Caesar Salad Dressing

This salad dressing came out a little on the thick side. It would be great for a dip or to spread on a sandwich. But, if you want to use it as a salad dressing I would think it out with a little non-dairy unsweet milk or maybe a vegetable broth. But the flavors were amazing.

1 (12.3 ounce) package extra-firm silken tofu, drained

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon capers

2 teaspoons mellow white miso

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy. You will need to scrape down the sides a couple of times.

Pour into a pint mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

Enjoy!!

Lasagna Soup (WFPBNO)

This soup was so delicious I made it again the very next week. Also the tofu crumbles can be used in other soups, like my Taco Soup - just change up the spices to fit the flavor profile for whatever you are making. The leftovers reheated very well and I love that this all comes together in one soup pot and baking tray. I don't know where you live but it's still very warm here in sunny Florida, but that isn't keeping me away from soups. Let me know if you give it a try. 

Tofu Crumbles:

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 1 package extra-firm tofu, crumbled

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, chili powder, garlic powder and liquid smoke in a large bowl This will make a brownish paste.

Crumble the tofu with your fingers into the bowl.

Mix everything gently with a spatula until all of the tofu pieces are coated.

Spread on your baking sheet evenly. 

Bake for 35-45 minutes. Give it a stir every 10-12 minutes. Keep an eye on it towards the end so it doesn't burn. You just want it nice and brown.  Set aside.

Soup:

• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups broth, either vegetable, mushroom or garlic based (I had a garlic based bouillon)
• 1 can (14.5 ounce) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (14.5 ounce) fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 2 cups baby spinach (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 10 uncooked lasagna noodles, broken into bite-sized pieces

In a large Dutch oven or soup pan, heat 1/4 cup water. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, adding the garlic during the last minute.

Stir in broth, tomatoes and seasoning. Stir.

Bring to a simmer and add the mushrooms and spinach if using.

Cook until spinach wilts. 

Turn up heat, it doesn't need to boil but you should see some ripples. Add the broken lasagna noodles.

Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the noodles don't stick together. Once the noodles are done add the tofu crumbles and cook 2-4 minutes until the crumbles are hot.

Serve in a large bowl. If you wish you could garnish with some sliced scallions or a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. Remember, we are keeping the whole food, plant based, no oil.

Enjoy!!!!

Spicy Chili garlic Edamame

 Ya'll know we love the heat, give me some spicy food. If you aren't a fan just use much less of the chili garlic sauce. We have made this for a snack, as a side dish an as an appetizer. So fast and easy using frozen steam in bag in shell edamame. Go make it now!!!! Seriously, it's so easy it's not even a "recipe" - LOL

• 1/4-1/2 coarse salt
• 2 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
• 1 bag steam-in-bag whole edamame

Steam the edamame according to the package directions. Pour into glass bowl.

Add salt and stir.

Add the chili garlic sauce and stir well. Consume immediately!

Enjoy!!!

Italian Sausages

 I looked at several seitan sausage recipes to get the idea for these. Most of the recipes just didn't have enough flavor to me. I came up with this recipe that we really enjoy. I've served this cooked with sliced onions and bell peppers as a sandwich and served with warmed kraut. Which is what I did here; I hope you'll take the time to make some of these and share how  you chose to serve them.

• 2 tablespoons water combine with a vegan bouillon cube
• 1/3 cup oatmeal, uncooked
• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons flax meal
• 1 cup water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

Mix the bouillon cube and water. Set aside.

Place oatmeal in a spice grinder and grind to make oat flour.

Add the oat flour to a large bowl with all of the dry ingredients. Stir well to combine.

Add the bouillon mixture, garlic and soy sauce to a blow and blend well. Pour into dry ingredients and mix until everything is incorporated. Start you steamer so the water is boiling.

This will make four sausages. Tear 4 sheets of aluminum foil and put about 1/2 cup of trhe sausage mixture onto it. Shape like a log.

Roll this up and twist the ends to close them.

Add your sausages to the steamer basket. Cover and steam for 40 minutes. Then remove from heat and allow to cool enough that you can remove the aluminum foil

Let them continue to cool (or add to the frig) This will make them firmer. 

I heated my sausage in a nonstick skillet to warm it up.

Then added warm kraut to the bowl. To serve I squirted yellow mustard all over it! 

Enjoy!

Harissa Tofu Scramble Burrito

I had everything in the frig to make a tofu scramble. I also had just a little bit of Harissa and decided to through it into the mix. These breakfast burritos were delicious. I added a little slice of vegan cheese and rolled it up in a burrito. I then browned the burrito on each side to melt the cheese and add some texture to the tortilla. These come together in under 30 minutes. Store the leftover filling in a sealed container in the refrigerator. The leftovers can make more burritos later, or just eat like a scramble on a plate.

• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup fresh tomatoes, cubed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 a small container  tomato paste
• 5 tablespoons harissa
• 1 block of extra firm tofu, crumbled
• 2 teaspoon cumin powder
• flour tortillas if you want to make burritos
• Garnish for burrito, shredded lettuce, cheese

Add red bell, tomatoes and garlic to a large non-stick skillet. Cook until warm all the way through. About 2-3 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients (except tortillas and garnish) and cook, stirring constantly for 6-7 minutes until the tofu has absorbed the flavors of everything.

I turned this into a breakfast burrito. Warm tortilla in microwave for 8-10 seconds. Add a row of the scramble, top with cheese then add shredded lettuce.

Roll up and heat burrito in a non-stick skillet until the cheese begins to melt and the tortilla begins to brown.

Enjoy!!!

Sesame Noodles w/Crispy Baked Tofu

This is a really quick dinner with the exception of baking the tofu. If you cook the tofu in advance it's super fast to throw together. If you are making everything at the same time, be sure to get your tofu in the oven before you start the noodles since it takes 30 minutes to cook the tofu. I cooked my tofu in the convection oven in a pan that has a solid bottom and a grate that sits on top which allows the air to flow all around the tofu, much like an air fryer. I baked some mini vegan egg rolls to go with this dinner.

For the tofu:

• 1 package tofu, firm or extra firm
• 2 tablespoons Coconut Aminos
• 2 tablespoons Garlic and Herb Seasoning (if you don't have this use garlic powder, onion powder and some other dried herbs you like)

For the noodles:

• 1 8-ounce package Chinese Noodles

For the sauce:

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha (or more if you like it hot)
• Garnish: sliced scallions, black pepper, more Sriracha and sesame seeds

Drain your block of tofu and place on a clean kitchen towel. Preheat convection oven to 400F.

Press for 20-30 minutes. I like to use the heavy lid from my Dutch oven for pressing.

The pressed tofu should be pretty dry which will allow it to soak up the marinade.

Mix the soy sauce and garlic seasoning in a bowl. Add cubed tofu and gently stir to coat all the pieces.

Add the coated, cubed tofu to a baking rack (I use parchment paper to keep the tofu from sticking).

Bake tofu for 15 minutes. Flip each piece and bake another 15 minutes.

Add all of the sauce ingredients to a small mason jar and shake well. Set aside.

Start water to boil for cooking the noodles. When the tofu is almost done; cook the noodles according to the package directions. When done strain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.

To prepare the noodles, add them to a nonstick skillet until they begin to warm. Don't let them stick. 

Add all of the sauce ingredients from the mason jar and give it a good toss to coat all of the noodles.

Plate the noodles with chosen garnishes and add tofu to the side. You could throw the tofu into the noodles in the skillet but I didn't want to take a chance on breaking them up.

Enjoy!!