Garlic Ginger Tofu Cakes

I get frustrated when people poke fun at tofu.  It really is a wonderful protein source and so easy to cook with.  I do, however, always make sure to buy organic and non-GMO tofu.  It is so healthy, especially the new, sprouted varieties like Nasoya’s, which contain sprouted soybeans that allow even more absorption of nutrients, and are even easier to digest.  It is also a good source of vitamin K and calcium, as well as protein.  Tofu, aside from being so nutritious, is also simple to make taste delicious!  Before becoming vegan, I used to have a recipe for Asian Tofu cakes that was a great, quick dinner, but it contained egg whites and lots of butter.  Here I have veganized that recipe and spiced it up a bit and I hope you enjoy it!

• 1 16 oz package extra firm tofu, drained
• 4 T flour
• 2 T soy sauce
• 2 T potato starch
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/2 t Chinese five spice powder
• 1/4 t turmeric
• 1 t ginger powder
• 2 T scallions, chopped and a bit extra for garnish
• 2 t canola oil
• 2 t sesame oil
• toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Sauce

• 3 T soy sauce
• 1/2 t sesame oil
• 1/2 t rice vinegar
• 1/4 t garlic powder
• 1/4 t ginger powder

In a large bowl, mash the tofu with a fork.  Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well.  Divide into 8 small cakes.  Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat.  Brown the cakes for about 3 minutes per side.  Garnish with sesame seeds and scallions.

Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl and serve alongside the tofu cakes.

Serves 4

Garlic Ginger Tofu Cakes, lima beans and rice

Tempeh Marsala

I love to cook and don’t mind spending the time it usually takes to make delicious, healthy and cruelty-free meals for family.  However, there are times when I need to make something quickly, yet I don’t want to sacrifice flavor or nutrition.  So last night, one of those nights when I had too many things I needed to do, and not enough time to do them, I gathered a few ingredients together and made this dish in about half an hour.  It was really great and certainly didn’t taste like I took any shortcuts at all!  The simplicity of this recipe allows for the taste of the tempeh, mushrooms and marsala to come shining through, and I was able to feed my family and get out of the kitchen in no time at all!  I know a lot of recipes call for steaming the tempeh first, to get rid of any bitterness, but there really is no bitterness in this recipe at all – I promise!!  Slicing the tempeh in half to thin it really allowed it to soak up all the yummy flavors and even my kids, who are most definitely not huge fans of mushrooms, went back for seconds!  To me, that is a successful meal!!  

• 3 (8 oz) packages tempeh
• 3 T “butter” (I use earth balance)
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 lb chopped button mushrooms
• 1 c marsala wine, divided
• 1 T arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 T chopped parsley

Cut each block of tempeh in half widthwise, so that it is half as thick.  Then cut each of the 6 tempeh pieces into about 6 triangles (36  triangles total).

Cooking Tempeh Marsala

Melt 2 T of the “butter” in a large pan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.  Place half of the tempeh triangles on top of the shallots and cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side.  Remove that batch of tempeh, melt the remaining 1 T “butter, and cook the remaining tempeh triangles.  Remove this second batch of tempeh from the pan.  Add the olive oil and the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.  Pour 3/4 c of marsala into the pan and turn up to medium high heat.  Once it is bubbling, cook for 5 minutes more to burn out the alcohol.

In a small bowl, mix the arrowroot powder with the remaining 1/4 c marsala and add to the pan.  Cook for a few minutes to thicken.  Add the tempeh back in and stir to distribute the sauce over all the triangles.  Garnish with parsley.

Serves 6

Creamy Crispy Chicken

Back in college, my friends and I used to make a Potato Chip Chicken dish that was delicious and easy to make.  However, aside from being carnivorous, it was loaded with fat from butter and lots of chips.  I decided to veganize it and of course, in doing so, made it so much healthier!  It came out perfectly – and really is both creamy and crispy at the same time.  It took hardly any time to get in the oven and was enjoyed by the whole family.  This recipe serves 8,  so you may want to cut it in half.  And a shout out to Gardein – I don’t know how you do it – but your products are amazing!!!!!

• 2 pkgs Gardein Chick’n scallopini
• 10 oz mock sour cream
• 3 T nutritional yeast
• 1 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 c plain bread crumbs
• 1 cup crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix together mock sour cream, yeast, garlic powder and salt.

In another bowl, combine crumbs and chips.

Take Gardein chick’n right from the freezer and coat on both sides with the sour cream mix.  It may be a little messy, but it is easiest just to use your hands and hey – no salmonella to worry about!!  Then dip each piece in the crumb mixture and press down so nicely coated on each side.

Place in a 9×13” pan sprayed with cooking spray and then spray the top of each piece with cooking spray.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Vegan Burger

I have been on a mission to create a great vegan burger – one that is both loaded with protein and healthy ingredients, but also tastes incredibly like the burgers I grew up eating as my father fired up the grill.  Hence, the liquid smoke.  I think this is as close as I can get – so I am posting the recipe and hope that you will enjoy it!  I had planned to grill these but unfortunately, it was pouring outside. No matter – they tasted great baked in the oven. However, next time I plan to grill them and am fairly certain they will hold together very nicely on the grill.

• 2 T ground flax seed
• 1/2 c walnuts
• 1/2 c cooked brown rice
• 15 oz black beans
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 t vegan worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 t liquid smoke
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 c plain bread crumbs

In a small bowl, combine the flax with 5 T water and let sit for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, process the walnuts until ground fine.

Add the rice, beans, worcestershire, onion, smoke, salt and moistened flax.

Process until smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and stir in the bread crumbs.

Form into 8 patties.

Grill or bake on sheet sprayed with cooking spray at 350 for 30 minutes.

Let cool a bit before eating or, although still yummy, the texture may be a little too soft.

Saucy Seitan

• One batch of homemade seitan, or two boxes of store-bought seitan
• I onion, sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• marinade ingredients:
• 6 T soy sauce (definitely use low sodium since there is a lot of soy sauce in this recipe)
• 6 T sherry
• sauce ingredients:
• 1/2 cup + 1 T soy sauce
• 4 1/2 T corn starch
• 3 T sugar
• 4 1/2 t white vinegar
• optional garnishes – cashews and scallions
• olive oil for cooking

Combine soy sauce and sherry and marinate seitan in it for an hour.

Discard marinade and saute seitan over medium high heat in a little olive oil until brown on both sides.  Remove from pan.

Saute onion and garlic in 1 T olive oil for 5 minutes.

In a small bowl combine sauce ingredients.  Add sauce to onions and garlic in the pan.  Stir for a few minutes as it thickens.  If sauce is too thick for your liking, add vegetable stock 1 T at a time.

Return seitan to pan.  Let warm through.  Garnish with chopped scallions and cashew nuts.