Pressed Tofu and Vegan Egg Salad

I crave certain foods that you wouldn’t think would translate into vegan. But, by golly they do! I used to love egg salad sandwiches and I knew it would be hard to give them up. It was more of a sentimental thing, actually. I think that’s why food is so important to most of us; and why it is so inconceivable for some to make the vegetarian/vegan leap. Cookouts and homemade ice cream are more than just a good meal; it is the heart of many summer memories. I too have felt tugs at my heartstrings when thinking I’d never eat a specific type of food again. People often tell me, “I could never do that” when thinking about going vegan. They also say they could never slaughter an animal for consumption. Smart, successful, driven people tell me “I can’t do that”. What I believe they’re really saying is, “I don’t want to because I’m afraid of what I’ll miss.”

I’m going to tell you (in my best Waterboy impression), “You can do it!”

You can have everything you had before AND you can be healthy and happy! Not only will you gain health, your choices will benefit hundreds of animals and our planet. Did you know that on average, a vegetarian saves over 100 animal lives each year? In turn, this saves land, grain, water and reduces dangerous methane gasses. The benefits far outweigh what you “think” you’re going to lose. Below is proof: An Eggless Egg Salad Sandwich! Put on your big girl panties and get ready to make an awesome change!

First you’re going to want to press your tofu. Since tofu was a mystery to me, literally for years, I’m going to help out with the basics. You’re almost always going to want to drain your tofu at least a little. Depending on what you’re making, you may want to press it for 5 minutes up to overnight. The more you press, the more water you take out, the chewier it will be. Also, you can replace the liquid you press out with any kind of marinade you want! I’ve had some seriously tasty tofu and I get really mad when people talk bad about it! It is delicious and healthy and very filling.  And it won't attack your heart!  ♥

Step 1: Cut the tofu into 3 lengthwise slabs, like so…

Step 2: Wrap the 3 slabs in a clean tea towel (or paper towels)…


Step 3: Put some kind of even weight on the tofu to encourage draining (I used a small cutting board and a jar of pizza sauce, just use whatever is handy to you).

NOTE: If you’re using silken tofu for this recipe, it will be best to drain your tofu using the same method (wrapped in a towel), but place in a colander over a bowl. Silken tofu has more water and a different texture than the NaSoya brand pictured. Also, freezing your tofu will give it more of a “chew”. Here are some other helpful Tofu Tips.

I let this tofu drain on the counter for about 1 hour (any longer than an hour and you should put in the fridge.

After letting it drain, gather all your ingredients:
¼ cup dill pickle relish (or onion or celery, whatever floats your boat)Just crumble the tofu with your fingers (about the size you’d cut your eggs if making egg salad).

¼ cup vegan mayo
1 Tbs. Dijon/wheat mustard
1 ½ Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. sea salt
¼ tsp. white pepper
¼ tsp. turmeric
1 heaping tsp. nutritional yeast
Optional Herbs: dill, chives, basil, parsley, tarragon
I used about 1 Tbs. parsley and 1 Tbs. basil because they’re still growing in my window box!

Mix all the wet ingredients, spices and nutritional yeast together, being careful to not mush the tofu, just stir. Then fold in your dill relish (or onions/celery) and herbs and you’re done! (Taste and add more of whatever you think you need more of).  This is delicious as a sandwich, on toast points, pita, and little endive boats make very lovely apetizers!

Tacos with a Side of Love

This is what we had for dinner last night...
It was oh-so-delicious! The hubby liked it (which is always what I inform meat eaters about a vegan dish). If it’s Husband Approved, it’s good to go!

Here’s what you’ll need...

Tacos:

1 package frozen Boca (or Morning Star, etc) Soy Crumbles

1 Alton Brown Taco Spice Mix: 
   2 Tbs. chili powder
   1 Tbs. ground cumin
   2 tsp. cornstarch
   2 tsp. kosher salt
   1 ½ tsp. hot smoked paprika
   1 tsp. ground coriander
   ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1-2 Tbs. oil (canola, safflower, veg, etc.) or ¼ cup veggie broth
1 Medium Onion
Tortillas (preferably corn b/c it’s better for you!)
Vegan Sour Cream
Lettuce, tomato, [vegan] cheese, other toppings

A Side of Love:
2 (15 ounce) cans cooked black beans
2 Tbs. oil (canola, safflower, veg, coconut, etc.)
2 Tbs. minced yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. kosher salt
¼ cup masa de harina (or corn meal)
Tomatillo [green] Salsa

First, let’s start on the taco “meat”:
Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a sauté pan of your choice. Add onion & sauté about 1 minute; add 1 Tbs. of the taco seasoning and cook on medium heat for another 2-3 minutes. Add soy crumbles (totally fine if they’re frozen) and 1 more Tbs. of taco seasoning. Cook about 3-5 minutes (until it has thawed) and decide if you need to add more oil. You’ll probably need to since soy crumbles have a lot less fat than ground beef.
   1 lb of Ground beef = 1,200 Calories, 93.6g fat & 37.6 saturated fat!
Dude, good thing you’re using soy crumbles!!
Taste your mixture to see if you’d like another Tbs. of taco seasoning (I did!). It was perfect after that!

Move the onion/soy crumble mixture to the back burner and let it relax for a bit. Time to make taco shells. Why not buy them? Because the taste like cardboard and you don’t like cardboard, do ya??

Preheat oven to 350F. Look around your kitchen and see what you can fashion into a taco shaper. My husband suggested his rib rack holder-thingie.

Worked great! I used a little foil to hold the tortilla in place for the first 4 minutes, then took it off and baked another 4 minutes.

Now…it’s time for a Side of Love!
You might be asking yourself, what the hell is a side of love? Technically it is two black bean cakes topped with tomatillo salsa, sour cream, feta cheese and red onions. I had this at a restaurant in Atlanta, GA called The Flying Biscuit. It seemed easy enough to recreate, so I did…with my own spin.


Directions for a Side of Love:

Rinse and drain black beans in a colander. In a small sauté pan heat 1 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat. Cook onion, garlic, cumin and salt until onions are translucent.

Place beans & onion mixture in a bowl and mash with a potato masher until well combined (I like to leave a few whole beans for texture). Gradually add masa, allowing mixture to absorb it before adding more. Test dough by rolling it in the palm of your hand. Keep adding masa until dough doesn’t stick to your hand and holds the shape of a ball.

Divide dough into 12-14 balls and flatten into cakes. Mine were about “large golf ball” sized.

Place a large skillet over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil. Sauté cakes until lightly browned on each side, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. I topped mine with green salsa, soy cheese, vegan sour cream and banana peppers.
Voila! A healthy, yummy, interesting and attractive dinner!

All this took me about an hour (start to finish), so it wasn’t that bad. Plus, leftovers tonight should only take about 10 minutes or less!



Vegan Taco Salad

Vegan Hot and Sour Soup

It's Fall and I'm feelin' like soup!  This is a hunky soup absolutely loaded with flavor.  You can literally eat it with a fork (or chopsticks!).  In China, if noodle or hearty soup is served, many consider it a more elegant way to eat by picking the noodle into a serving spoon first, then eating from the spoon, rather than slurping directly from the bowl into the mouth using chopsticks. 
Sometimes you must ask, "What Would Martha Do?"
Really, who cares, this soup is so good you won't even hear anyone else slurping!

This is an adapted recipe from the Veganomicon cookbook by Isa Chandra-Moskowitz.
If you’re looking for a vegan cookbook that will please the pickiest meat eaters, this is the one! This lady knows her stuff!

Grab your wine...here we go! 

What you’ll need: (cut the recipe in half if you’re going solo, you’ll still have plenty left over).

½ oz. dried wood ear (or shitake) mushrooms + 2 cups boiling water
6-8 leaves Napa cabbage (depends how much you ♥ cabbage)
6-8 cups vegetable broth
¼ cup + 2 Tbs. soy sauce (or Braggs)
¼ cup + 2 Tbs. rice vinegar
1-2 tsp. Asian hot chili oil (very hot stuff, so tone it down if you need to)
¾ tsp. sesame oil
1 ½ tsp ground white pepper
1 ½ cups thick-sliced white/cremini mushrooms
1 heaping Tbs. arrowroot or cornstarch + 1 cup cold water
1 lb extra-firm tofu, pressed & cut into matchsticks (or whatever shape you like)
½ cup shredded carrots
½ - 1 cup chopped scallions (optional)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Substitutions:
I put a few more carrots (they dull they numbing effect the chili oil has) and a few less fresh mushrooms.
I used Bragg's Liquid Aminos instead of soy sauce.
I use the cubed-style veggie broth, it's cheaper & tastes great!
Pressed Tofu: I promise to do a blog on this only soon...it's confusing for the non-tofu eaters, but it is oh-so-tasty & worth it!

Method:
Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl & pour boiling water over them so that they are submerged by a few inches. Cover with a plate and let sit for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile… Pour the vegetable broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot chili oil, sesame oil & white pepper into a soup pot. Cover & bring to a boil.
While that is heating, prepare the cabbage leaves, lay them on top of each other so they’re spooning. Cut in half, stack again (or in two batches) and thinly slice them width-wise.
Once the broth is boiling, add the cabbage and the fresh mushrooms. Reduce to a low boil and cook until the cabbage is fully wilted, 5-10 minutes.

The dried mushrooms should be ready at this point, so remove, drain, cut into bite-size pieces and add to the soup.

Mix the arrowroot with the water until dissolved. Add to the soup and stir until just slightly thickened, a minute or two. This will not make the soup thick; the starch just helps to give it a little body.

Add the shredded carrots & tofu and cook about 5 more minutes. Serve/garnish with scallions (if using).

“Having a good wife and a rich cabbage soup, seek not other things.”
- Russian Proverb

I chose this quote because this is a soup my husband (a meat eater/lover) actually gets excited about.  As a vegan, I'm not sure there's a greater feeling than a non-vegan loving your food.  It gives you hope!

Fill up your favorite mug (or bowl) & slurp to your heart's content.

Relax, It’s Just Food!

I’ve got a question: When did food become health food?

Just because it’s “vegan” doesn’t mean you have to freak out…it’s just food. Food people all over the world eat. Food our ancestors (even the Gladiators!) ate for thousands of years. Food that gives strength, well-being and nourishment to cows, horses, rhinoceroses, gorillas, elephants, giraffes, hippos and MANY others! These are some of the largest land mammals on earth and they seem to be doing just fine (minus the bastards who hunt them for “sport”). I’m just saying: If these animals don’t need meat or dairy, neither do you. Be an adult and wean yourself from another species tit already!! You’re embarrassing them!

Recently I was forwarded a very peculiar e-mail by a friend. It described why eating fruit holds no nutritional value unless it is eaten on an empty stomach. I did a little research to see where this ridiculous myth may have originated. Turns out there were several “diet plans” in the 70s and 80s that promoted this silly suggestion. They claimed fruit would “rot in your gut” if eaten after a meal. Granted, we would all benefit from eating more fruit, but essentially telling a person that’s all they can eat and when to eat it is not beneficial. The nutritional value of a piece of fruit is the same whether it's eaten on an empty stomach or after a meal.  If someone is trying to lose weight then yeah, eat the fruit first to fill some space in your stomach before your meal. Unfortunately there are a lot of crazy diet gurus out there who have given fruit a bad rap and made it "diet food".  Fruit used to be just food.  Sadly, not everyone sees it that way these days.

Actually, eating fruits after a meal is really good for you. You get scrubbing fiber that keeps everything inside squeaky clean and you satisfy your post meal sweet tooth.  Diabetics can actually calm the effect fruit has on spiking their blood sugar levels by ingesting it as part of a meal.  Since fructose is not absorbed as rapidly as sucrose or glucose, it has much less effect on blood sugar levels and insulin (also why I recommend agave nectar to diabetics over sugar or even honey).
Last night I saw a Sonic commercial claiming “…we are now serving real ice cream…” As opposed to what?! What the hell was in their “ice cream” previously?!?
I actually tried to research this and all I found was a statement from Sonic's chairman and chief executive, J. Clifford Hudson, “The new ice cream ... is richer, it is thicker, it is creamier than our current soft serve, which is what we have to call it because that is what it has been; a non-ice cream, lower-fat dairy product.”
Well, by all means, get the artery-clogging shit in there because that’s what Americans need!

Statements like Mr. Hudson’s make us feel like the crap we eat is okay and that it’s actually “good for us”. Making fruits, vegetables, beans and grains “diet foods” and giving the notion that they’re only needed if you want to rid yourself of a few pounds. In actuality these choices are not “diet” food, it’s just FOOD. Food from the earth that we’re killing by making and eating mass-produced CRAP!

It makes me kind of confused when people look at something I’m eating and say, “I should be eating healthy like you…” Okay. Then. Do. It.  I very rarely think about “eating healthy” (another handy vegan perk!).  I just eat.  My moral commitment dictates my food choices; these choices just happen to be plant-based and (pause for effect) healthy.

It’s simple as this: Put good stuff in, get good stuff out!

Think of the fierce energy concentrated in an acorn!  You bury it in the ground, and it explodes into an oak!  Bury a sheep, and nothing happens but decay.              ~ George Bernard Shaw