Island Tofu

Like I said previously, I love tofu. It is the absolute most versatile ingredient and favorite meat substitute. I know some people, especially those new to plant based eating, who don't like it, and I can guarantee it's not the tofu, but the way it's prepared. Try this and you'll change your mind!

Island Tofu

1/2 c. cornstarch
1/4 t. dried thyme
1/4 t. dried marjoram
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. cayenne
1/4 t. paprika
1/4 t. brown sugar
1/8 t. ground allspice
One package extra firm tofu, frozen, boiled, pressed, cut into rectangles or triangles
One green bell pepper, cut into strips
3 green onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
One jalapeno, seeded and chopped
Two tomatoes, chopped
One can of pineapple chunks, about 1 c., drained
2 T. soy sauce
1/4 c. water
2 t. lime juice

Mix the cornstarch, thyme, marjoram, salt, cayenne, paprika, brown sugar, and allspice in a bowl. Coat the sliced tofu in the mixture thoroughly, and cook in oil over medium heat until a nice golden b brown. Set aside.
In the same skillet, saute the bell pepper, green onions, garlic, and jalapeno in oil until softened. Add the tomatoes, pineapple chunks, soy sauce, water, and lime juice and simmer until flavors blend.
To serve, spoon the mixture over the tofu. Enjoy!

Jamaican Jerk Tofu

Jamaican Jerk Tofu

4 green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 small or 1 large jalapeno pepper, deseeded and chopped
2 limes
1 t. ground allspice
3 T. olive oil
One package super firm tofu, frozen in package, boiled, pressed, sliced

In a gallon sized baggie, add everything but the tofu and squish the bag to mix well. Add the slices of tofu and gently massage to coat all sides of the tofu. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Place the marinated tofu on a cookie sheet. Spread remaining marinade over each slice. Broil until tofu browns slightly. Be sure not to burn the marinade. Serve. Enjoy!

The flavors came out very nice and even with the jalapeno was not too spicy. Just make sure you wash your hands after handling the jalapeno! You don't want to accidentally scratch anywhere near your eyes and feel the burn!

Portobello Fajitas

Any time we go to our neighborhood Mexican restaurant, someone at another table inevitably orders fajitas. You can mistake that sizzling sound as it passes by your table.

I've made fajitas before using Portobello mushrooms (check out that recipe here), but they are so versatile and lend themselves so well to meaty Mexican dishes.

Portobello Fajitas

3-4 large Portobello mushroom caps, sliced into strips
One onion, sliced
One green bell pepper, sliced thin
One jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced thin

Saute the mushrooms, onion, bell pepper and jalapeno in olive oil until softened. Spoon into whole wheat flour tortillas and top with vegan sour cream and vegan shredded cheese. Roll up. Serve. Enjoy!

I served ours with Spanish rice and black beans. You can also top your fajitas with guacamole or avocado slices and salsa, if you like.

Collard Greens in Phyllo, Avocado Shooters and Parsnip Fries

I grew up eating collards. I know people who turn up their nose at anything remotely spinachy looking. Not me. Must be a Southern thing.

However, I bet that even if you are one of those that shudder at the thought of dark green leafy things, you will like these.

Collard Greens in Phyllo

One bunch of fresh collards
One shallot
Olive oil
One elephant garlic clove
1-1/2 t. balsamic vinegar
Phyllo dough sheets, thawed
One pear, sliced thin

Tear the collards from the stem and compost the stems. Add the collards, shallot and garlic to a food processor and pulse until everything is chopped. Saute this mixture in olive oil until tender. Stir in the vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Coat a cookie sheet with a cooking spray. Lay out a sheet of the phyllo and brush with olive oil. Top with another sheet and brush with olive oil again. Do this a third time. Spoon a heaping spoonful of the collards mixture in one corner of the stacked and oiled phyllo sheets. Top with a slice of pear. Begin folding in a triangle until all of the phyllo has been used. Lay this triangle on the cookie sheet, and begin the process again until you have used up all of the collards mixture. I got about five. Brush these triangles with more olive oil.
Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Avocado Shooters

2 cloves of garlic
One jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
3 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted
2 T. lime juice
1/2 t. hot sauce
2 c. plain rice or soy milk
1/2 c. fresh cilantro
1/4 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
2 T. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped

Add everything but the olive oil and onion to a blender and blend on high until everything is smooth.
In a skillet, saute the onion in the olive oil until softened. Add the avocado puree to the onions and gently simmer until it is heated through. Serve in shot glasses with a dollop of vegan sour cream on top.

For those of us who love guacamole, this is like hot guacamole, sipped instead of scooped.

Parsnip Fries

3-4 parsnips
Olive oil
1/2 T. ground coriander
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 T. ground turmeric
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Using a potato peeler, shave off strips of parsnip lengthwise. In a ziploc baggie, add the parsnip strips, olive oil and some salt and pepper. Massage the parsnip strips to coat well. Bake for 10 minutes at 400.
Combine the spices and sprinkle on the parsnips strips. Continue to bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir to make sure everything again is well coated.

National Junk Food Day

July 21 is National Junk Food Day. Because the next day was my son's birthday, and he loves the occasional night of snack food dining, I decided to wait. Okay, so we didn't celebrate Junk Food Day on Junk Food Day, but doesn't every day hold the honor of being a junk food day? Well, at least in some form? ;)

The good news is my birthday boy loved the snacks, and that's the most important thing!

I can't count how many potlucks or get togethers I've gone to where someone brought tortilla rollups. Such a simple and pretty thing, but I've never made them before. This offered me the perfect opportunity to correct that.

Tortilla Rollups

One container vegan cream cheese
5 green onions, chopped
2 small cans of chopped black olives
1/4 fake bacon bits
2 T. black bean salsa (see below)
1 t. cumin
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Hot pepper sauce, to taste
Flour tortillas

Soften the cream cheese in a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the flour tortillas, and blend well. Spoon some of the mixture on a flour tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down on a plate, and stack them on top of each other. Cover and chill. Before serving, slice into rounds.

Black Bean Salsa

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 c. red onion, diced
One green pepper, chopped
1/2 a jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Handful of cilantro, chopped
3 T. lime juice
2 T. vegetable oil
1-1/2 t. hot pepper sauce
1/2 t. salt

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl, stirring to mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.

Don't buy the canned stuff. This bean dip rocks!

Tex Mex Dip

3 green onions, chopped
One can vegetarian refried beans
One can corn, drained
One package Daiya Pepperjack
1/2 c. beer
One package taco seasoning mix

Mix all the ingredients in a medium sized pot on medium heat. Stir occasionally until everything is mixed well and heated through. Serve with tortilla chips.

Spicy Cheese Crisps

1/2 c. vegan butter, softened
One package Daiya Pepperjack
2 c. whole wheat flour
Pecan halves

Beat butter, cheese and flour together until well mixed. Cover and chill overnight. Shape into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Use a glass to smash the balls into flat rounds. Top with a pecan half. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, or until browned slightly. Let cool. Enjoy!

Loaded Chili

If you live in Texas, you know there seems to be a great deal of debate as to whether or not chili should contain beans. If you are vegan, this is a no brainer. OF COURSE it contains beans! LOL!

Loaded Chili

Olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
One onion, chopped
One jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized cubes
2 c. broccoli florets, cut into bite sized pieces
3 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
1 T. oregano
1 t. paprika
1/2 t. each salt and pepper
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 c. frozen corn
2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, saute garlic, onion and jalapeno in the olive oil, until softened. Add the sweet potato, broccoli and spices and stir until everything is well coated with the spices. Add remaining ingredients, stir well, and let simmer about 30 minutes. When the sweet potatoes are fork soft it is ready to eat.

Good and spicy and delicious! While you might wonder at the addition of things like sweet potatoes and broccoli to chili, trust me, you'll like it.

Kerry's Cuban Beans and Rice

My son thinks black beans are the bomb. I'll admit, we never really ate them before becoming vegan. They kind of reminded me of bugs and they turned everything black. Well, hello, uninformed me never knew you should drain and rinse them first! Ugh, sometimes I disturb myself. Now, of course, we eat them fairly often. Seriously, you just can't have Mexican or other Spanish styled dishes without them at least in one dish!

Kerry's Cuban Beans and Rice

One onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
One green bell pepper, chopped
One jalapeno pepper, chopped
Olive oil
Cooked rice
1 c. vegetable broth
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
One lime

Saute onion, garlic and peppers in the olive oil until softened. Mix in the remaining ingredients except the lime and stir well to mix. Add more broth or water if it seems too dry. Let heat through. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice over the rice mixture. Stir well. Serve. Enjoy!

You can use uncooked rice and add more broth and cook longer, if you want, but I had leftover rice so used that instead. This was really very good and quite tasty.