Tag Archives: tofu

Tofu Loaf – Vegan Recipe

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Vegan Meatloaf

My family loves meatloaf and mashed potato meals, but the vegans tend to gaze sadly at the loaf. I’ve made loafs in the past using prepared vegan meats, but this was my first try for meatloaf from non-prepared ingredients and it came out quite delicious!

Ingredients

1 container extra firm tofu
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup TVP crumbles
1/2 cup almonds
1 sleeve wheat saltines (or 1.5 cups wheat bread crumbs)
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
4 T olive oil

Process

Food process or blend crackers to a fine powder. Add almonds, TVP, and sundried tomatoes and continue to blend/process until a consistently fine mix. Mix in the spices.

Remove tofu from package and let drain.

Crumble tofu into a bowl and add 2 T olive oil. Mix in the dry ingredients. Combine well.

Press into a loaf pan (this should about 1/2 fill the pan to the top). Spread remaining olive oil over the top.

Cover with foil and bake at 375* for 40-45 minutes. If desired, remove foil and add some ketchup to the top and then return to oven for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Serve with mashed potatoes (use soy or rice milk, vegan butter, and/or vegan cream cheese to blend) or on sandwiches.

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Vegan Breakfast – Tofu Scramble Recipe

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We really enjoy breakfast at all times of day, so it was imperative early to find a vegan substitute for eggs. Tofu makes the most easy sub, and a tofu scramble is very simple to make. There are as many tofu scramble recipes as their are people cooking them, but here is an uncomplicated starting point!

Ingredients

1 block firm or extra firm tofu, drained
1 small-medium onion, diced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1-2 T nutritional yeast flakes
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Process

Add olive oil to the bottom of a frying pan. Sauté onions  and peppers until they begin to soften. Add turmeric, ginger, chili powder, mustard powder, yeast flakes, and salt and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes. Once vegetables are nicely done, crumble in a block of tofu, continue to sauté while stirring and breaking up tofu into scrambled bits.

Once heated through, add other desired toppings and serve. Delicious, filling, and high in protein!

Options:
~ Add black or kidney beans with the tofu and serve with salsa and vegan sour cream for a vegan huevos rancheros.
~ Add mushrooms and vegan swiss or monterey jack style cheese
~ Add broccoli and vegan cheddar style cheese
~ Add other vegetables, like fresh diced tomatoes, hot peppers, green beans, kale, edamame
~ Vary your seasoning to taste, adding more ginger, hot sauce or hot pepper flakes, liquid smoke, etc.

Also, see this breakfast casserole recipe for another vegan egg-like option.

Tofu Not-Jerky

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A low-carb vegan snack, salad topping, or sandwich fixin’.

Let me start by saying clearly, this is not jerky. I know there are tofu jerky recipes out there, and this isn’t one of them.  But, it is a chewy tofu recipe that makes a good vegan snack, or sandwich filling item, or salad topper. And, it’s easy. Once you make a batch or two, it can be stuck in the fridge for quite a few days (I don’t know how many, to be honest, because it never lasts long here), and it’s very convenient to grab when you are in a rush.

Ingredients

  • 1 block extra firm tofu (companies should start paying me)
  • 2 T soy sauce
  • 1 T olive oil, sesame oil, or hot chili oil (you can skip or reduce this if looking for lower fat, I often do)
  • 1/2 t liquid smoke (if you don’t have any, or don’t like it, remove and add a bit more soy or water)
  • Some combination of: 1 t minced ginger, 1-2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 t red pepper flakes

Process

Open tofu and drain. Place block on a cutting board, with the widest side down. Slice into thin slices. I aim for somewhere between 1/8 and 1/4″.  Lay out slices in a single layer on a cookie sheet or baking stone (preferred). In a blender or food processor, mix the soy sauce, oil, liquid smoke, and spices to distribute the flavor of the spices throughout. Brush or sprinkle marinade over slices. Place in oven at 300* and cook until it reaches the texture you like. If you want it to be even chewier, reduce temp down to 250* and cook longer. Cool to room temp or chill and enjoy in whatever form strikes your fancy!