Wow!!  Just wow!!  This recipe will be changing so much in my kitchen!  I would never have imagined that I’d be making my own tofu, but chickpea tofu is incredibly easy to make, incredibly healthy, and truly and incredibly delicious!  My whole family loves tofu and while I do not give any validity to the rumor mill regarding the alleged health risks of soy (please click here for information about the soy myth), I do believe in everything in moderation.  So when I came across this recipe, I couldn’t wait to try it, and it exceeded all of my expectations!

The basic recipe is all over the internet so I can’t tell where it originated.  Therefore, sadly, I can’t give proper credit.  I will say, however, that I am very grateful to whomever created this dish!

Most recipes online say that chickpea tofu is not good stir-fried or sautéed like soy tofu, but I have not found this to be the case.  It does have a different texture than soy tofu, sort of like a cross between soy tofu and polenta, but so far, for me, it has worked well in every recipe I have used it in.  I have not tried grilling it yet, but don’t see why that wouldn’t be great as well.

So – here is the recipe, followed by my two favorite ways to prepare it.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

• 2 c chickpea flour
• 2 t salt
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 5 3/4 c water, divided

Lightly grease a 9×13” pan.

Combine chickpea flour, 2 cups of water, salt and turmeric in a large bowl.  Whisk until smooth.

In a large pan, bring 3 3/4 c of water to a boil.  Once boiling, decrease heat to medium high.  Give the chickpea mix another stir in case it has separated a bit, and then, while stirring the water with a wooden spoon, slowly add it to the simmering water.  (The wooden spoon is important because it will start to splatter without it so be careful.)  Decrease heat again to medium low and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour into prepared pan.  Cool to room temperature (if you don’t cool it to room temp first, it won’t get very firm) and then place in fridge for at least one hour.  The longer it sits in the fridge, the more water will come out, making it firmer.

Will keep in fridge for 5-7 days.

Chickpea tofu is perfect for mock egg salad.  The texture is so close to what I remember egg salad being and I actually prefer it to soy tofu in this dish.

Just cut pieces of the tofu from the dish – however much you would like to use, and mash with a fork until it’s the consistency of egg salad.  Don’t make it too smooth – there should be some larger pieces.  Next, add whatever ingredients you like.  You can’t go wrong.  I like to add a bit of vegannaise, chopped onion, chopped celery, 1/8 t turmeric, salt and pepper for the basic dish.  But you can get creative and add capers, pickles, olives, baco bits, sun dried tomatoes (maybe not all together)…  You will be astounded how much like egg salad it is!

My second favorite way to enjoy chickpea tofu is sautéed in a 3 ingredient sauce.  How easy is that?  And there is no oil in this recipe at all!

The recipe is for one serving – so make sure to adjust it depending on how many people you would like to serve.

Cut a piece of tofu from the pan that measures approximately 1.5″ x 3″.

In a small bowl, combine 1 T soy sauce, 1 T maple syrup and 1/8 t garlic powder.

Heat a pan over medium high heat.  Add the tofu and you should hear it sizzle.  After 1 minute, pour the sauce in the pan with the tofu.  Let cook for 1 minute, then flip the tofu over and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side, just to heat through.  The sauce will be very bubbly and will begin to evaporate.  Make sure that it doesn’t burn.  If it starts to burn, or evaporates to almost nothing, just lower the heat.

Who needs popcorn shrimp or popcorn chicken?  This popcorn tofu is so delicious it instantly became a new family favorite!  It’s hard to understand why anyone would  need to eat any other kind, especially since this is not only amazingly yummy, but also cruelty-free!  It just shows how vegans can eat better, healthier versions of just about everything non-vegans eat!

• 1 14 oz package extra firm tofu, drained
• 3 T safflower oil
• 4 T ener-G egg replacer
• 1/2 cup + 4 T water
• 2 t vegan stock powder, such as vegebase
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 t dried thyme
• 2 t onion powder
• 2 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1 t dried oregano
• 2 T agave
• 2 T dijon mustard
• 1 t chopped fresh mint

A baby watermelon works perfectly to press tofu!

Cut tofu in half widthwise and then into 12 cubes, so you have 24 cubes total.

Combine the egg replacer, water, vegebase and soy sauce in a bowl.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, yeast, thyme, onion powder, salt, pepper, and oregano in another bowl.

Dip the tofu cubes one at a time into the “egg” mixture and then into the flour mixture, and repeat so each piece is dipped into both twice.

Heat 2 T of the oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat and when hot, add the tofu.  Cook about 4 minutes per side, until golden.  You may need to add the remaining T of oil when you flip the tofu.

Drain on paper towel and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

For the sauce, combine the agave, mustard and mint.

Serves 4-6

Lately I have been receiving comments from people telling me that they cannot go vegan because it is too expensive.  I have a hard time understanding this and I hope to explain in this post why that it is simply untrue.  However, even if it were more costly (which it is not), the health benefits would surely outweigh any additional expense.  Being on a whole-foods plant-based diet would greatly reduce the amount of money people spend on their medical care.  For example, it would eliminate most of the medicines people take every day for their blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and many other diseases.  It would also eliminate all of the money so many people spend on weight loss products and plans.  I just don’t see how anyone can find that beans, lentils, and whole grains are more expensive than the processed animal products they are currently eating.

So my recipe for today is polenta.  Polenta is made from cornmeal, which is a gluten-free whole grain that is a good source of niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folate and vitamins B-6, E and K.   A 100 gram serving of cornmeal contains 18 amino acids and valuable minerals such as iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium. It also offers approximately 3 grams of protein per serving.  Make sure the cornmeal you use is whole and not degermed. Degermed cornmeal loses important nutrients once it is milled, because milling takes away nutritious parts of the grain.

Not only is polenta healthy, but it is also very easy to make.  You can simply cook it with some water and once it’s creamy, it is ready.  Or,  you can then bake it, as in this recipe, or chill it in the fridge into firm pieces that can then be grilled or topped with just about anything.  I love to serve it creamy topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions with a few drops of truffle oil on top and then I put the leftovers in the fridge to firm up so I can enjoy it a whole new way the next day.

The taste of polenta is really delicious!  I loved eating it in Italy, where the preferred method is the creamy polenta.  In Tuscany, I had the most amazing polenta dishes.  One was topped with the freshest and yummiest garlic, olives and tomatoes, and another was a tribute to all that is green, with chopped spinach, basil and arugula.  Just thinking about them makes me hungry!

As for the cost of polenta, this recipe uses 1 1/2 cups of cornmeal.  I use Bob’s Red Mill organic, nonGMO cornmeal which costs approximately $3.00 for a 24 oz bag.  So the cornmeal in this recipe, which serves at least 6 people, costs a mere $1.50, or 25 cents per person.  And that is for organic, nonGMO cornmeal.  Wow!!

I hope all those who think they cannot afford to go vegan will go buy a bag of cornmeal and check it out!

A note regarding oil.  I have omitted oil in the cooking of this recipe (aside from the small amount of truffle oil added for taste).  I have found that using vegetable stock or broth when sauteeing vegetables works wonderfully and no oil is needed.

And a note regarding GMOs – if you are not aware of the dangers of GMOs, please do some research.  Once you do, you will understand why it is so important to avoid using them.  I mention this here since corn is one of the top three GMO crops in the USA (along with soy and cotton), so be a smart consumer and protect yourself!!

• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 9 T vegetable stock, divided
• 4 c spinach or baby kale
• 1/2 T braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped (I used shitake and cremini, but any variety will be great)
• 2 pinches salt
• 1/2 t truffle oil
• 4 c water
• 1 1/2 c corn meal
• 3/4 t salt
• 1/2 t onion powder

For the creamy topping:

• 3/4 c raw cashews, soaked in water overnight unless you have a powerful blender like a vitamix
• 1/2 c minus 1 T water
• 1/2 c reserved onions
• 2 t truffle oil
• 1 T nutritional yeast
• 1 T miso paste
• 1/4 t salt

Preheat oven to 350.

In a medium pan, sautee the garlic in 3 T vegetable stock over medium high heat, until the liquid evaporates and then add another 3 T stock and the spinach or kale and cook until wilted.  Remove from heat and stir in braggs.  Put into a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, now cook the onion in 3 T stock over medium high heat until translucent.  Remove 1/2 c of the onions and reserve.  Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until they are soft, about 5 minutes longer.  Remove from heat.  Drain.  Stir in 2 pinches of salt and 1/2 t truffle oil.  Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring 4 c water and cornmeal to a boil.  Lower heat to medium high and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until it thickens and stands on its own away from the edges of the pan.  Stir in the salt and onion powder.

For the creamy topping – place all ingredients in a blender and blend until creamy.

Spread half of the polenta mixture into a 9”x7”x2.5” pan.  Top with the spinach mixture.  Spread the remaining polenta on top.  Top with the mushroom mixture.  Pour the cream sauce over the mushroom mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing.

Makes 6 large servings