Old Fashioned Vegan Chicken Salad

Baking the tofu in the marinade is the secret to infusing the tofu with flavor, without having to wait for
it to marinate.
Ingredients

1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu

1/4 cup vegetable broth or no-chicken broth

1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried sage

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 ribs celery, chopped

2 1/2 tablespoons tofu-cashew mayo or other vegan mayonnaise

2 1/2 tablespoons sweet relish

1/4 teaspoon mustard (or more to taste)

2 tablespoons sliced or slivered almonds (optional)

1 teaspoon chopped chives (optional)

salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the tofu into
about 8 equal slices, and then cut those slices in half. Place two paper towels (one on top of the
other) or a clean tea towel on the counter and place the tofu slices on top. Cover with two more
paper towels or tea towel. Gently press each slice of tofu until the towels are saturated with water.
Replace the towels on top with another layer and press until most of the water is pressed out of
the tofu. Place the tofu on the prepared baking sheet.
2. Mix the broth, soy sauce or tamari, thyme, sage, and pepper. Pour half of it over each slice of tofu.
Turn the tofu over and pour the remaining liquid over it. Place it in the preheated oven and bake
for about 20-25 minutes, until tofu is beginning to brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and
let it cool on the baking sheet.
3. Once the tofu is cool, tear each piece into small, irregular pieces. (You can also cut it, but it looks
more natural if you tear it and somehow tastes better, too.) Place it in a medium mixing bowl and
add all remaining ingredients. Mix well, and add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until
completely chilled. Serve in sandwiches, on top of salad, or rolled into lettuce leaves or tortillas.

Curried Rice Salad with Black Chickpeas and Mango

This salad is good warm or cold, but I prefer it cold, after its had a chance to chill overnight. You can
adjust the red pepper up or down according to your taste for spicy food. Garam masala blends differ,
so you may want to start with 1/4 teaspoon and add more as needed.
Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1 large tomato finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon red pepper, or to taste

1/4 cup chickpea cooking broth (or vegetable broth)

2 cups cooked black chickpeas, regular chickpeas, or well-drained black beans

4 cups cooked brown basmati rice

1/2 teaspoon garam masala, or to taste (I use the garam masala in this recipe)

1/4 cup minced parsley or cilantro

1 mango, peeled and diced

Lime juice, to taste

Salt, to taste

2 tablespoons slivered almonds or toasted pine nuts (optional)

Instructions
1. Heat a large, non-stick pot or wok over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it
begins to brown. If necessary, add a splash of water or vegetable broth to prevent sticking, but not
a lot. When it begins to brown, add the garlic and cumin seeds and stir for a minute. Reduce heat
to medium, add the tomato and next 5 ingredients, and cook until the tomato softens and begins
to break down.
2. Add a quarter cup of the chickpea cooking liquid (or vegetable broth), the chickpeas, and the
brown rice. Stir well, and if the mixture seems dry, add a little more broth. Cover and cook on low
for about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the garam masala and remove from heat. Transfer to a large serving bowl and add parsley
and mango. Season to taste with fresh lime juice and salt. Sprinkle with almonds or pine nuts.
4. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate and serve cold. Letting it chill overnight improves flavor.

Hummus in the Blender

You can make this with either canned or home cooked chickpeas. If youre using canned, I
recommend using organic beans. Drain the liquid from one of the cans, but leave the other
undrained and use its liquid instead of the water. If youre using home cooked chickpeas, you may
need less water so start with barely 3/4 cup and add more if the hummus is too thick.
Ingredients

3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 15-ounce cans, 1 drained)

3/4 to 1 cup water or chickpea cooking broth(or the liquid from 1 can of chickpeas)

2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons tahini (or 4 tablespoons sesame seeds)

2 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 to 1 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper

Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Place all ingredients except salt in the blender in the order listed, using the smaller amounts. Start
the machine on low and increase speed to high. Use the Vitamix plunger to break up air pockets
and push chickpeas toward the blades, if necessary. (Other blenders: Stop and use a spatula to
do this.) If the mixture is too thick, add additional water a little at a time. Turn up to the highest
speed and blend for a few seconds until hummus is completely smooth.
2. Stop blender and taste the hummus. Add additional seasonings and salt to taste and blend briefly
to combine.
3. Store hummus in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Its best after its had a chance to rest for
at least an hour, but use within a week.
Variations
I often remove half of the hummus to serve as-is and get creative with the other half. Try adding any
one of the following during the last brief blending: roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, chipotle
chile peppers, green onions, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, jalapeno peppers, black or green
olives, balsamic vinegar, spinach, smoked salt or Liquid Smoke.

Es Samosa Wraps
(printer-friendly version)
You can make this with crumbled, non-frozen tofu but you may not need much or any water. Or, if
youre avoiding soy products, double the amount of potatoes and leave the tofu out altogether. This
mixture would also be good stuffed into a pita or rolled into a homemade chapati.
Ingredients

1 pound (450 g) red or gold potatoes (about 2 medium)

14 ounces (390 g) extra-firm tofu, frozen for 24 hours and thawed

1 medium onion, minced

1 cup (236 ml) frozen green peas

1 medium tomato, diced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1/2 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely diced

1/2 3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon salt to taste

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

6 whole-grain tortillas (may use gluten-free)

Instructions
1. Cook the potatoes, unpeeled, in boiling water until theyre tender (pierce easily with a fork).
Remove from water and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1/4-inch
pieces (6mm).
2. Squeeze tofu to remove as much water as possible. Cut into 1/4-inch cubes.
3. Heat a deep non-stick skillet and add the onion. Cook on medium-high until onion begins to
brown. Add peas, tomato, ginger, jalapeno pepper, and 2 tablespoons water. Cook, stirring, until
peas thaw.
4. Add potatoes and tofu to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, salt, curry powder, coriander, cumin,
cayenne, and lemon juice. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, adding more water if
necessary. Remove cover and cook until most liquid has evaporated. Check to see if more salt or
lemon is needed.
5. Warm tortillas according package directions. Place 1/6 of filling in center of wrap, fold bottom edge
up, and fold sides over filling. Serve with mango chutney, if desired.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Chili Mac
(printer-friendly version)
Ingredients

2 cups elbow macaroni

1 onion, chopped

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups water

4 teaspoons mild chili powder*

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

10 ounces frozen corn kernels

1 16-ounce can pinto or kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 to 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

5 cups thinly-sliced kale (thick stems removed before slicing) or other greens**

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water until tender. Drain. Saut onion in a large non-stick pot
until translucent. Add remaining ingredients, as well as cooked pasta. Simmer for 15 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Serve hot.

Easy Macaroni and Cheeze

You can make this dish creamier by adding Earth Balance margarine. Try it the low-fat way first, and
if you need it to be richer, add a little margarine to taste. This recipe is also low in sodium, so saltlovers may need to add salt.
Ingredients

1 pound pasta (regular or gluten-free)

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup plain, fat-free soymilk (may use other non-dairy milk)

3/4 cup nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

pinch cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons tahini

1 teaspoon mellow white miso (or additional salt)

black pepper to taste

Instructions
1. Put the pasta on to boil, according to package directions. While its cooking, blend all remaining
ingredients together in a blender. When the pasta is al dente, drain it, reserving about 1/2 cup of
the cooking water, and return the pasta to pan. Add the sauce mixture and cook, stirring, until
mixture boils and thickens. Add a little of the pasta water if more moistness is needed.
2. If the sauce is not as flavorful as youd like, add a little more mustard and onion powder.

Mexican Lasagna (or Enchilada Casserole)

Ingredients

1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 jalapeo pepper, finely chopped (optional)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

corn tortillasat least 12

3 cups (28 ounces) fatfree refried beans

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 tsp. chili powder, divided

1/2 tsp. cumin, divided

3 cups black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup salsa

1 can enchilada sauce (or 1 1/2 cups homemade)

sliced black olives (optional)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a non-stick pan with a little water (1 tbsp.), saut the peppers, garlic, and onion for about 3
minutes, or until softened. Set aside.
3. Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with a layer of tortillas (you
may cut some of them to fit). Make sure you cover the entire bottom of the pan.
4. Stir the refried beans and spread half of them evenly over the tortillas. Cover the refried beans
with half of the pepper-onion mixture and half of the tomatoes; sprinkle with half of the seasonings
and half of the black beans.
5. Add another layer of tortillas and repeat the layers of the other ingredients. Spread the cup of
salsa over the final layer of black beans. Cover with a final layer of tortillas, pour the enchilada
sauce over the top, and sprinkle with black olives (if desired). Cover and bake for about 30
minutes or until hot throughout. It will be easier to cut if you allow it to cool for about 10 minutes
before serving.
Notes
Fresh corn is a great addition to this. I use about 2 cups of uncooked (or frozen) corn and add it as
one more layer. You may need a deeper pan, though.