Vegan Mushroom Tofu Cakes Recipe

Mushrooms are a divisive food. Some people love them. Others hate them. I was always one of the haters until I gave up meat. Ever since, I love them. They have such umami, but only if you treat them properly. 

It's pretty easy though. A little rinse. A little chop. And let them get dark!

So with that in mind, I came up with these mushroom and tofu cakes/dumplings. 

I was looking to add some pizzazz to my regular tofu consumption. Spice rubbed crispy tofu is awesome, but sometimes you just want a new spin on it. 

This was how I came up with these beautiful little guys. 

They're tender, moist and deeply delicious. 

Ingredients
1 pint pre-sliced white mushrooms, or two cups total minced
3 cloves garlic, chunked
1 shallot, diced
1/2 block extra firm tofu, broken into small chunks
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbl olive oil
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tbl salt
1/2 tsp black pepper


Instructions
I like to cut my mushrooms very small. They cook faster and brown faster this way.

Cook down the mushrooms with the salt until they've released their liquid and it has evaporated. 

Add the shallot, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and oil. 

Sauté until the shallots are translucent and the thyme is fragrant. 

Add the mixture to your food processor. Add the beans and the tofu. Pulse until a thick paste is formed. 

Cover the chute of the food processor with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours. 

Lube a half baking sheet with non-stick spray. Form the mixture into 2 inch balls and arrange evenly across the tray. 

Set oven for 400 F. 

Add the balls as the oven is pre-heating. 

When the oven dings to indicate that it's reached temp continue to bake for 13 more minutes. 

Remove and cool at least 5 minutes before attempting to move or serve.