How to Glaze a Vegan Roast

There are a lot of good vegan roasts on the market these days: Tofurkey, Gardein, Field Roast, among others. They’re a nice option. But I think all of them can benefit from a little dressing up. This glaze is one that I’ve used on multiple brands as well as on homemade seitan roasts. It adds a little flavor and some color. I also like to roast some veggies along with the glazed roast to round out the meal.

A Gardein roast with cranberry glaze

Glaze for Vegan Roasts

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp jellied cranberry sauce or preserves

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp oil

2 tsp soy sauce

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

dash of cinnamon

¼ tsp dried thyme or mixed herbs (optional)

Directions:

Cranberry glaze

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.

To apply to the roast: Bake roast as usual until the last half hour, and then brush top and sides of roast with ½ of glaze. Bake 15 minutes, then brush with rest of glaze and bake 15 minutes more.

Applying the second layer of glaze

Roasting veggies:  I think surrounding the roast with some nice roasted veggies is really festive and appetizing. It doesn’t have to be to elaborate, either: you can bake them at the same time as the roast, in the same pan even. The trick is evaluating baking time compared to the roast, and deciding whether to add the veggies at the same time or partway through. In general, root veggies such as potatoes and carrots can take the whole hour-plus baking time unscathed, but more delicate veggies may scorch slightly and should be added during the last 20-35 minutes. If you’d like to keep things simple and don’t mind a little char, you can live dangerously and just add everything at once—most of them will be okay, particularly if the pan is covered at least some of the time. The veggies should be cut up in large pieces, tossed with a couple tablespoons of oil and some seasonings—I like to use some salt, lemon pepper, rosemary, and thyme—and arranged, cut side down if possible, around the roast. Stir and turn them a few times during the baking time.

Prepping veggies for roasting

Variations:

The cranberry sauce can be replaced with any flavor jelly, jam or preserves. Marmalade is particularly good. You could also experiment with other liquid sweetener in place of the maple syrup such as molasses, agave or sugar free pancake syrup.

Other herbs and spices could be used as well--some cayenne would make for a spicy version.

All dressed up and ready to go

Well, I hope everyone has a nice holiday! For more Thanksgiving ideas, try the Thanksgiving, pie and holiday tags.

Waldorf Salad Pockets with Baked Tofu

I’ve always rather liked Waldorf Salad and have made different vegan versions over the years. This time I decided to try more of a main-dish take on it. It turned out nicely—quite refreshing and rather summery, even though the non-seasonal ingredients make it easy to make year-round.

I rather like recipes like this that can be made ahead in volume and served cold. They can come in handy during busy times. Whether it’s the joyful chaos of a family wedding or new baby, or the less pleasant stress of a loved one in the hospital, it’s nice know there’s a big bowl in your fridge waiting for anyone passing through who needs a meal on the go. When it’s something wholesome and well rounded with protein, fruits and veggies that will really nourish people and keep them going when they need it the most, that’s even better. Other recipes I’ve used for this purpose include Quinoa Salad, Mashed Garbanzo and Artichoke Spread, and Tofu Salad Sandwich Filling.

Vegan Waldorf Salad Pockets

 

Waldorf Salad Pockets with Baked Tofu

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs tofu, baked according to this recipe (or store-bought baked tofu)

3 large apples, diced into ½ inch pieces (not peeled)

1 12 oz package of broccoli slaw

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup chopped walnuts

Dressing:

1/3 cup vegan mayonaisse

3 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp sugar or sweetener (more or less to taste)

½ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp ground ginger

salt and pepper to taste

Pita pockets or other flatbread

Directions:

Dicing the baked tofu

Dice the baked tofu into bite-sized pieces; set aside.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients until completely smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, combine tofu, apples, broccoli slaw, dried cranberries, and walnuts. Add dressing and stir until well coated. Taste and adjust seasoning and sweetness.

Baked Tofu Waldorf Salad

Warm your pitas if you wish, then stuff your Waldorf salad inside. Enjoy!

Makes quite a bit—at least 8-10 large servings.

Variations:

Waldorf salads sometimes contain diced celery or onions; those would both be welcome additions. The dried cranberries can be replaced with other dried fruits, such as cherries or raisins.

The walnuts could be substituted with almonds or pecans. The proportions of various ingredients can be adjusted to your taste as well (e.g. double the amount of nuts and halve the craisins).

The amount or composition of the dressing may be tweaked as well.

It would be quite authentic to serve the salad on a lettuce leaf instead of the pita, too.

Vegan Options for Dressing Fruit Salads:  

I like to make fruit salads, and since the dressing is usually the only non-vegan component, I’ve tried a number of different things over the years. Here are the basic options:

Fruit Salad, dressed with vegan yogurt

            Vegan yogurt is an excellent choice for dessert style fruit salads because of its sweetness. Its high sugar content may be undesirable in more savory recipes though (such as the one above) as well as nutritionally problematic for some people. The best flavors of vegan yogurt for fruit salads are vanilla, plain and lemon, although you could get more adventurous if you wanted to.

            Vegan sour cream is nice and creamy, richer and less sweet than yogurt, so it can be used in savory recipes. It may be less nutritious due to higher fat content and some even contain trans fat, however.

            Vegan mayo is arguably the best of both worlds nutritionally, much lower in sugar than vegan yogurt and lower in fat than vegan sour cream. Also one of very few specialty vegan staples that actually comes in reduced fat and even fat-free varieties (although availability varies by locale). It’s a very effective dressing base not just for fruit salads but also green/veggie salads. It benefits from being jazzed up a little with extra flavors like lemon juice, onion powder and sweetener. 

            Vegan “buttermilk” is not something you buy, it’s something you make by combining non-dairy milk with lemon juice or vinegar. For baking, the ratio is one tablespoon lemon juice to a scant cup of non-dairy milk, but for dressings I like it tangier. I use about one tablespoon of lemon juice per quarter-cup non-dairy milk, then sweeten and flavor to taste. Vegan buttermilk is not as thick as the other sauce options, so a smaller amount (1/2 to 2/3) should be used to prevent runniness. The advantages to using the “buttermilk” over the other sauce options are that it’s very economical and uses widely available ingredients—depending on where you live, soymilk and lemon juice may be much easier to get a hold of than specialty vegan yogurts, sour creams and mayos. It tastes pretty good too, especially if sweetened, and the lemon juice makes it effective at preventing oxidation in the fruit.

            Non creamy sauces for fruit salads are often vegan already with no modification. They can be based off of fruit juices, sugar syrups or vinaigrettes.

            No sauce at all: there’s nothing to say that a fruit salad has to be dressed with a sauce in the first place. If the fruit is on the juicy side, it’ll sauce itself. : )

Vegan Waldorf Salad with Baked Tofu and Broccoli Slaw

Scrambled Tofu Rancheros

A vegan riff on Huevos Rancheros, this was a pretty satisfying meal. It’s a bit of a fancier take on a Mexican meal without being overly difficult or time consuming. If you’re a talented enough multitasker, you can have all three components going at once and finish fairly quickly.

The tostada-like crispy tortilla adds a nice textural component and doesn’t get soggy like a fresh tortilla would. If you’d rather skip it you could use a bed of tortilla chips instead but it wouldn’t be quite the same.

The ranchero sauce is hearty but fairly mild; you can spice it up with some red pepper flakes or ground cayenne if you want to, or just use a spicier salsa.

Scrambled Tofu Rancheros on a Crispy Baked Tortilla

 

Scrambled Tofu Rancheros

Scrambled Tofu with mushrooms:

1 Tbsp oil

8 oz sliced mushrooms

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 14 oz package firm or extra firm tofu, crumbled

1 tsp cumin

½ tsp mustard powder

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp onion powder

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

salt and pepper to taste

Ranchero Sauce:

1 Tbsp oil

½ cup diced onions

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with juice

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

¼ cup salsa (mild or spicy according to your taste)

½ cup canned hominy

¼ tsp cumin

¼ tsp curry powder

½ tsp oregano

1 tsp veggie broth powder

¼ tsp smoked paprika

salt and pepper to taste

Crispy tortillas:

4 6-8 inch tortillas (flour or corn)

approx. 1 Tbsp lime or lemon juice

a few dashes of garlic salt

Directions:

Mushroom Scrambled Tofu

First, make the scrambled tofu: sauté the garlic in the oil until fragrant and very lightly browned. Add the mushrooms. Keep cooking until the mushrooms release their liquid, the liquid evaporates, and the mushrooms begin to brown. Pull about half the mushrooms out of the pan and set aside to add to the sauce.

Add the tofu to the pan with the remaining mushrooms. Add spices and remaining scramble ingredients. Saute until the tofu is fairly dry and somewhat browned.

Ranchero Sauce

Meanwhile, make the ranchero sauce: In a separate pan, saute the onions in the oil until transparent. Add the tomatoes and their liquid, then the beans and the rest of the sauce ingredients, including the reserved sautéed mushrooms. Let the sauce simmer until it’s thick and everything else is ready, at least 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

To make the crispy tortillas: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray. Place 4 tortillas on the cookie sheets with as little overlap as possible. Brush the tops lightly with lime or lemon juice then sprinkle evenly with garlic salt. Bake for 8-10 minutes until crispy (watch out for burning!).

Sauce on crispy tortilla

To assemble: Take a crispy tortilla and spoon sauce around the edge in a thick ring. Pile scrambled tofu in the middle. Top with guacamole or vegan sour cream if you wish, and serve immediately.

 

Tofu in the middle

 

 

Variations:

The sauce can be simplified down to just salsa if you wish, or fancied up further with extra sauteed veggies (bell pepper might be nice) and/or a vegan ground meat substitute.

The scrambled tofu and ranchero sauce could be assembled breakfast burrito style as well.

Fancy Vegan Caesar Salad

My family is very patient when it comes to all the exotic cuisines, strange flavor combinations, ingredients they’ve never heard of and just plain excessive, gratuitous unconventionality I bring to the dinner table. A reasonable amount of the time they even like the results. But nothing quite brings out their enthusiasm like familiar, long-loved favorites that have been successfully re-imagined—going from rare comfort food indulgences into healthy foods you can eat on a regular basis.

And this particular salad received a level of raves that is normally reserved for dishes involving copious amounts of gravy.

It would certainly be more creative to invent a new salad with all kinds of unusual ingredients and methods (and I often do). But some combos are classics for a reason, and this made for one of the nicest, most  restaurant-quality salads that I’ve had in some time.

This dressing was quite a satisfying facsimile—the capers, which I have seen in some other recipes, do indeed make a very good substitute for the traditional anchovies. The tofu lends creaminess and a neutral enough background for the traditional lemon and garlic flavors to shine through, and the other seasonings round out the flavors without requiring too much salt or fat. Which means you don’t have to be too stingy with the dressing—always a good thing.
 

The homemade croutons were easier than I though they would be. And with whole grain bread, they’re not too bad for you either.

Vegan Caesar Salad with faux chicken and homemade croutons

Fancy Vegan Caesar Salad

Dressing:

1 12 oz package soft silken tofu

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp capers, drained

2 tsp minced garlic

¼-½  tsp soy sauce

½ tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp mustard powder

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp lemon pepper seasoning

1/8 tsp salt

2-3 tsp olive oil (optional)

1-2 tsp sugar or sweetener

Croutons:

3-4 thick slices of whole grain bread

1-2 tsp olive oil

1 tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp lemon pepper seasoning (or salt & pep)

Vegan parmesan substitute (can use store bought if you want):

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

3 tbsp sesame seed, slivered almonds or cashews

¼ tsp lemon pepper

Vegan faux chicken strips OR baked tofu or seitan, 4 servings worth

1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped

Enough greens for 4 salads (8-12 cups), romaine would be traditional but iceberg, spinach, kale, mixed greens, etc would work too

Directions:

Tossing bread cubes with spices

First make the croutons: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice bread slices into 1 inch squares, and toss with oil and seasonings. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread bread out in a single layer. Bake about 12 minutes, stirring and flipping halfway through. Let cool.

Croutons, hot out of the oven

Vegan parmesan sub

Next, make the faux parmesan: place nutritional yeast in blender with lemon pepper and sesame seeds or nuts. Grind until powdery. Scrape out into a bowl.

To make dressing: Without washing the blender after making the faux parmesan, puree all dressing ingredients together until completely smooth. Taste and adjust salt, lemon and sweetener to your taste. Can be thinned with water or soymilk if desired.

To assemble: Place a pile of greens on each plate. Drizzle with a little dressing. Arrange

artichokes, faux chicken or tofu and croutons on top. Drizzle with a little more dressing,

then sprinkle with vegan parmesan sub. Enjoy!

Serves four (with leftover dressing & parmesan sub)

Vegan Caesar Salad

Variations:

Any fresh vegetable that you like on similar salads could be added, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, onions, peppers, radishes, sprouts etc. Fruits such as pears might be interesting as well.

Olives, wholes capers, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and sautéed mushrooms would all make highly flavorful add-ins as well.

Cooked sliced potatoes might create an interesting, nicoise-like effect, particularly if combined with green beans and olives.

Toasted or spiced nuts could be sprinkled on top for flavor and crunch. So could toasted nori.

Making the croutons with homemade bread, as I did using this recipe, is a nice touch. And the leftover bread can be served at the table with the salad.

Piled onto a whole wheat tortilla

This recipe is also very nice in wrap form. Just arrange all the components, sans croutons, on your favorite flatbread and roll up.

Caesar Salad in wrap form

Double Cucumber Hummus Wraps

This is a nice warm weather meal for those days when you don’t want to be slaving away in a hot kitchen. These wraps are both refreshing and filling. The lemony marinated cucumbers add a particularly nice zing.

Note: I needed about 1 ½ large cucumbers to produce the 2 cup chopped and ½ cup sliced cucumbers called for in the recipe.

Double cucumber hummus wrap

Cucumber-Hummus Wraps

Lemony Marinated Cucumbers:

½ cup cucumbers, sliced 1/8 inch thick

1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp water

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Cucumber-tofu sauce:

1 12 oz package firm silken tofu

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 cups cucumber, chopped into ½ inch dice

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

4 whole grain flatbreads

About ½ cup hummus, homemade or store-bought

Fresh greens such as spinach, kale, lettuce, etc.

Directions:

Marinated cucumber slices

Whisk together lemon juice, water, salt and pepper. Add cucumber slices. Let marinate while you prepare

the rest of the ingredients, tossing occasionally.

Cucumber Tofu Sauce

To make the cucumber-tofu sauce: puree tofu with lemon juice, seasonings, and 1 cup of the chopped cucumbers until completely smooth. Pour into a bowl and stir in remaining cup of chopped cucumbers. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

To assemble: Spread 1-2 tablespoons of hummus in an even layer over each flatbread. Place a layer of marinated cucumber slices on top (shake off any excess marinade). Lay a strip of greens down the middle, and top with a few spoonfuls of cucumber-tofu sauce. 

Flatbread spread w/ hummus

A layer of marinated cucumbers

Greens in the middle

Ready to roll up

Fold up the sides and enjoy!

Makes 4 wraps with plenty of sauce leftover.

Rolled up and ready to eat

Variations:

Fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, zucchini, or peppers can be added to the marinated cucumber mixture.

Different kinds of olives, capers, or artichoke hearts would make flavorful additions as well.

Fresh herbs such as parsley, chives, tarragon and/or dill could be blended into the cucumber sauce for a Green Goddess effect.

A different bean spread, such as a white bean-herb puree, could be substituted for the hummus.

Hummus-Cucumber sandwich

This wrap can be made in regular sandwich form, as well.

Note: The cucumber tofu sauce from this recipe also makes a good substitute for both tzatziki in falafel or gyro sandwiches and for raita in Indian meals.

yum

Moroccan Spiced Garbanzo Beans with Toasted Couscous

This was a nice dish somewhat reminiscent of takeout in flavor. In a restaurant, a similar dish might be called a tagine. This version isn’t quite authentic, though—I’ve made it quite a bit thicker than the broth-y stew that would be traditional. I think this helps keep the bed of couscous fluffy and not soggy. Feel free to increase the liquid if you prefer it the other way. You could make it spicier as well with cayenne or red pepper flakes if you wish.

This toasted couscous (modified from a non-vegan and not quite as healthy recipe) can be used with a lot of different meals. It is a nice upgrade from a plain bed of couscous. The basic method, with adjusted cooking times, can be applied to other grain products such as orzo or Israeli/pearl couscous or even bulger.

Moroccan Spiced Garbanzo Beans with Toasted Couscous

Moroccan Flavored Garbanzos with Toasted Couscous

Garbanzos:

1 ½ cup tomatoes, chopped

1 ½ cup plus ½ cup onions, chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic

1-2 Tbsp oil

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp ginger

½ tsp coriander

¼ tsp cardamom

1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped

2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans

salt, pepper, and/or lemon pepper or other low salt seasoning to taste

water if necessary

Toasted Couscous:

1 Tbsp oil

½ cup onions, sliced thinly

2-3 tsp garlic, minced

2 cup dry couscous (whole wheat or tricolor would be fine)

2 cups water or veggie broth

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp lemon pepper seasoning

2-3 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp slivered almonds (can be toasted or not)

2 Tbsp chopped green onions or chives

Directions:

Spiced Garbanzos with apricots

For the Garbanzos: Saute garlic and ½ cup of the onions in 1 Tbsp of the oil until softened and lightly browned; add a pinch on salt if you like to speed things up. Puree the rest of the onions with the tomatoes in a blender or food processor until slightly chunky but mostly liquid. When the garlic and onions in the pan are done, pour the tomato-onion mixture into the pan. Cook several minutes over medium heat, stirring until reduced and a bit browned. Push the sauce to one side, add a little more oil to the other side and add the spices, toasting briefly (anywhere from 15 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on your pan and stove) but not letting them burn. Stir the sauce and spices together. Add the garbanzos and apricots. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon pepper. Keep warm over low heat until the couscous is ready. Add a little water if things start looking too dry.

Toasted couscous w/ almonds and chives

For the Couscous: Saute the sliced onions with the garlic over medium heat until softened and somewhat browned. Add the dry couscous, stir to coat with the remaining oil and toast for 3-5 minutes, until it smells nutty and has slightly darkened. Add salt, lemon pepper and water/broth. Be prepared for it to bubble up somewhat aggressively. Stir briefly and quickly cover. Remove from heat and let sit for 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork when done, and stir in the remaining ingredients.

Spoon the Garbanzo mixture onto a bed of the couscous. Enjoy!

Tip: For recipes like this that call for quickly toasting a mix of spices, I like to measure out all my spices into a little bowl ahead of time, so that I can toss them all in at once when the recipe calls for it, instead of taking the time to measure them each into the hot pan individually, which delays and risks burning.

Garbanzos on a bed of couscous

Vegan Taco “Meat” Filling

Here is the recipe I use when I want a faux meat taco filling. The general technique, with slight flavor tweaks, is also useful for other recipes that call for flavorful ground meat fillings, such as for stuffed vegetables like bell peppers or ragu fillings for lasagna or moussaka. By the way, you could use a commercial taco seasoning mix if you can find a vegan version instead of the spices I have listed if you like.

Vegan faux meat taco filling

Vegan Taco “Meat”

1 Tbsp oil (can use more for extra richness if you like)

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 1/2 to 2 cups chopped onion

Any other sauté-able veggies that you want, such as bell peppers or mushrooms

½ tsp soy sauce (optional)

1 cup TVP, reconstituted in 1 cup water or veggie broth

OR

12 to 16 oz of your favorite ground meat substitute (see note*)

1 cup tomato sauce ( may need less for alternate meat subs)

Spices (feel free to double):

1 ½ tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp oregano

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp lemon pepper seasoning

1/8 tsp cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

Additional heat in the form of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

cooking the onion and garlic

Saute the garlic and onion (and optional veggies) in the oil until softened and lightly browned. Adding a bit of salt or soy sauce at this point will speed up the process a little; it’s up to you. Meanwhile, reconstitute your TVP in water or broth or otherwise prep your alternative ground meat substitute as necessary—some require thawing, precooking or soaking. When you’re ready, dump your TVP/meat sub into the sauté pan with the veggies and start browning. Add in the spices at this point too.

Taco Spices

After a few minutes, things should be looking pretty dry and a bit browned. Stir in tomato sauce, using more or less depending on whether you want the final product to be saucy or dry, and also on which meat sub you using (lentils and TVP tend to suck up more liquid than others).

 Cook a few minutes more, until you have reached your desired consistency. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Stuff into a tortilla with some beans and salsa and enjoy.

*Note on ground meat substitutes: your options are actually quite extensive here. Effective vegan ground meat substitutes include (but are not limited to): TVP, coarsely mashed cooked lentils or beans, bulgur, shredded or chopped seitan, crumbled tempeh, crumbled veggie burgers, commercial ground fake meat products or any combination thereof. If you try all of these you will probably develop a preference, based on flavor or nutrition. My favorite for crumbly applications such as this is TVP granules, re-hydrated in warm water for five minutes. I like how cheap and low sodium they are. You can season the re-hydrating water for added flavor, by the way.  For firm, shaped applications such as meatballs or meatloaf, my favorite is mashed lentils, particularly mixed 2 to 1 with bulgur or TVP. Commercial products are also very convenient; that’s what I have pictured here today. FYI, if you happen to have fake meats lying around that are shaped like cutlets or sausage links, etc., instead of ground, you can always chop them up finely and use them instead. 

Piping hot and ready to be stuffed into a taco

Mashed Tofu Cutlets

I was quite pleased with how this technique turned out: thoroughly well seasoned tofu with a very firm crispy texture. I’m looking forward to trying the same basic idea with different flavorings and sauces (perhaps a curry version next). I think it would work well as a substitute in many recipes that originally called for pounded or butterflied meat.

This technique is a really effective alternative to pressing and marinating slabs of tofu. You can squeeze out a lot more liquid with a lot less effort from mashed tofu than from whole slabs (which have to be handled with some care to avoid breakage), and therefore achieve a really good firm texture without much time or fuss.  Also, mashing allows you to mix your seasoning throughout the tofu, instead of the millimeter or so at the surface that you get with marinating. And since the flavorings don’t need to soak in via a liquid marinade but are mixed in directly, you’re not sogging up the tofu by adding back the liquid you took such pains to extract.

Which is not to say that I never marinate tofu—it’s a useful technique in some contexts. Bite size pieces of tofu marinated in garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and dried herbs can be quite good on pizza as a protein source/cheese substitute, for example.  I like having this technique as an alternative, though. I’m looking forward to experimenting with it.

Crispy mashed tofu cutlet

Mashed Tofu Cutlets

2 15 oz pkgs extra firm tofu

2 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp soy sauce

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ salt (more if you want)

½ tsp dill weed

1 ½ tsp Italian herb seasoning

½ tsp lemon pepper seasoning

cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line two cookie sheets with foil and spray with cooking spray.

pressing tofu in colander

Mash tofu thoroughly. Place mashed tofu in a colander over a bowl, and press firmly with a smaller bowl to extrude more liquid. Let set 3-4 minutes then press with bowl again. Transfer tofu to a mixing bowl; discard extruded liquid.

 

Before baking

Stir in seasonings and garlic. Form cutlets: Make 8 piles of the tofu mixture on cookie sheets. Press tops and sides of each pile with the back of a spoon until you have flat 4-inch ovals of about ¾ inch thickness (will shrink in oven). Spritz tops of cutlets with a little more cooking spray.

Fresh out of the oven

Bake for about 25 minutes. Pull them out of the oven. Loosen the edges with a spatula and carefully flip each cutlet. Put them back in the oven for 15-20 minutes more, until golden and crispy on both sides. You might want to rotate your cookie sheets partway through baking for even cooking.

 

Serve warm with sauce of your choice. I had it with mushroom gravy and some dressing on the side, but a creamy or tomato-y sauce would have been good too.

Cutlet with mushroom gravy

Two Vegan Pesto Recipes (and how to design your own)

Pesto is one those foods I never tried before going vegan, and it made a pretty big impression the first time I did.  Pesto is a rich, intensely flavorful sauce made primarily from a combination of herbs, nuts, and oil. The difference between traditional and vegan pesto recipes is generally the inclusion of parmesan cheese, which can be substituted for with extra lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and a higher proportion of nuts. Nutritional yeast may also be helpful.

I like to decrease the fat by replacing some of the traditional oil with warm water.  This makes the sauce a little lighter, which means you can eat more of it. And that's good thing, because you’ll want seconds once you taste it. : )  

Vegan Pesto Sauce

Parsley Walnut Pesto

5 cups fresh parsley, roughly chopped

2/3 cup walnuts

3 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp minced garlic (more or less to taste)

1 Tbsp oil

1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

up to ½ cup warm water (or more oil, if you like)

salt and pepper to taste

Waiting in the food processor

Place parsley, nuts, lemon juice, garlic, yeast, and 1 tbsp oil in food processor or strong blender. Puree until fairly smooth. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides with a spatula. Start the machine up again and drizzle the water (or oil) into the chute slowly while food processor is running. Stop when you reach a soft spreadable consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Kale Almond Pesto

1 large bunch kale

1 cup almonds

¼ cup lemon juice

1 heaping Tbsp minced garlic (more or less to taste)

1 Tbsp oil

1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

up to ½ cup warm water (or more oil)

salt and pepper to taste

Wash and de-stem kale. Steam or microwave kale until it turns bright green and tender. Place cooked kale, nuts, lemon juice, garlic, yeast, and 1 tbsp oil in food processor and blend. Pour in water or oil slowly while machine is running, scraping sides once or twice. You may need less water/oil depending on how much water the kale absorbs while cooking, so go easy.

Now that you have pesto, what do you do with it? The most common way to serve it is over pasta, preferably a shape with lots of crevices to catch sauce in. It can also be used in sandwiches, particularly grilled ones, and makes an excellent pizza sauce. I’ve also seen it used in various salads, including potato salad and cold pasta salad.

My favorite pesto meal is curly pasta tossed with pesto and Italian flavored white beans:

 

Italian Flavored White Beans

2 15 oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 tsp oil (more if you like)

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

1-2 tsp minced garlic

½ tsp Italian seasoning

¼ tsp dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and heat until warm in microwave or on stovetop

If you like, you can pre-sauté the garlic in the oil before adding the rest of the ingredients, but it’s not totally necessary.

Toss with pesto and your favorite pasta.

Pasta with Pesto and White Beans

Variations:

Traditional pesto: Using the parsley/walnut recipe, substitute fresh basil for the parsley and pine nuts for the walnuts. You might want to make a half recipe because of the increased price of ingredients, and because it won’t last as long due to the basil’s tendency to oxidize.

Build your own Pesto:  Fresh greens that can be used as pesto bases include the aforementioned basil and parsley, arugula, cilantro, watercress, mint or spinach . So can cooked greens such the kale above as well as collards, chard, mustard greens, etc. Even cooked vegetables outside the category of greens can be used, such as peas, asparagus, or edamame—these usually require less nuts and oil to achieve a creamy texture when blended. I’ve even seen seemingly unrelated veggies such as sun-dried tomatoes made into pesto.  For the nuts, virtually any type of nut or seed works, although some combinations play better with other ingredients than others. Mild flavored almonds and hazelnuts go with almost anything, but strong flavored nuts or seeds go best with more assertive greens. Toasted nuts can be used as well. Sunflower seeds or (shelled) pumpkin seeds can be used for a nut-free pesto—the pumpkin seeds in particular are often paired with cilantro.  Sometimes avocados or olives are used to add richness in place of some or all of the nuts as well.

Freeform Pesto Equation: 

Greens or other veggies (~4-5 parts)

+

Nuts or seeds (~1 part)

+

 flavoring agents such as garlic, lemon, spices (to taste)

 +

 Liquid such as water or oil (~1/2 to 1 part)

 =

 Vegan Pesto!

Have fun!

Yum!