Perfectly Roasted Cauliflower

 

Cauliflower may not be the most exciting of vegetables, but when you simply roast it with olive oil, salt and pepper, and maybe a little garlic, it's a whole other story.  This roasted cauliflower is not only delicious on it's own, it's great in pasta.  It acts as filler, adding volume to to your dish without taking away from the other flavors.  Perfect with a pasta and marinara, pesto, or just olive oil and lemon.

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Method

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

In a bowl toss cauliflower with just enough olive oil to thoroughly coat.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again.

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Halfway through mix up the cauliflower so they will all get evenly browned. 


Variations:

Add chopped fresh garlic or garlic powder in the last 5 minutes, so the garlic doesn't burn.

Add pine nuts in the last 5 minutes, again so they don't burn.

Sprinkle with parmesan or pecorino romano.

Tastes Like Chicken Tofu

I say this tastes like chicken because that's exactly what many people have said when they've tried it.  The tofu itself is flavorless, so the key is to slice it really thin so you have a ratio of coating/seasoning to tofu in each bite.  The thinner you slice it, the crispier it will get which makes it even better.  This tofu is great to eat like nuggets with a dip, on salad, on a sandwich, or paired with sides (picture with Summer Tomato Bruschetta over pasta).

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Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 block tofu, drained and pressed
3 tbsp bread crumbs
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Canola oil

Variation - add Old Bay (dee-lish!)

Method

Slice your tofu thinly into squares about 2 inches.

Mix the rest of the ingredients in a shallow dish. give it a taste and adjust to suit taste. Add each tofu square and coat thoroughly, pressing mixture into the tofu. If you have trouble getting it to stick, try lightly spraying or coating with just a bit of oil.

Add enough oil to cover bottom of a non-stick or cast iron skillet. Heat over medium-high heat for a few minutes until a drop of water sizzles in it.

Add your tofu and cook 3-4 minutes on each side, or until browned and crisp.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Does anyone need a reason to whip up a batch of the most perfect cookie?  I certainly don't.  These cookies are really soft, almost like those old school Keebler soft batch chocolate chip cookies but way better.  These are also great made as blondies (see below for variation). I also lightened up the recipe by using applesauce in lieu of some of the vegan margarine.  Want to make them even a little healthier?  Use whole wheat flour. This may lighten them up a little bit but make no mistake, they are still just as delish!   

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Makes 10-12 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp Earth Balance vegan butter, softened
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Ener-G egg replacer (1 1/2 tsp egg replacer +2 Tbsp warm water)

1/2 cup chocolate chips (or more if you want them super chocolatety)

Method

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the egg replacer in a bowl and set aside.

Add flour, baking soda, salt to a mixing bowl and whisk everything together.

In another bowl, add butter, applesauce, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla.  Whisk everything until thoroughly mixed.  Add egg replacer and stir.

Fold wet ingredients into the dry.  Once it's just mixed together, add chocolate chips and stir. 

Drop by tablespoon onto a lightly greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Bake 12-15 minutes.

To make as blondies (aka bars):
Spread batter into a greased 8 or 9 inch metal baking pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool and cut into squares.

Lemon Tahini Dressing (oil-free)

An easy to whip up oil-free dressing that goes great on salad, rice, veggies, baked potatoes, sandwiches, endless possibilities. I always have these ingredients on hand, even the lemon juice and garlic.  Buy a couple lemons, juice them and freeze it ice cube trays.  However, if you don't have the lemon juice, you can also use red wine vinegar but adjust the quantity to taste.  I always have garlic in the freezer too.  I peel the cloves, put them in a plastic bag, and toss in the freezer.  Then just grate a frozen clove on a microplane.  Make as little or as much of the dressing as you need.  Store in the fridge 2-3 days.

Makes 2-3 servings

Ingredients

2 Tbsp tahini paste
3 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)
1 garlic clove, grated on microplane
Salt and pepper to taste (try pinch of white pepper if you have it)

Method

In a small bowl mix tahini and water until it comes together.  Add lemon juice, garlic, and stir.  Consistency should be like heavy cream or coconut milk, not too thin.  Add salt and pepper and make any adjustments to suit taste.

Tofu Rancheros

This makes a nice hearty breakfast, lunch or dinner!  If you don't want to make the ranchero sauce just simply top with your favorite store-bought salsa.  For the beans I happened to have a black bean dip (it was fat-free!) so I served with that. You can either eat in the the corn tortillas like tacos or use tortilla chips and eat like nachos! For an extra bonus top with guacamole or sliced avocado.

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Serves 2

Ingredients

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
½ block firm or extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1 cup chopped veggies (peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, corn, whatever!)
Salt and pepper to taste

Salsa or Ranchero Sauce (recipe below)
Refried beans, black beans, or a bean dip
Corn tortillas (recipe for homemade)
Cilantro for garnish

Method

In a medium bowl, mix the nutritional yeast, turmeric, cumin, and garlic powder.  Stir in the soy sauce; it will look like a paste.  Crumble the tofu and mix until the tofu is thoroughly coated. Mashing with a fork helps incorporate all the flavors into the tofu but leave some chunks.

Lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray or vegetable oil and heat for one minute over medium heat. Add the tofu mixture and peppers, onions, mushrooms (I like to start with them the veggies and tofu separately in the skillet and then halfway through mix them). Cook for 5-8 minutes or until vegetables reach desired tenderness.  Serve topped with cilantro and salsa with beans and corn tortillas on the side.


Ranchero Sauce
1/2-1 cup vegetable broth
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp chopped jalapeno
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper

Heat a skillet for a minute over medium heat.  Add a just enough broth to cover the bottom and add onion and bell pepper and a pinch of salt.  Cook 3 minutes, add cumin, garlic, and jalapeno and cook for a minute, adding more broth as needed.  Add tomatoes and their juices.  Cook 10-15 until tomatoes are softened.  Let cool and puree in a blender, add any extra broth if needed.

Tofu and veggies just starting to cook.