tasted even better for lunch today
Ingredients
Crust
2 1⁄2 cups all purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon vinegar
The equivalent of 2 eggs using egg replacer powder
Filling
1 can asparagus pieces, drained
1 onion chopped
2-3 cloves crushed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound firm tofu
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon black salt
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded vegan cheddar cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
To make the crust, mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut the shortening in with a pastry cutter until it is crumbly and resembles rolled oats.
In a measuring cup, combine the egg replacer mixture, vinegar and enough water to equal 1⁄2 cup of liquid. Gradually stir mixture into flour. Add enough to make the dough cling together. Add more water if it is not clinging. Roll dough out to desired thickness, then lift up and place in a 9” x 2” high fluted, removable bottom, tart pan. Press the dough into the pan and up the sides making sure the entire dish is covered. Trim off any excess dough and set aside.
In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 7-8 minutes until they are soft and starting to brown. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Put the tofu, nutritional yeast, turmeric, black salt, dijon mustard, cornstarch and soy milk in a food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth and there are no big chunks of tofu. Pour the mixture into a bowl, add the cheeses, onions, garlic, asparagus and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.
Place the filling in the shell and bake for about 60-75 minutes. The crust should be golden brown and the top should feel firm and will be brown. Allow quiche to cool for 10 minutes before removing the ring.
Beef stroganoff was always one of my favorite things to make before I became vegan. Since becoming vegan I have veganized several beef stroganoff recipes, but the one I made last night is by far my favorite. Usually it’s served on egg noodles, but since those aren’t vegan I put it on top of penne pasta and served it with some steamed asparagus.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb vegan beef substitute – I used Gardein Beefless Tips
1 tablespoon vegan margarine
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup sherry
1/2 vegan beef bouillon cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water
2 tablespoons flour
3-4 tablespoons water
1 cup vegan sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons dried parsley Directions
Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, add the oil and cook the veggie beef according the package instructions. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Melt the margarine in the pan and add the onions and garlic. Cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Mix in the mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the sherry and the bouillon and bring to a boil.
Whisk the flour and water together in a small bowl, until smooth. Reduce the heat to low and slowly add the flour mixture to the pan, stirring constantly. Keep stirring till the sauce is thick and smooth. Add the veggie beef back to pan and mix in the sour cream, salt and pepper and parsley. Keep stirring till everything is nicely mixed together. Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes and then remove from the heat.
Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan. Melt margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and saute for 5 minutes. Add the barley, thyme, bay leaf and 2 cups of the hot broth. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low, and simmer until most of the broth is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Pour in remaining broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring and allowing it to become absorbed before adding more. This process takes about 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute mushrooms in the hot oil until tender. Add garlic, and cook for about 3 more minutes. Stir in the barley mixture and parsley. Remove bay leaf, and serve.
