Well, today’s recipe certainly would not win any contest for looks.  Trying to get an enticing photo of it was a bit tough so I opted for this close-up.  However, what it may be lacking in looks, it more than makes up for in taste and ease.  This dish only takes as long as it takes to make the pasta.  It’s really that simple, and with a salad on the side, it’s a fast, nutritious, delicious meal. 

Swedish “Meat”balls – serves 6-8

• 1 16 oz. package pasta – I used rombi, which can be hard to find, but in its place you can use lasagne noodles, not the no-boil but the regular, and then cut it into pieces after its cooked, or use any type of pasta you like.
• 2 T earth balance spread
• 5 garlic cloves, pressed
• 3 T flour
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 2 c vegetable broth – I love Trader Joe’s organic, low sodium vegetable broth for this recipe because it adds a nice, golden color
• 1 c nondairy sour cream
• 3 bags gardein beefless tips – more and more I am finding gardein products in the freezer section of many large supermarket chains, such as Shoprite and Acme
• 2 T chopped parsley for garnish

Take the gardein tips out of the freezer.
Cook the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, melt the earth balance in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Once melted, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the flour, 1 T at a time, stirring constantly, and let cook another 2 minutes.  Slowly add the broth, stirring constantly.  Add the salt and onion powder and turn heat to low.  Let cook 5 minutes to thicken.
Stir in the mock sour cream.
Add the beef tips to the sauce and heat through.
Once pasta is ready, combine the sauce with the “meat”balls and the pasta in a large bowl.  Top with chopped parsley.

Tofu Piccata

There are so many ways to serve tofu, and this one happens to be a favorite with my family.  It’s a favorite of mine too because I always have all the ingredients in my fridge and pantry.  Every time I make it, I remember how much I used to hate dipping food in egg before I became vegan.  My hands would get thickly coated with gunk and I would have to stop and wash them constantly, and I was always washing the counters down for fear of salmonella.  I never enjoyed using raw eggs.  Now, a breaded recipe is a cinch to prepare and I never mind doing it.  It’s neat and clean and a pleasure.  The breadcrumbs stick perfectly thanks to the dijon and oil and the lemon juice adds a nice flavor.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

Tofu Piccata – serves 6

• 2 pkgs extra firm tofu
• juice from 2 lemons and a third lemon sliced
• 2 T olive oil and more for sauteing
• 2 T dijon mustard
• 1 c plain breadcrumbs
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/2 t onion powder
• 1 T earth balance spread
• 3/4 c white wine
• 2 jars capers, drained
• handful chopped parsley

• In a small bowl, whisk 2 T olive oil with the dijon and the juice of 1 lemon.
• In another small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the salt, garlic powder and onion powder.
• Drain the tofu.  Place each block on its side and slice into 4 large, thin pieces so that each piece is the same dimensions as the block, just thinner.  Then cut each piece in half, so each block will give you 8 pieces, and you will have 16 total pieces.
• Dip each piece into the dijon mix and then into the crumb mix.
• Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Use a small amount of olive oil and saute each piece until golden brown on both sides.
• Remove the tofu from the pan.
• While the pan is still on the heat, add the earth balance.  Once melted, add the capers, the juice of another lemon, and the white wine.  Turn the heat up to medium high and cook for a few minutes to burn out the alcohol.
• Add the lemon slices and parsley to the pan and just heat through.
• Spoon sauce over tofu.

Crispy Cutlets

So here is my recipe for Crispy Cutlets.  It is adapted from a recipe for chickpea cutlets from Veganomicon, one of my favorite vegan cookbooks.  I changed a few of the ingredients to make it more to my liking and I made the preparation significantly easier.  The original recipe calls for mashing the chickpeas by hand, which, imho, is very tedious.  So I decided to try to put all the ingredients into a food processor and the end result was really great!  A delicious, crispy cutlet full of protein and flavor.  This recipe makes 12 large cutlets because I like to have them for sandwiches for the kids’ lunches the next day and also just to have as leftovers in the fridge.  They seem to always be there when someone wants a snack.  They also freeze well.  And the best thing is you can prepare them differently every time.  They are shown here with mushroom gravy (and quinoa risotto and lima beans), but just last week I topped them with marinara and some daiya cheese and they made a perfect “chicken” parmesan.  Try them in any recipe that you used to make with chicken – you won’t be disappointed!

•  3 c cooked chickpeas (or 2 boxes of Fig Food Co chickpeas)
• 6 T olive oil
• 1 1/2 c vital wheat gluten (found in health food stores and in the healthy section of many supermarkets
• 1 1/2 c plain bread crumbs
• 3/4 vegetable stock
• 6 T soy sauce
• 6 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 t dried thyme

Process chickpeas and olive oil in food processor.  Add all other ingredients, except bread crumbs and vital wheat gluten.  Process well.  Pour into a large bowl.  Stir in the bread crumbs.  Then using your hands, knead the vital wheat gluten in until it is all incorporated.

Divide into 12 equal pieces.  Flatten each piece with your palm to make a nice, large cutlet shape.  Saute in a nonstick skillet in a small amount of olive oil, until nicely browned on each side.

Neatloaf and caesar salad

Okay – so meatloaf is not really anyone’s favorite food, right?  Yet it is easy to make and full of protein.  And with mashed potatoes and a salad, it’s a perfect weeknight meal.  So, I set out to make a vegan loaf with lots of flavor and I think this one’s pretty neat – hence the name “neatloaf”.  It’s also really delicious the next day, cold, in a sandwich.  This recipe can also be made into “burgers” instead, which are great on whole wheat rolls with lettuce, tomato, onion, daiya cheese and anything else you want to add!  And here’s a tip – Whole Foods sells bags of organic, frozen white and brown rice so you can just scoop out one cup, pop it in the microwave for 3 minutes, and then have that ingredient ready.  Or why not use some leftover rice from a recent Asian takeout order?

Neatloaf

1/2 cup walnuts
1 onion, chopped
1 T ground flax meal
3 T nutritional yeast
2 T ketchup
dash vegan worcestershire
1 t salt
2 cans (or better yet, cartons) pinto, black, navy, or any other bean, drained*
11/2 c (plus more) plain or seasoned breadcrumbs (may need to add another 1/2 c to get consistency of a thick cookie batter)
for the glaze: combine 1/2 c ketchup, 2 T brown sugar, and 1 t spike seasoning
 
Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.
In a food processor, process walnuts until ground.  Add the onion, flax, yeast, ketchup, worcestershire and salt.
Add beans and process to combine.
Add breadcrumbs and process until all incorporated.
Spread into prepared pan.
Bake for 40 minutes, then spread glaze on top and return to oven for 10 minutes more.
Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.  
 
for “burgers” – shape into round patties and bake for 30 minutes covered and then 10 more minutes with the glaze.  
 
* I love the new, small cartons of beans from Fig Food Co.  They are BPA-free cartons, not cans.  No lead, no toxic glue – and all from an organic and environmentally responsible company!  And –  no need to use that annoying can opener.