Vegan and Vegetarian Cooking and Living

Crispy Tofu Sandwich

Ingredients:

• Sourdough Bread
• 4 slices tofu, about 1/2 inch thick, 2x1 inches wide
• 1 Romaine leaf
• 1 small grated carrot
• 1/4 avocado
• Mustard, Tahini dressing, or sauces of choice
• Cooking oil
• Soy Sauce or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (similar to soy sauce, but lighter)  

Directions:

1. Put tofu in the pan with a little oil, sprinkle braggs or soy sauce on top
2. Let tofu cook until it’s slightly crispy on both sides
3. Toast the bread and spread on mustard, tahini, and avocado
4. Add other veggies and tofu, slice in half, and enjoy :)
5. If desired, wrap in plastic and take on the go. It saves well. 

-N 

Green Breakfast

This is a delicious breakfast dish inspired by an item called “Green Eggs And…” on the menu at Green Bean Restaurant in Northampton, MA. If you’re ever in town, you MUST order their tempeh bacon. It is smokey and maple-y and just the right texture and makes me want to hop on the next plane to Bradley Airport right now. Ah, but I digress. Here’s the recipe:

You’ll Need:

• Tofu, cubed
• Kale, chopped
• Garlic, minced
• Rice Vinegar
• Tamari
• Nutritional Yeast
• Cheesy product, grated

To Make:

• Sauté tofu with a splash of vinegar and a dash of Tamari until crispy. Add a spoonful of nutritional yeast at the end.
• In the meantime, cook garlic for 30 seconds in a separate pan. Add kale, splash of vinegar and Tamari, and cover with a lid. Cook until soft.
• Add tofu to kale, top with grated cheese and let sit until cheese melts.

For all you New Englanders: http://www.greenbeannorthampton.com/

-E

Tangy Udon Noodles with Lemon Honey Brussel Sprouts

For this meal I used the same method for the Brussels as a recipe I posted earlier (Lemon honey sautéed Brussel sprouts, about a month ago) topped on wide udon noodles, which you can find at most natural food, Asian markets or some grocery stores. I flavored the noodles with my favorite combo of soy sauce, rice vinegar and lemon juice. For some extra protein add cubes of tofu or cooked soybeans.

Ingredients:

• Wide udon noodles
• Brussel sprouts
• Rice vinegar
• Soy sauce 
• Lemon 
• Honey or vegan sweetener 
• Olive oil 
• Salt, pepper and garlic to taste 

Directions:

1. For the Brussels
2. Boil a pot of water (with enough water to cover brussels)
3. Wash brussels well, peeling off outer leaves if they look gross
4. Chop into halves or quarters, depending on their size
5. Put brussels into boiling water and cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until they are pretty cooked but still a little hard
6. Strain and put brussels in a large pan with olive oil
7. Add lemon juice, honey and herbs to taste (it tend to take a good amount of lemon and honey to be flavorful enough) 
8. Continue to sautee until they are tender
9. For the noodles: 
10. Follow directions on the package to cook noodles 
11. Drain and mix in a bowl with rice vinegar, soy sauce and lemon to taste. 
12. Add protein source if desired and top with cooked Brussels. Enjoy :)

Farmer’s Market Stir Fry

This is a yummy “everything but the kitchen sink” stir fry inspired by a basket full of fresh veggies from the farmer’s market. I kept the flavors simple to highlight the veggies’ sweetness and crunch, then topped the dish off with potstickers and tofu so I would actually get full. Modify using whatever ingredients you have lying around. 

You’ll need:

• Oil (olive, coconut, etc.)
• Green (or traditional) garlic, chopped
• Delicious fresh veggies- I used red cabbage, yellow onion, carrots, swiss chard, and (frozen) peas
• Tamari or soy sauce
• Rice vinegar
• Nutritional yeast
• Trader Joe’s Soyaki sauce
• Plant protein of choice (I used tofu cubes)
• Frozen potstickers (TJ’s makes some tasty veggie ones that aren’t too full of junk)

To make:

• Sauté onion until translucent.
• Add green garlic, cook one minute or until fragrant.
• Add slow cooking veggies (i.e. carrots and cabbage), cook until crunchy-tender.*
• Add quick cooking vegetables (chard, peas).
• Add a dash of Tamari, a splash of vinegar, and a little water.
• Cover with a lid for a minute or two until veggies soften. Remove lid and stir frequently until veggies are just under-cooked. They will continue to soften in the hot pan.
• In the meantime, fry up cubes of plant protein in a separate pan. When they get crispy and golden brown on the outside, add a little Soyaki and nutritional yeast. Cook until liquid evaporates.
• Cook frozen potstickers.
• Add potstickers and plant protein to veggies. Add more Tamari, vinegar and nutritonal yeast to taste. Serve with your favorite hot sauce.

*What the hell does that mean? Well, kinda what it sounds like. You want your veggies to be soft enough that you no longer sound like a dinosaur crushing bones beneath its teeth when you bite down and your little sister screams at you that you’re a “mean old chew-loud”, but not so soft that they get mushy while you cook the rest of your vegetables. So… ya know… crunchy-tender.

-E

Zesty Lentil-Veggie Salad

This is my new favorite super easy meal. I like to think of it as healthy vegan fast food. It’s fresh, crunchy and packed full of protein. It takes about 3 minutes to prepare and saves well. I used Trader Joes pre-cooked lentils, from the refrigerated vegetable section. I added cubes of tofu, canned chick peas, organic green beans and cucumber, and mixed it up with tangy delicious tahini dressing from New Leaf (small yummy/overpriced chain of natural food stores in the Santa Cruz area). This is a great meal when you don’t have much time but need a nutrient-dense meal. It’s also great for when you want to eat something delicious.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup lentils
• 1/4 cup chick peas
• Uncooked tofu cut into small cubes
• 1/4 cucumber
• Handful of green beans cut into bite size pieces 
• Tahini dressing or dressing of choice
• Lemon juice to taste

Directions:

1. Put all the beans, tofu and veggies in a bowl
2. Add dressing and lemon juice, stir well
3. Serve, or put in a container for a meal on-the-go

Enjoy!

-N

Fried Tofu with Steamed Lemony Kale

You know how when you go to Thai or Chinese restaurants the tofu is all perfectly cooked so its crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, and you think you could never make it as yummy? Well it turns out you can, and it’s easy and cheap. 

I paired this with steamed dino kale, which is so fresh and green it balances the fried tofu nicely. It takes about 10 minutes to make this whole meal, and it saves well so it’s great to take to work or school. 

Ingredients:

• Tofu, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• about 1 TBS Oil (olive, canola, sesame, any will work)
• Dino Kale (dark green and more textured than regular kale)
• Lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste
• Optional: Rice vinegar and soy sauce 

Directions:

1. Put oil in the pan and heat, add the tofu
2. Let tofu cook until brown, rotating so every side gets browned and crispy (be careful, the oil may spit out of the pan)
3. Meanwhile, chop kale and put it in a pan with a little water
4. Cover and let it steam until its almost all the way cooked
5. Remove lid, let any excess water cook out, and add lemon, salt and pepper
6. Optional: Mix 1 TBS rice vinegar and 1 TBS soy sauce in small bowl, use as dipping sauce for tofu
7. Enjoy :)

-N

The Devil’s Tofu Scramble

N and I apparently share a brain. At the same exact time she was writing a rant about her disdain for tofu scramble, I was returning home after a morning dance rehearsal with a growling belly to a fridge full of… tofu. And not much else.

Now I’ve seen a lot of tofu scramble recipes floating around the vegan blogosphere of late. I’ve been ignoring them because, like my sister, I generally think tofu scramble tastes like turmeric-flavored glop. What is it with the turmeric, people? I swear, go to any breakfast joint in California hip enough to throw a tofu scramble on its menu and you will receive a pile of squished, undercooked soy product mixed with tiny shreds of carrot and celery and a healthy dose of that ubiquitous golden dust.

In any case, due to my lack of other ingredients, I decided to reverse the trend and make my own, totally delicious tofu scramble with what I had lying around the kitchen. Here are the ingredients I scrounged:

• Tofu (duh)
• Coconut oil or other greasy substance
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 stalk slightly wilted green garlic, sliced thinly
• Dino kale, chopped
• Tamari (soy sauce or Braggs would work too)
• Brown Rice Vinegar
• Hot sauce (Off-brand Sriracha, to be precise)
• Nutritional yeast
• Salt n’ peppa
• Turmeric (I know I know, I’ll get to that)

Here’s what I did with them:

1. Sauté onions in a couple tablespoons of coconut oil on low heat until translucent. Add a pinch of salt.
2. Add green garlic, cook another minute or two.
3. Add kale and a splash of water, cook until kale begins to soften.
4. Meanwhile, smash up tofu in a bowl. I should note somewhere that although I am normally a fierce advocate for medium-firm tofu, in the rare case of tofu scramble, extra-firm actually works better. Add Tamari, rice vinegar, hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add tofu to pan of veggies, cook for a WHILE. As in, until liquid starts to evaporate and it starts smelling good. I think a lot of tofu scramblers just don’t cook it long enough, and it’s their downfall- nobody likes raw, mushy tofu.
6. Add a dash of nutritional yeast, cook for one more minute.
7. So I got to this step, and my scramble tasted pretty good- the roughness of the dino kale was a nice complement to the squish of the tofu, and the green garlic did its job of giving the dish a great flavor. However, the hot sauce had turned my breakfast a disturbing shade of pink. I can’t say whether it was nature or nurture that made me want to add it (do people put turmeric in tofu scramble because it tastes good, or do people put turmeric in tofu scramble because they think they’re supposed to?), but without thinking my hand reached for the little yellow jar, and before I knew it I had joined the ranks. Jumped on the turmeric bandwagon. Insert one more turmeric-themed cliche here. My breakfast turned yellow. I scarfed it down. And it was damn good.

Simple Chow Mein with Green Garlic

Green Garlic has come! Easy to miss, this little-known flavor vessel looks like a fat green onion or a skinny leek, and will make your food taste fragrant, but not metallic. It’s available at farmer’s markets in the early spring (which comes extra early if you live in Cali), and is good with pretty much everything: in stir fry, on pizza, with your egg or tofu scramble…

The chow mein recipe is loosely based on this one: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2012/01/04/golden-garlic-leek-chow-mein-noodles/. It’s quick and easy, and can be made with whatever vegetables and protein you have lying around your kitchen.

You’ll Need:

• 1 pack chow mein noodles (Asian foods aisle)
• 1 stalk green garlic, chopped
• 2T grease of choice (margarine, olive oil, coconut oil…)
• Veggies, cut into bite-size morsels (I like broccoli but anything goes)
• 1/2 cup veggie broth
• 1T Tamari or soy sauce
• Veggie protein of choice, cut into bite-size morsels
• Hot Sauce (optional)
• Lemon wedge (optional)

To Make:

1. Boil water.
2. When it’s rolling, add noodles and rest a strainer full of veggies over the water. Cover with lid so the veggies steam while the noodles cook. Keep an eye on this pot as you continue, as the noodles may finish cooking before the veggies.
3. Cook green garlic on medium low heat with grease of choice for 2-3 min.
4. Add veggie protein of choice, sauté until golden brown.
5. Strain noodles and veggies, add to pan.
6. Add veggie broth and Tamari, saute until liquid is gone.
7. Serve with hot sauce and a squeeze of lemon.

-e

N’s Famous Veggie Soup

This is my best, tastiest, most widely known recipe. My family started making a version of this soup in high school, and since we made it every morning it became known as ‘morning soup’. When I went off to college I began making my own improved versions. It varies every time I make it depending on what I have in the house, but there are a few staple ingredients. It’s pretty light (which means I can eat about 6 bowls in one sitting). I use Better Than Bouillon Veggie Broth, which comes in a jar at natural food stores or Whole Foods. It’s a great base for any soup, and I like it better than veggie broth cubes. My veggies really vary, but this version has red onion, frozen peas, kale, carrots, and purple cabbage. I often use frozen edamame (soybeans), broccoli, cauliflower or brussel sprouts. 

I usually add a grain, either cooked brown rice at the end or soba or udon noodles when its close to being done. I also often add Trader Joes Thai Gyoza, which are frozen potstickers that taste like wontons when they are in soup. When you’re making the soup, just keep tasting veggies to see when they seem cooked; since there is a lot of freedom on what you add, it’s hard to give specific cooking times. 

Ingredients:

• 1 or more spoonfuls of Better than Bouillon Veggie Broth 
• Onion of your choice
• Soy Sauce
• Rice Vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Sriracha or other Hot Sauce
• Fresh or Powdered Garlic
• Veggies of your choice, cut into small pieces
• Tofu, cut into small pieces
• Grain of your choice
• Optional Potstickers
• Optional Nutritional Yeast

Directions:

1. Boil water in a medium or large pot
2. While you wait for the water to boil, chop your veggies and tofu into similar sized pieces and mince the garlic
3. Add a spoonful of Better Than Bouillon and mix it into water
4. Add garlic and onions to the pot and let them cook for a few minutes
5. Add veggies depending on their cooking times (so I added carrots, then cabbage, the frozen items, then kale, with a minute or two in between each one)
6. When there is about 6 minutes left, add noodles if desired
7. Add tofu
8. If you’re using cooked rice, put it in when the soup is almost done
9. Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, lemon juice and hot sauce to taste, and more veggie broth if needed
10. Turn off heat and serve, sprinkle nutritional yeast on top

Happy Souping!

-N

Soba Noodles with Tofu

Soba noodles are Japanese noodles, made out of buckwheat. This is a great dish for noodle lovers like myself, if you want to stay away from bleached white pasta,try some asian flavors and eat a yummy and quick new dish. 

Nutrition info here: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5776/2

I used Hodosoy (local tofu seller, that E used to work for, their tofu is organic and SO much better than other brands) medium-firm tofu. You can find this at many farmers markets and grocery stores in the extended bay area. 

Ingredients:

• soba noodles, which you can find at any asian market, whole foods or other natural foods store
• tofu
• soy sauce
• rice vinegar (any grocery store should have this)
• lemon juice
• nutritional yeast
• sometimes-sesame oil. it has a strong taste so I only use a teeny bit. 

Directions:

1. boil water, add soba noodles
2. cut up tofu into small pieces
3. when noodles are done, drain water and mix in a bowl with the tofu
4. add all sauces to taste, stir well, enjoy :)

-N

Quick and Easy Tofu and Kale

This is a great meal if you don’t have a lot of time to cook, or even if you do, because its delicious and healthy. Leafy greens are really important in a vegan diet, they are high in fiber, iron and calcium (fun fact-broccoli has more calcium than milk! Don’t believe milk companies that tell you its the only way to get your calcium), among other nutrients. 

I use nutritional yeast on the tofu, and on most things I eat. If you are a new vegan you will soon learn that nutritional yeast, known as ‘hippie-crack’ is useful, healthy and yummy, often used in place of cheese. Its high in B-12, a vitamin you need to make sure you get as a vegan or vegetarian. It also has a fair amount of protein in it. Just try not to eat more than about 2 tablespoons a day, since too much can stop your body from absorbing calcium. You can find it in the bulk section of most natural food stores, its flaky/powdery and yellow. Anyhow. 

To make the Tofu:

• Cut tofu into cubes of desired choice and put in pan with some oil
• Sprinkle soy sauce over tofu, then nutritional yeast as well as any other flavors you want (garlic, salt, pepper, etc)
• Let it cook for a few minutes, stir some, take off heat when it looks good

To Make the Kale:

• Wash kale and cut into fairly small pieces, you can use the stem and leaves
• Put in pan with some rice vinegar (asian style vinegar, you can find it at most grocery stores)
• Put on a lid and let it steam some until its mostly cooked
• Take off the lid, squeeze on some lemon juice, add salt and pepper to taste
• Stir a bit, take off heat, and serve with tofu

Note: I flavor pretty much everything I cook with some combination of lemon, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and nutritional yeast. I love savory, sour flavors, but I know not everyone does as much as me. There are plenty of other ways to cook these types of foods. Happy eating!