Recipes

Expand your diet from cookbooks

Your local bookstore has lots of great vegetarian cookbooks on its shelves. Take advantage! Below are some great recipes to get you started.

Peach Brunch Cake
1 c. organic flake cereal
¾ c. apple juice
3 medium-to-large peaches, cubed (about 3 c.)
1 c. raisins
1/4 c. canola oil, expeller-pressed
1 c. raw sugar (turbinado)
1 ¼ c. white flour, unbleached
1 c. whole wheat flour, unbleached
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt

Crumb Topping:
¾ c. brown sugar
¾ c. walnuts or pecans, finely chopped (optional)
? c. whole wheat flour, unbleached
¾ tsp. cinnamon
¼ c. soy margarine

To make the crumb topping, mix dry ingredients. together, then mix in soy margarine until the ingredients reach a crumbly consistency. Bake for about 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, soak flake cereal in apple juice about 2 minutes. Mix in peaches, raisins, oil and raw sugar. Add flours, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir until mixed and pour into a 9x13 baking pan that has been coated with a vegetable oil–based spray. Spread batter evenly and sprinkle on crumb topping. To make muffins, divide batter between 12–16 medium muffin cups and bake 20–25 minutes.

Tofu Scrambler
2 lbs. firm tofu
4 Tbsp. sunflower oil
4 Tbsp. liquid aminos or tamari
¼ c. nutritional yeast flakes
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
½ bunch spinach, chopped
¼ tsp. turmeric
Fresh herbs: thyme, oregano, chives, ground black pepper, to taste

Break off chunks of tofu, squeeze out liquid, and crumble into ?-inch chunks. Sauté tofu in oil until lightly browned. Add tamari, garlic, onions and bell peppers, and sauté until onions are soft. Add spinach, nutritional yeast, turmeric, and herbs and pepper, and cook only until spinach is wilted. Serve with toast or biscuits.

Southern-Fried Tofu
You’ll need: 1 lb. firm tofu

Marinade:
1/4 c. tamari or shoyu
¼ c. mirin or sherry
Splash of balsamic vinegar
3 cloves crushed garlic
Healthy splash of sesame oil
1 tbsp. vegetarian chicken-flavored powdered broth

Breading:
½ c. flour
¼ c. sesame seeds
2 tsp. seasoning salt
½ tsp. black pepper
¼ c. nutritional yeast

Cut tofu into slabs or strips. Marinate for at least ½ hour. Drudge in the flour. Fry in oil until golden brown on all sides.

Pasta with “Cheese” Sauce
¼ c. nutritional yeast flakes
¼ c. unbleached flour or whole wheat flour (or 2 Tbsp. cornstarch)
1 c. cold water
1 Tbsp. liquid aminos, or soy sauce
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. garlic powder
? tsp. ground turmeric
1 Tbsp. soy margarine or canola oil
1 Tbsp. stone-ground mustard

In a small saucepan, mix yeast flakes and flour. Whisk in water, liquid aminos, pepper, garlic powder and turmeric. Whisk until mixture thickens and bubbles. Whisk in oil and mustard. Mixture thickens as it cools. Also makes a great spread for bread, crackers, bagels or veggies. Try it on grilled cheese sandwiches.

Sloppy Joes
1 white onion, chopped and slightly browned
1 lb. ground vegan hamburger crumbles
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 10–12 oz. can tomato soup
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in pan. Stir well. Heat on medium-high while stirring occasionally. Slather on bread with toppings such as vegan mayonnaise, avocado, onion, etc.

Eggless Egg Salad Sandwich
½ lb. firm tofu, mashed (about 1 c.)
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. vegan mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. pickle relish
1 tsp. stone-ground mustard
¼ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. turmeric
¼ tsp. garlic powder
8 slices whole wheat bread
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato slices

Combine the mashed tofu with the green onions, vegan mayonnaise, pickle relish, mustard, cumin, turmeric, and garlic powder. Mix thoroughly. Spread on whole wheat bread and garnish with lettuce and tomato slices. Makes 4 sandwiches.

“Ricotta” Filling for Pasta Dishes
Family and friends who don’t think they like tofu will love this filling. Use it in lasagna, manicotti shells or as a topping for other pasta dishes.

3 lbs. firm tofu
½ c. fresh lemon juice
4 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. olive oil
4 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. garlic powder
¼–½ c. frozen or fresh chopped spinach (optional)

Mash or process tofu to desired consistency (mashing the tofu with one’s hands will help get a crumbly texture) Mix in remaining ingredients. Adjust to taste.

Cashew Sesame Noodle Salad
Sauce: 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 ½ Tbsp. rice vinegar
¾ tsp. hot red pepper flakes (optional)
½ c. cashews
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
¼ c. sesame oil
1 tsp. raw sugar
? c. water (less for thicker sauce)
2 Tbsp. peanut butter

1 lb. thin spaghetti
1 ½ cups coriander sprigs, finely copped (optional)
4–6 c. salad greens

In a blender, blend sauce ingredients with salt and pepper, to taste, until smooth. Cook pasta al dente, drain, and allow to cool. Place one cup of pasta on salad and mix with dressing.

Chocolate Pudding Pie
1 ¼ lbs. silken tofu
¾ c. nondairy chocolate chips, melted
Chocolate or graham cracker pie crust or crushed graham crackers.

Puree the tofu in a blender or food processor. Add the melted chocolate chips and blend well. Pour the mixture into the pie crust or over crushed graham crackers. Allow to set in refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.

“Cheese”cake
9" spring form pan is recommended.
(For a pie shell, halve the recipe
and reduce baking time to 45 minutes)
32 oz. plain Tofutti Cream Cheese® (four 8-oz. containers)
1 ? c. sugar
7 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
½ c. water
2 Tbsp. egg replacer (such as Ener-G® powder)

Mix vegan cream cheese, sugar, fresh lemon juice, salt and vanilla until smooth. Whisk water and egg replacer until stiff peaks form when you stop and raise the whisk. Fold in the vegan cream cheese mixture. Pour into prepared crust (or purchased pre-made shell) and bake in 350-degree oven for approximately 60 minutes. Bake until a nice golden-brown skin forms on top. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
½ c. vegan margarine
? c. canola oil (expeller-pressed)
1 c. natural brown sugar
1 c. raw sugar (turbinado)
¾ c. soymilk
2 tsp. vanilla or ½ tsp. vanilla powder
1 ½ c. organic unbleached white flour
1 c. organic whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sea salt
3 c. organic quick oats
¾ c. nondairy semisweet chocolate chips

Cream margarine, oil and sugars. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, add soy milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Beat in flours, baking powder, soda and salt. Add oats and chocolate chips and mix well. Cover and let set 15 minutes. Drop by tablespoonfuls, about 1 ½ inches apart, on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. A small ice cream scoop works very well. Press lumps of dough slightly with the back of a spatula. Bake for 15 minutes or until undersides are just turning brown.