Black Bean Tofu Cakes with Pineapple Mango Salsa

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I made these around Christmas as a veggie alternative to my mom's pork roast which was accompanied with the same salsa. They are a little hard to flip and might benefit from some more bread crumbs but they were good.

Saute a combination of diced vegetables. I used mushrooms, zucchini, peppers. Add garlic, cumin and coriander to taste. Meanwhile blend 1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs and extra firm tofu, salt and pepper in food processor. In a bowl fold together 1 can black beans, tofu, and vegetables. Form into patties and cook in EVOO about 3 minutes on each side. TIP: wait until one side is brown to do the flip. It's hard to do but easier if one side is firm. You can keep these warm in an oven at 200 until ready to serve.

Salsa:
1/2 cup pineapple diced
2 mangoes diced
1 avocado diced
1/2 jalapeno seeded and diced
juice of one lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt to taste

Italian Flag Pizza

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Obviously named because of it colors, this pizza is satisfyingly tasty and pretty healthy.

1 package pizza dough regular or whole wheat
Spinach pesto (recipe below)
sundried tomatoes
kalamata olives
fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup extra firm tofu crumbled and mixed with garlic powder, dried oregano, salt and fresh ground pepper.

Spinach pesto:
2 cups baby spinach
handful basil leaves
1 clove garlic
1-2 TBS EVOO
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red chile flakes

Combine in blender or food processor until smooth. Spread on prepared pizza base and add toppings in order listed above. Bake according to package directions ours was 12min at 425.

Blackened Tofu Tacos

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Tom and I are finally moving to Cambridge and we're really excited to be living in an area so close to great restaurants and shops. One of our favorite places in Cambridge is called Christopher's. They have great organic beers and good veg food. The last time we went there the fish tacos caugth my eye and they were happy to make them for me with blackened tofu instead of fish-delicious! They also have a great chicken taco salad that they'll make for you with tofu instead of chicken and tofu fajitas. Definitely a great place for vegans who want to have real food! Note: They have a sister restaurant called Cambridge Commons which has a black bean burger that is vegan.

Last week I decided to make my own tofu tacos. Below I've included what I served these with but feel free to add your own additions.

Tofu: Wrap tofu in paper towels and clean dish towel and press with something heavy like a cast iron skillet for about 20min. Cut into 6 slices and then again in 2 to make squares. Press lightly in blackening seasoning on both sides. I used spicy steak seasoning (which I found pleasantly ironic) but you could use a mixture of black pepper, salt, garlic powder, chili powder or paprika, and red pepper flakes (HOT). Cook tofu on medium high heat for 5 min on each side in a non stick pan sprayed with PAM.Mango Slaw: Slice flesh of one mango into thin strips. Combine with 2 cups shredded cabbage, 1/4 thinly sliced red onion, 2 TBS fresh cilantro and 2 sliced scallions. When cutting mango cut over a bowl to collect any juice and squeeze leftover skins to get out any more juice. Combine this with the juice of 1/2 a lime and a 1/4 tsp cumin. Toss and let sit for 30min. I found this a perfect mix of sour and sweet but if it is not sweet enough for you add a little agave syrup.

Spicy Black Beans: Warm one can of black beans in a sauce pan. Add more blackening seasoning and finish with scallions and cilantro right before serving.

Serve on flour or whole wheat tortillas with tomatoes, salsa, guacamole, avocado, greens, or any of your favorite toppings.

Tofu BLT

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I used the technique here with a slightly different marinade to make a great sandwich filling. I think this baked tofu would be great in burritos or on salads, but I really like it on crusty bread!

First drain and press your tofu (directions in link) and preheat oven to 425. Slice tofu thinly and brush both sides with marinade and place on silpat on baking sheet. Let soak in for 10min and brush on any additional marinade. Bake for 20 min and flip slices to bake for 5 min more. Serve on bread with sliced tomato, greens, red onion and avocado as well as one of the below spreads.

Marinade:
2 TBS miso
2 TBS low sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 TBS saricha hot sauce
1/2 TBS agave syrup or honey
juice of half a lemon

Aioli:
Combine 2 TBS vegan mayonnaise and either a handful of cilantro and clove of crushed garlic OR handful of basil and 1 roasted red pepper in a blender with a squeeze of lemon.

Store tofu in a plastic container and eat every day =). This is honestly the best sandwich I've had since becoming vegan.

Memorial Day: Tofu BBQ and Skinny Bitch cookies

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Tom and I went Kayaking this morning with the idea that if we did something hard in the morning we deserved to drink and eat junk food in the afternoon. Makes sense, right? On the menu this afternoon:

Tofu Dogs with fixins'-we used veggie dogs not bad when topped with mustard, relish, and diced onion (my husband likes ketchup-ick)

Baked lentils -
1 cup dry lentil cooked for 30min in boiling water until tender and drained
1/2 red onion diced
2 garlic cloves
1-2 diced chipotle in adobo depending on heat level
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1TBS brown sugar
1 TBS molasses
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Sautee onion until soft, add crushed garlic and diced chipotle and cook for 1-2 min. Add balsamic, sugar, molasses, ketchup, mustard and BBQ sauce. Cook for 5 min on low. Pour over lentils in baking dish and bake at 350 for 45min. You can also do this with navy beans but I like the unusual use for lentils.

Tomato Basil salad-some grape tomatoes, diced red onion, evoo, basil, salt and pepper

Strawberries and "hard" iced tea-Iced green tea with mint leaves, lemon, and a shot of vodka or honey liquor if you are a vegan who eats honey (I know there is much debate over this). Add some agave if you opt for the vodka for sweetness. SOOO good and refreshing. Best served over ice, outside with a bowl of strawberries.

Not a bad or unhealthy meal until... we decided we were hungry and bored by 5pm and decided to make chocolate chip cookies from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. Let me start by saying I love love LOVE chocolate chip cookies. I think they are the perfect cookie and I have not had a suitable vegan version for almost a year now. These make the cut especially when still warm and chewy. The next day they are more crunchy and crispy but still very good. I will try to adapt the recipe to be a little less oily but the recipe below is as it is in the book. I subbed canola oil for coconut which might be why.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 cup evaporated cane sugar
1 1/4 cup coconut oil (i used canola)
1/4 ice water. I put it in the freezer for 20 minutes
1 Tablespoon molasses
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla
1 10 oz package of semi sweet chocolate (i used 1/2 the pack)

Scoop 2 TBS of dough about 2 in apart on a sprayed cookie sheet or one with parchment paper. Bake for 10-12 min at 375. Cool about 20 minutes and enjoy!

Thai Stir Fry

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This is an easy meal to do with different veggie combos or any veggies you have left in the fridge after the week. I have done the one above with Green beans, squash, peppers, and strips of carrots. But below I have a picture with red onion, eggplant, peppers, mushrooms, and pineapple. To me pineapple is a must in this dish and blends wonderfully with the spices.
Star by sauteing vegetables in order of how long they take to cook. Onions, then eggplant mushrooms and peppers.
Once vegetable are softened add garlic and lemon grass to mixture and cook lightly.
Add soy sauce, ginger and a little brown sugar or you can use Trader Joe's Soyaki which has all of these ingredients.
Add Saricha sauce based on how hot you like it.
Then add green beans or pea pods so they cook but stay crunchy (bamboo shoots are good too).
Add fresh pineapple chunks and a TBS or so of their juice.
Once sauce is cooked down and veggies tender, add chopped Thai basil and mint and grate some lime zest over the top.
Serve with brown rice and any sides you would like. I served the above one with pan fried tofu and peanut sauce for wrapping in lettuce leaves.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

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I received my first issue of Vegetarian Times from my sister-in-law last week and was inspired by these lettuce wraps. The original recipe calls for water chestnuts but I used shitake mushrooms instead. Other good additions would be bamboo shoots sliced up. The recipe below is from the magazine with my addition of the mushrooms and a little substitution I made. Make it with what you like!

Filling:
2 TBS olive oil or vegetable oil
1 red onion
1 package shitake mushrooms
1 can water chestnuts or bamboo shoots (optional)
1 TBS ginger*
1 TBS lemon grass
2 cloves minced or crushed garlic
1lb Xtra firm tofu
4 TBS soy sauce*
4TBS hoisen sauce*
1-2 squirts vegan chile sauce
Shredded carrot
2-3 chopped scallions (white and green parts)
Chopped mint and Thai basil

* I cheated and found a sauce at Trader Joe's called Soyaki which had all of these ingredients in it already and used that instead.

Saute mush rooms and diced onion in oil. When cooked add lemon grass ginger and garlic and cook for 3-4min. Next crumble in tofu and add sauces. Cook for an additional 5min until warmed through. At the end add shredded carrot and chopped scallions as well as mint and basil.

Optional toppings:
crushed peanuts
lime wedges
peanut sauce
chille sauce
additional mint or scallions

Serve with Boston lettuce leaves and any additional toppings so people can make their own wraps. This would be a fun and easy entertaining menu if you rounded it out with some good Asian inspired appetizers like vegetable pot-stickers or veggie sushi.

Lasagna Pasta

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After the success of the lasagna earlier this month I was inspired to make something that incorporated the same flavors but was easier to make. I used to make this with sausage and ricotta so that was out of the question but this is really just as good!

Sauce:
I made a basic tomato sauce but added big mushrooms, olives, and frozen spinach in order to mimic the flavors of my lasagna. At the end of cooking I added meatless meatballs to simmer and warm through. You could also add your favorite fakey sausage.
Ricotta:
Pulse firm tofu, olive oil, and basil in food processor until crumbly in texture. Do not add fresh garlic like in previous recipes as the flavor will be too pungent. You could add roasted garlic but I added mine in the sauce.
After sauce is cooked take off the heat and fold in tofu ricotta. Serve over whole grain pasta.
Prep and cook time:45min

Italian Entertaining

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Spinach and Eggplant Lasagna
This lasagna is time consuming but well worth it. It is a crowd pleaser and in Tom's opinion "The best fake-out meal" thanks to the delicious tofu "ricotta".

Tofu Ricotta (adapted from "Skinny Bitch in the Kitch"):
One package of firm tofu
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons EVOO
4 or 5 leaves fresh basil
salt and pepper
1/2 package of defrosted frozen spinach (this is my edition and really makes it yummy)*

Blend ingredients in a blender or food processor until it is grainy in texture and a beautiful bright green. Refrigerate and save for later.

Eggplant:
Take one Italian eggplant and slice in 1/4 inch slices. Lay out on paper towels and sprinkle both sides lightly with salt. This will remove some of the bitterness by drawing out the bitter liquid inside the eggplant as well as season them. Let these sit for 30minutes to an hour to give off their liquid. Warm EVOO in a skillet and pan fry the eggplant untill light brown and nice and soft. This makes the eggplant smooth and delicious.

While the eggplant is salting (not a word) prep your sauce and boil a package of whole weat lagagna noodles. I made a sauce with onions, garlic, capers, kalmata olives, crushed red pepper and crushed tomatoes and fresh basil, but you can use a jar sauce if you're lazy (I'm judging you).

Layer the lasagna in a baking dish as follows:
a ladle of sauce on the bottom
noodles to cover
ricotta
fried eggplant
sauce (I like a lot)

Continue untill you have about 3 layers and end with noodles and a bit of sauce on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes with foil on top and then uncover for the last 15-20min. Let cool about 20min until you cut and serve.

Prep time: 60min
Cook Time: 60min and 20min cool time

Spinach Stuffed Mushroom
This is adapted from my grandmother's recipe that uses a lot of parmesian cheese. These are just as good and with the added benefit of spinach.

1 Package white mushrooms (you can use stuffing mushrooms but I wanted small ones)
1 shallot diced
2 cloves garlic
3 or 4 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup while weat bread crumbs
1/2 package of defrosted frozen spinach*

Clean mushrooms by wiping with a damp paper towel. Remove the stems and reserve for later. Place mushroom caps on a baking sheet sprayed with pam and bake at 350 for 15 minutes to pre-cook them. They will give off some liquid which you should reserve. Set aside caps to cool.

Sautee diced stems and shallots in EVOO untill soft. Crush 2 cloves of garlic into the mixture. When it becomes fragrant add the white wine and mushroom liquid and cook down. Then add spinach. Turn off the heat and add bread crumbs and salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be crumbly but wet enough that it sticks together. Use it and stuff into caps. Bake at 350 for 10 min or untill tops get crispy. Serve as an appetizer or side dish.

Prep time: 30min
Bake time: 10min

*To defrost spinach place in microwave safe bowl. Take spinach and place in clean dish towel and squeeze out water until spinach is drained.