Scalloped Tofu Scampi

There are so many foods from my pre-vegan days that I remember loving, but I would not want to eat them today. I think I am actually more fond of the memories that are attached to the particular foods, rather than to the foods themselves. That’s why this dish is perfect for me – it evokes the memories I have of scallops, namely family dinners out at favorite seafood restaurants, yet I don’t have to contend with that chewy texture, which never really appealed to me at all. The taste was what I liked and I think I captured that here, although the seafood taste is very mild and if you are looking for something that has the texture of real scallops, this is probably not the recipe for you. If, however, you enjoy having fun with food, and creating interesting and visually pleasing dishes, then this may be the best dish you ever make. There certainly were a number of fans eating it for dinner in my home!

2 14 oz. packages extra firm tofu – pressed
1 large onion, chopped
1 bulb garlic, pressed
2 T olive oil
1/2 t paprika
1 t kelp granules
1 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
2 t salt, divided
2 T vegan butter
1/4 c white wine
3/4 c vegetable stock
2 T italian seasoned bread crumbs
handful fresh parsley, chopped
16 oz. linguine – cooked as per package
juice of 2 lemons

Cut tofu in half widthwise.

Cut circles into the tofu. I use a cap from a spice jar and I am able to get 6 circles from each piece of tofu, so 24 in all. Don’t throw away the in between pieces! Just like munchkins are just as delicious as donuts, the odd shaped pieces taste great too. I just cook them in the same pan once I remove the “scallops.” And if you are short on time, forget the circles completely and just cube all the tofu.

Sprinkle tofu with almost all of the paprika, kelp, 1 t salt, onion powder and garlic powder. Save a bit for the other side.

Heat olive oil in a large pan and place the tofu seasoned side down. Sprinkle the remaining spices on the top. Cook over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes per side until golden. Remove tofu.

Melt the earth balance in the same pan. Add onion. Cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the wine, and turn up to high heat to burn out the alcohol for about 3 minutes. Return heat to medium high and add stock, remaining t salt (unless you are using a high sodium broth) and the juice of 2 lemons. After a few minutes, add the breadcrumbs and stir well. Remove from heat and stir in parsley. Pour over cooked linguine and top with “scallops.”

Serves 6-8

Mango Ginger Swirls

Mango Ginger Swirl
with Coconut Ice Cream

Yes vegans are healthier! Yes we eat plant-based foods that are nutritious and we love quinoa, kale, beans and tofu! However, there are still those times when I crave a dessert that is really decadent. Something really incredible. This is not to say that raw desserts and really healthy vegan desserts are not wonderful – they are (I absolutely adore raw brownies made with only dates, cocoa powder and walnuts!) But sometimes I like to make something like this crazy good swirl and I promise, there are no animals harmed in the making of it! It seems like a long recipe, but it is actually pretty quick to put together and the best thing is you can pop it in the oven while you are eating your dinner and voila, warm dessert is awaiting when you’re ready to indulge!

Mango Ginger Swirls

2 large, ripe mangoes
1 c sugar
1/2 c agave nectar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 3/4 c water
1/4 c vegan butter
1/2 t cinnamon
2 c + 2 T flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 c vegan shortening
2/3 c soy milk
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 t ground cloves
3/4 t ginger powder
1 t sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Peel and dice the mangoes. In a small bowl, combine the mango with ground cloves and ginger powder and set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the cup of sugar, brown sugar, agave, water, vegan butter, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and keep boiling for five minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

boiling the caramel sauce

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Use fingers to blend in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Add soy milk and vanilla and stir until just combined.

Dough should be crumbly before adding liquids.

Lightly flour your work surface and knead the dough 10 times.

Roll it out into a 12” x 12” square.

Sprinkle mango over the dough and sprinkle the 1 t sugar on top.

Roll up into a log, and don’t worry about the mango that will be squeezed out at the end.

Cut into 12 pieces and place in a 9” x 13” pan.

Pour enough of the caramel sauce into the pan to come up almost to the top of the swirls (you should have some left over).

Bake for 50 minutes.

Serve warm.

Great with coconut or vanilla bean non-dairy ice cream!

Serves 12

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

Vegan Lunch #5 – Friday – Tofu Eggless Salad

Tofu Eggless Salad

Ahh – the weekend is almost here! Another week’s worth of lunches are done! Tonight I made the quickest of the lunches. It takes literally 2 minutes to make and it tastes really great! It has protein and it even has an extra bonus – turmeric. Turmeric is the spice which the NY Times has recently called the “superstar of spices,” known to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. So you can see why I love making this for my family!

ingredients for tofu eggless salad

1 package firm tofu
3 T vegan mayo
1/4 t paprika
1/2 t salt
3/4 t turmeric

Place the tofu in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. This dish tastes much better after being in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.

Oops! I forgot to take a photo of the whole lunch this time – which was the sandwich, an apple and a piece of gooey chocolate marshmallow cake (yes there are great vegan marshmallows). I guess the weekend has already gotten to me!!

Vegan Lunch #4 – Thursday – The Many Hues of Hummus

Oh hummus – you are perhaps the perfect food! You are healthy, easy to make and so much fun to flavor and embellish in many different ways! You are often there at restaurants for vegans when there is nothing else to order. You are loaded with protein and all good things and you are great on your own, in sandwiches, in salads or used as dip for crudite or crackers. I just can’t get enough of you!

Now that I have paid homage to hummus – I can continue and post my basic hummus recipe and all the different variations that I love. It is so much fun to give it to my kids for lunch because they never know what color or flavor to expect! And actually, hummus is without a doubt my son’s favorite food – so this post is dedicated to him!

Basic Hummus

ingredients for basic hummus recipe

2 15 oz boxes or cans chickpeas, drained – but reserve liquid
3 T tahini
1/2 t salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 T olive oil
1/4 c of the reserved liquid

Place all ingredients in a food processor or high speed blender and process/blend until creamy. (I love my vitamix for making hummus). You may need to add a bit more of the reserved liquid, 1 T at a time, to get the consistency you want. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

For this lunch, I added kale, tomato and avocado to the sandwich and served it with a banana and some brownies.

I love this basic hummus just as it is. It really doesn’t need anything more at all! However, it’s always fun to spice it up! So, here are some ideas for unique and really tasty additions.

To make these hummus varieties, add the following to 1/2 c of basic hummus (I use an immersion blender to do this, but you can use a food processor. The blender, however, will not work for this because the amount is too small, unless you are flavoring more than one 1/2 c serving at a time.

Herbal Hummus

Herbal Hummus – add a handful of greens – basil, cilantro, parsley, spinach, kale (I used kale and parsley tonight) – or any combination of them – you can’t go wrong.

Black Truffle Hummus

Black Truffle Hummus – add 1/4 t black salt (available at specialty stores) and 1/4 t truffle oil. For this variation, you can omit the salt in the basic recipe.

Dill Pickle Hummus

Dill Pickle Hummus – add about 5 pickle slices and 1 t fresh dill or 1/4 t dried dill

Beet and Sage Hummus

Beet and Sage Hummus – add 1 1/2 t beet juice and 1/8 t ground sage

Sun-dried Tomato and Roasted Garlic Hummus

Sun-dried Tomato and Roasted Garlic Hummus – add 4 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, and about 1/2 bulb of roasted garlic – note: my family loves garlic – if you want it milder, add less. To roast garlic, cut the top off a bulb of garlic to expose the cloves. Rub it with a little olive oil and salt and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake in oven on 400 for 40 minutes.