Vegan Recipes and Plant Based Cooking

This recipe is a cross between gazpacho and romesco. It takes elements of both and creates a unique variation that's both sweet and hot.  It has influences from both the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.  But above all else, it's 100% vegan and totally delicious.  A good sauce makes everything better.  Ingredients 10 mini sweet peppers (red, yellow and orange) 6 small cloves garlic 1 red habanero 2 tbls canola oil 1 tbl salt 1 tsp black pepper 2 tsps dry basil 2 cups water 1/2 cup garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed Instructions Cut the veg into small chunks. Add all ingredients to a medium sauce pot. Cover. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.  If possible, store in a container and let rest in the fridge overnight.  The next day, puree in a blender until smooth.  Alternatively, you can simmer for 30 minutes. Cool thoroughly and then puree. 

I have a similar recipe that uses almonds and oats with tofu to create little vegan protein filets.  While those were really tasty, I wanted to try using lentils in place of the nuts and the oats for a few reasons.  One, nuts can be expensive. Two, lentils are bursting with nutrition and are very inexpensive. Three, most everyone thinks they need to boil lentils to use them. That just isn't so.  Ingredients . One 14 oz pkg firm tofu 1/2 cup dry lentils 3 cloves garlic 1 jalapeno 3 tbls canola oil 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp paprika 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp cayenne 2 tbls sriracha 1 tbl soy sauce 1 tbl salt 1/2 tsp black pepper Instructions Drain the tofu overnight. Remove from the package. Discard the liquid. Wrap in a kitchen towel and leave in the fridge.  Grind the lentils to dust in a spice grinder.  Pulse all the ingredients in your food processor until a dense paste is achieved. Cover the chute of the food processor and stash the mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Line a large b

It's sweet and spicy thanks to the combination of tomatoes and chiles. As with a traditional gazpacho, it's a little thicker than a traditional soup. So it's a wonderful base for a plethora of creative additions, in order to make it a complete and satisfying meal.  It also makes a wonderful sauce, condiment or salad dressing.  We'll simply extract the maximum flavor from only a handful of simple ingredients.  Less time cooking it... more time enjoying it.  And, as always, it's vegan.  Ingredients 2 plum tomatoes, chunked 2 jalapenos, chunked 1 serrano, chunked 3 cloves garlic 2 cups water 2 tbls sriracha 1 tbl spicy mustard 1 tbl canola oil 2 tsps dry rosemary 1 tbl salt 1 tsp black pepper Instructions Add the tomatoes, jalapenos, serranoes, garlic and salt to a medium sauce pot. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered until reduced by 1/3.  Puree in a blender. Chill overnight. 

  If you're like me, you've sometimes forgotten to dry your tofu overnight and are wondering what you can make with moist tofu that will have both a pleasing texture and taste. Sure, there are many dessert applications for undried tofu, but savory is a little tricker.  This is one way you can turn still soggy tofu into something scrumptious with minimal effort.  It also incorporates dried lentils for even more protein and nutrition.  It's a slightly chewy, mock meat like texture that you'll be surprised you can get from tofu. Try it. You'll see.  Ingredients One 14 oz pkg firm tofu 1 1/2 cups dry lentils 1 1/2 tbls salt 1 tsp black pepper 2 tsps paprika 2 tsps turmeric 1/2 tsp cumin 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp crushed pepper flakes 2 tsps dry basil 2 tsps canola oil The secret is that the dry lentils absorb the moisture in the tofu as everything is cooking in the pan. It's a a quick and easy way to get great texture from tofu when you don't have time to wait f

One of the best new cooking tools I've recently acquired is the spring-loaded scoop. It makes quick work of dispatching both sweet and savory concoctions. It's so much easier than rolling and shaping by hand. Thank you Alton Brown for convincing me I need this.  In this case I used a small one to create little balls of italian sausage style goodness using tofu and oats. The textural magic happens when the oats absorb the excess moisture in the tofu. Even when you drain it overnight, it still has a lot of liquid inside it. The oats soak that up and help to create a pleasing texture.   Ingredients One 14 oz pkg firm tofu, dried overnight * 3/4 cup old fashioned oats 2 tbls canola oil 2 tsps fennel seeds 2 tsps Italian seasoning 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp crushed pepper flakes 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tbl salt 1 tsp black pepper This is an easy recipe. It's minimal effort for maximum flavor.  When I was a kid, I loved sausage. I loved the combination of spices that were typically

It took me a long time to learn the right ways to prepare tofu. It's an inscrutable ingredient for many.  If prepared well, it can be a delight to eat. If not, it can be downright terrible.  There are a lot of great ways to make tofu. There are also a lot of bad ways to make tofu. This is one of the great ways! If you cook your tofu using this recipe, I guarantee that you'll love it.  Ingredients One 14 oz pkg firm tofu, drained overnight 1 cup roasted, lightly salted almonds 1/2 cup rolled oats 2 tbls oil 2 tsps turmeric 2 tsps paprika 2 tsps italian seasoning 2 tsps garlic powder 1 tsp crushed pepper flakes 1 tsp ground cayenne  1 tbl salt 2 tsps black pepper Instructions Drain the tofu by removing it from the package and discarding the liquid. Wrap in a kitchen towel and stash in the fridge overnight.  Add all ingredients to your food processor and buzz until a thick paste is formed. Cover the chute of the food processor with plastic wrap and store the mixture in the fridge

If you love curry, then you'll love this puree. It's the familiar spices and heat of a curry in a thick and rich tofu puree.  I've put my own spin on it. The spice blend is pretty minimalistic and a little bit different. An Americanized curry to be sure.  The combination of turmeric and paprika is one of my favorites. It might turn out to be yours as well.  Thanks to the tofu base, it's creamy and full of protein.  It takes very little time to make and only a handful of common ingredients. With very little effort, you'll be rewarded with buckets of flavor.  Ingredients Half of a 14 oz. Package Firm Tofu, drained 2 Jalapenos, chunked 1 Serrano, chunked 7 Small Cloves of Garlic, chunked 2/3 Cups Water 2 Tbls Oil 2 Tsps Turmeric 1 Tsp Paprika 1 Tsp Crushed Pepper Flakes 1/2 Tsps Dried Oregano 1 Tbl Salt 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper Instructions Add to a small sauce pot the peppers and salt. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the oil, garlic and remaining spices. Stir and