A New Way to Prepare Tofu...

 So I have been trying to eat healthier and cook with less oil... I had some tofu that had been pressed with my Tofu Press, I sliced in about 8 slices width-wise and marinated it in some Soy Vay Teriyaki Sauce overnight... The next day, I pulled out my dusty George Forman Grill that I haven't used since going vegan (1.5 years ago) and decided it is time to try some tofu steaks on this damn thing! It worked perfectly! No oil, just grill the tofu about 5 minutes until browned to your liking. Fantastic! I think I will be using this grill all the time for tofu now if I can.

I dipped mine in some extra teryaki sauce out of the bottle... Yum!

Viva Vegan's Potato-Chickpea Enchiladas with Green Tomatillo Sauce

Yet another amazing recipe from Viva Vegan! I got 15 enchiladas out of this recipe instead of 10. I also left off the Pine Nut Creama because it is the only recipe in this book I have found to be absolutely repulsive and my enchiladas turned out just fine. I instead topped my enchiladas with vegan sour cream when serving... Yum!

 The Green Tomatillo Sauce is to die for and it is awesome salsa as well. It really made a pretty boring recipe of mashed chickpeas and potatoes shine. I will be making this again soon!

My enchiladas kind of fell apart, the ones I had leftover to cool a bit stayed together much better but I was hungry and couldn't wait.

Viva Vegan's Red Chile-Seitan and Black Bean-Sweet Potato Tamales

Last weekend I spent almost all Sunday making a BOATLOAD of tamales from my Viva Vegan cookbook. The picture above is only half of what I actually made! I made 2 batches each of both Red Chile-Seitan and Black Bean-Sweet Potato Tamales which should have produced 96 tamales (2 dozen per batch) I got about maybe 75 to 80 which is still a ton. All this hard work paid off however, as I have had easy meals and lunches all week and have had plenty of tamales to share with curious coworkers.

 

I have to say I love the Red Chile-Seitan tamales the most, Red Seitan + Red Chile Sauce + thinly sliced red bell peppers and onions.

The Black Bean-Sweet Potato Tamales were also good but I ended up stuffing the majority of the tamales with mainly black beans as there was definitely not enough sweet potatoes to go around. Next time, I might halve the amount of black beans and double the amount of sweet potatoes.

Vegweb's Salisbury "Steak" and Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Vegweb's Salisbury "Steak" is an easy meal that will be ready in less than 15 minutes! The only things I do differently for this recipe are:

- I use 8 ounces of thinly slices fresh button mushrooms
- I also fry up the Boca patties first so they won't be mushy
- After the patties are nice and golden I add the onions and cook for a few minutes
- I add the mushrooms and gravy last.

Vegan Mashed potatoes are easy. This time around I just...

- Boiled some potatoes until soft and let them drain in a colander
- I then sauteed jarred garlic in olive oil for a minute in the pot the poatoes were cooking in
- I added the potatoes back to the pot along with some vegan butter, vegan milk, dried parsley, nutritional yeast, seasoned salt, and black pepper
- I took my hand-held mixer and whipped all the ingredients together until light and fluffy
- I also quadrupled the gravy mixture from the Salisbury "Steak" recipe so that I would have plenty of gravy for my mashed potatoes (I made a boatload)

Vegweb's Super Yummy Cheesy Pot Pie

I made this Super Yummy Cheesy Pot Pie for dinner tonight and thought it was pretty yummy. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars this time around but next time I'm sure it will be even better!

***Update: I thought this pot pie was much better the second day as leftovers!***

I used the veggies listed in the recipe but doubled the broccoli, added half a chopped white onion, and used Melty Cheese for the vegan cheese sauce. I also made my own pie shell using the empanada dough recipe for "Richer Wheat Dough" out of Viva Vegan!

 Things I did wrong:

- I should have nuked the potatoes for longer than the other veggies because they weren't cooked all the way when my pot pie was done.
- Next time I will use only half the empanada dough recipe and roll it much thinner, my crust was too thick.
- I should have used the whole recipe of Melty Cheese. I saved some (Like 1/2 cup) to feed my addiction to Vegan Nachos.... Oops
- Also make sure to have a pan under whatever you're baking the pot pie in, mine started bubbling over and got all over my oven.
- I should have added more spices to jazz the filling up. I did add salt and pepper even though the recipe didn't call for it but the pot pie was still a bit bland.

Easy Peasy Fried Rice and Sweet & Sour Tofu

 I am going to take a short vacation this weekend but I just wanted to post about this easy meal I made with minimal food around... Though I did have a block of tofu waiting for me when I got home from work, pressed ever so perfectly in my Tofu Press!

I made about half a recipe of my Sweet & Spicy Fried Rice. For the veggies I used a frozen peas and corn mix as well as some thinly sliced green onions. I also added half a block of extra firm tofu that I had coated with a little cornstarch and pan fried until golden (I did this first and added it to the fried rice towards the end). I love eating rice with Roasted Seasoned Seaweed you should try it!

The other half of the block of tofu was also coated with cornstarch and pan fried until golden but I added some of my favorite store bought Sweet and Sour Sauce that needed to be used up.

Delicious Bagel Spread & More Vegan Nachos!

Today I was busy making a batch of both Red and White Seitan and Empanadas from my Viva Vegan! cookbook so that I would have leftovers to use up this coming week. I really love this cookbook, so sorry that I can't seem to shut up about it.

So today I kept the meals I actually ate pretty easy.

For breakfast I had a bagel, smothered in vegan cream cheese (Tofutti Brand) and topped with a mixture of half a mashed banana and some strawberry jam... Yum!

For lunch I had some more Vegan Nachos, topped with some unusual extras like pan fried Red Seitan and Pickled Red Onions, both from Viva Vegan!

Dinner was a few of the Empanadas I made today, served up with a delicious green sauce  from Viva Vegan! called "So good, so green dipping sauce (Green aji sauce)." This sauce is awesome with the Empanadas and also makes for a good salad dressing. The sauce is a mix ingredients such as lime, cilantro, green onions, romaine lettuce and vegan mayo. I added probably double the amount of vegan mayo called for though cause I love my sauces and dressings creamy.

Portobello & Poblano Tacos with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

These are fantastic tacos, the creamy chiptole sauce is a must so don't skip it.

Ingredients:

- 3 Poblano Peppers (The large, mild ones)
- 6 oz package of medium-sized Portobello Mushrooms
- 1 huge White Onion, or 1 & 1/2 medium-sized
- .57 oz package of Taco or Fajita Seasoning
- 3/4 cup of Water
- A few tablespoons of Oil, as needed
- Corn or Flour Tortillas
- A few cups of Romaine Lettuce, shredded
- 1 big Tomato, cut into chunks (Optional)

Creamy Chiptole Sauce:

- 1/2 cup Vegan Mayo
- 1 Chipotle Chili, dripping in Adobo Sauce 
- 1/2 tablespoon of Non-Dairy Milk

Directions:

- Cut up your veggies, into fajita-sized chunks.
- Make your creamy chipotle sauce by blending together the mayo, chipotle in adobo, and non-dairy milk. Add more non-dairy milk if needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Fry up the sliced poblanos and onions in a bit of oil, preferably in a cast iron skillet for a grilled effect. Stir regularly to ensure you don't burn anything, once the onions and poblanos are getting soft, add the portobellos, water, and taco/fajita seasoning.
- Stir constantly until everything is evenly coated, liquid is absorbed, and portobellos are cooked (not mushy).

Pictured is only a half a batch, my cast iron skillet isn't that big.

- Quickly prepare your corn or flour tortillas, then add the veggie mixture, lettuce, tomatoes, and creamy chipotle sauce. Do not skip the creamy chipotle sauce or you will be sorry!

So good as a burrito too!

Sandwiches! Tofurkey Peppered & Grilled Cheeze

So I think I officially overdosed on Chickpea Salad Sandwiches so I've had to switch it up a bit!

 First off, I love Tofurkey Peppered Vegan Lunch Meat!!! You must try it now it is awesome. I made my first sandwich with...

Ingredients:
2 slices of Bread
4 slices of Tofurkey Peppered Vegan Lunch Meat
Vegenasie (Vegan Mayo)
Yellow Mustard
Thinly sliced Red Bell Pepper
Avocado slices
Romaine Lettuce...
Tomato slices would've been good but of course I was out

My second sandwich was a Grilled Cheeze. I had some leftover cheeze sauce from the Tofu Scramble I made last week, so I decided to use the leftovers to make a Grilled Cheeze.

To make the Cheeze Sauce and have some leftovers (I know it looks kinda gross above but trust me it's good):

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Flour
2 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 cup Water
1/4 teaspoon Yellow Mustard
1 tablespoon Vegan Margarine
1/2 tablespoon Light Miso

Directions:

Mix first 3 ingredients together in sauce pan. Add water and mix thoroughly. Heat on medium until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add mustard, margarine, and miso. Stir until everything is smooth and creamy.

I know you guys now how to make a Grilled Cheeze so I am not going to explain it.

I also added some vegan mayo to one of the sandwiches and thought it tasted awesome as well! I always dip my Grilled Cheeze's in ketchup... I love ketchup!

Teriyaki Tofu with Cornstarch Coating

Ever since making VegWeb's General Tao's Tofu I have been in love with fried tofu coated with cornstarch. The one thing that I wasn't so thrilled about however was how much time it took to coat each little piece. I remember reading somewhere that the trick is to just put the tofu in a ziploc bag with the cornstarch and shake it for a few minutes to easily coat the tofu... Problem solved!

This time around I had a brand new bottle of Teryaki Sauce from Trader Joe's so I decided to put it to good use for this recipe. Just to let you know at this point in time I have hardly any fresh veggies in my house. Your favorite fresh veggies added towards the end of frying the tofu would be awesome in this dish. Think asparagus, zucchini, red bell pepper, broccoli, green onions, etc.

Ingredients:

- 1 block Extra Firm Tofu*, drained and pressed
- 1/2 cup Cornstarch
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer mixed with 5 tablespoons Water
- 3 tablespoons Oil
- 8 ounces Frozen Broccoli Florets
- 1/2 cup Carrots, julienned
- 1/2 cup Teriyaki Sauce: Soy Vay or Trader Joe's brand taste identical
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon Water

* I used tofu that had been frozen and thawed to produce a more "meaty" texture

Directions:
- Cut drained and pressed tofu into cubes.
- Coat with Ener-G and water mixture.
- Take your 1/2 cup of cornstarch and put half of it in the bottom of a gallon sized ziploc bag. Add coated tofu and then the other half of the cornstarch on top. Shake for a minute until the tofu looks evenly coated with the cornstarch.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok. Add tofu and fry until golden on all sides.
- While tofu is frying quickly make your sauce by mixing together teryaki sauce and cornstarch mixed with water.
- Add frozen broccoli florets and let them cook for a minute.
- Add teriyaki sauce mixture, it should thicken in a minute or two.
- Once sauce begins to thicken add julienned carrots. Mix around for a minute and serve.

VegWeb's Baha Tofu Tacos with Cilantro Coleslaw and Vegan Tarter Sauce

This recipe, by far, is my favorite recipe on Vegweb! It never disappoints, I promise... I'm going to post the recipe here so that I can break it down for you and make things easier :)

INGREDIENTS:

*I use 4 pie pans for this recipe, it makes things much easier*
- 1 package extra firm tofu
- 4 cups vegetable oil (or just use a deep fryer like I did)
- 10 corn tortillas
Pan #1 (Rub):
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tbsp kelp or seaweed seasoning (optional)
Pan #2:
- 1/2 cup flour
Pan #3:
- 1 single serving container of plain vegan yogurt
Pan #4:
- 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
Cilantro Coleslaw:
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
- 3 cups multi-colored coleslaw blend
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro
Vegan Tarter Sauce (my recipe):
- 1.5 cups vegan mayo
- 4 tbsp sweet pickle relish
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder

DIRECTIONS:

Make coleslaw the night before to let the flavors blend and absorb. To make the coleslaw dressing, place 1/3 cup fresh lime juice, sugar, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon cumin, and chipotles in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture over slaw mix, stir in cilantro, mix well. Refrigerate until you are ready to eat.
Make vegan tarter sauce the night before as well, to allow the flavors to blend. Mix all tarter sauce ingredients (vegan mayo, sweet pickle relish, vinegar, garlic powder, and onion powder) together. Refrigerate until ready to eat.
When your ready to make your meal, wrap tofu in paper towels, place a cast iron skillet or other heavy object on top of the tofu to press the water out (I use a tea kettle filled with water). Let it sit for 30 minutes, flipping the tofu over after 15 minutes and replacing with new paper towels.

While the tofu is pressing, get your pans ready. Mix all tofu rub ingredients in one pan. Then get the yogurt, flour, and panko pans ready too.

Unwrap tofu, cut into 10 equal sticks. Rub all sides lightly with the tofu rub mixture, next dip each piece of tofu in flour covering all sides, then yogurt, then panko crumbs. Pat crumbs into the tofu to get them to stick well. Set on plate until all the pieces are breaded.

Pour the vegetable oil into a 10 quart sauce pan (or just use a deep fryer) and heat to 365 degrees Fahrenheit over medium heat. Deep fry breaded tofu pieces in oil 3-4 at a time until golden brown.
Spray each corn tortillas with cooking spray or just use some oil, heat 1 or 2 at a time in a large fry pan. (You can also spray them and then place them on a cookie sheet and bake them for 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Serve by placing one piece of tofu on top of a warmed tortilla, top with coleslaw and tarter sauce.

**This recipe could also be simplified to make "fish" sticks with tarter sauce, just skip making the coleslaw and tortillas**

Makes: 5 servings
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes