Italian Style Tofu Steaks

I don't really have much of an introduction for this one, other than it's easy, healthy and crazy delicious!

Italian Style Tofu Steaks
1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/2 cup white cooking wine
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
Juice from one whole lemon
tsp each dried basil, oregano, and thyme

Combine all marinade ingredients in a wide shallow bowl.  Cut the tofu widthwise into 8 equal pieces.  Marinate for an hour, flipping once after 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 400.  Place the tofu on a baking sheet lightly sprayed with cooking spray and spoon a little extra marinade onto each steak.  Bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven, flip steaks and spoon a little more marinade onto the other side.  Sprinkle each steak with a little sea salt and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Set oven to broil, and broil steaks for 5 minutes.  Enjoy!

Meatless Vegan Mini Meatloaf

I got a few requests for this recipe after I posted a pic of it on facebook.  I originally wasn't going to put it up here, because I just kind of threw it together.  But it did come out really well so I decided to share it after all.  The measurements are approximate, and as with all of my recipes feel free to tweak it according to your taste.  A ketchup sauce would have been really nice on top of the loaf, but I didn't have any at the time.  It's pretty simple, and just like real meatloaf, the skies the limit with what you could throw in here!  The portion here could serve 2 small portions, or 1 if you're really hungry (like I was.)  I just ate this with some quinoa with spinach mixed in.

Meatless Vegan Mini Meatloaf
1/2 tube of Gimmelean ground beef style veggie protein
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 tbsp almond milk
2 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tsp agave nectar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp marjoram
plenty of black pepper

Preheat oven to 375.  In a bowl, mix the Gimmelean ground beef and breadcrumbs together with your hands.  Mix in wet ingredients.  Mix in spices.  On a lightly greased baking sheet, form mixture into a small loaf and bake for 40 minutes.  That's it!  Super easy.



 

Happy National Vegan Mac n Cheese Day!!!

Mac n cheese is my ultimate comfort food.  I could eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday and be perfectly happy- ecstatic even!  It was one of the hardest foods to break up with when I kissed my dairy consuming days goodbye.  Since I became vegan,  I've been on the hunt for a comparable vegan mac n cheese recipe that will squash my cravings for my cheesy, melty, childhood delight.  All the recipes I've tried in the past never really came close as far as flavor and texture goes.  The flavor would be good, but not even close to cheese.  The sauces always seemed powdery and not creamy.  However, finally, after much trial and error, and just in time for Vegan Mac n Cheese Day, I came up with this recipe.  It's ooey, it's gooey, it actually tastes like cheese and even has vegan bacon in it.  I'm pretty proud of my myself on this one.  It's packing a little high on calories, but hey, it's okay to indulge every once in a while and Vegan Mac n Cheese Day only comes around once a year!

Ooey Gooey Fully Loaded Vegan "Mac n Cheese" with "Bacon"
(serves 2)
4 oz elbow macaroni
1 1/2 cups Daiya cheddar style shreds
1 cup almond milk
1 1/2 tbsp vegan margarine
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, Italian style
1/4 tsp paprika
extra virgin olive oil
3 strips vegan bacon (optional)

Cook macaroni according to package.  While pasta is cooking, make vegan bacon according to package, if using.  I used Lightlife's Smart Bacon, it cooks up in about 3 minutes.  When pasta is done cooking, drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350.  Make the cheese sauce while the oven is heating up.  In a small sauce pan, melt the margarine.  Add pepper then stir in milk.  Add the daiya cheese and cook over medium heat, about 5 minutes or until the daiya has melted and sauce is thick and creamy.  Stir the macaroni and sauce together, then crumble the bacon and stir that into the mixture.  Transfer to a small casserole dish.
In a separate bowl, mix panko bread crumbs, paprika and a drizzle of olive oil..  Sprinkle panko bread crumb mixture on top of mac and cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, uncovered or until the cheese is bubbling and bread crumbs are starting to brown.
Enjoy!

Homemade Banana "Ice Cream."

So, the temperature has been hitting the triple digits here in Jersey this past week.  I live down the block from a drive thru ice cream parlor called the Magic Fountain.  Every time I pass there, there are lines out into the streets and I jealously stare at all of the people who are waiting for their chance to get some delicious relief from the heat.  Sometimes, you just want some ice cream, ya know? And sometimes, it's just too damn hot to crawl to the grocery store and pick up a vegan version.  But then I found this recipe in a cookbook I have titled "Peas and Thank You" by Sarah Matheny.  The recipe in the book is called "Banana Split Remix" and only uses two ingredients.  That's right, only two!  And you probably have them sitting in your kitchen right now.  The recipe also lists agave nectar to taste as a third ingredient, but I found that if you are using very ripe bananas you don't need to sweeten it at all.  So here we go, an easy, healthy, vegan alternative to ice cream to help punch the heat in the face.

Banana Split Remix (from Peas and Thank You.)
3 Bananas Peeled, cut into 2-3 inch segments and frozen for at least 4 hours
1/4 cup non-dairy milk, if necessary (I used almond milk)
Agave nectar to taste(optional)

Put frozen bananas in a food processor or blender and turn on high for several minutes.  Stop appliance and scoop sides down,  Continue blending several more minutes until the mixture has the consistency of soft serve ice cream.  If necessary, add milk, a small amount at a time, until mixture is smooth.
Add agave nectar, if desired.  Place ice cream in in bowls or parfait glasses and add your favorite toppings!

Nutrition Information Per Serving (for 4 servings):  325 calories, 14 g total fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 70 mg sodium, 35 g carbohydrates, 6 g fiber, 8 g protein