Who knew that tofu was going to end up being the protein of choice for my ultra easy, ridiculously tasty, nutritious, and beautiful vegan chicken salad?

I teach high school art and art history and school lunches are always tricky. I never have an opportunity to leave my classroom, so it needs to be something that can be eaten room temperature or cold out of my lunch bag. And it needs to be filling, but not make me sleepy, and it’s best if I can nibble on it for a while. I keep a bottle of mouthwash in my cabinet so that I can eat spicier food, but it’s best not to permeate the room or myself with strong and potentially offensive aromas.

This chicken salad is delicious at school, at home, or even for company. You can add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning if you like, but I feel the flavor is a little overpowering. So I keep it really simple. I have spiced it up a touch with some ancho chili powder or smoked paprika, but I think plain is my favorite. My partner, Bob, loves Chicken sandwiches with mayonnaise and capers. I thought about adding some, but after I sniffed the capers, which I actually like, it just wasn’t the flavor profile I was going for. As for texture, definitely mash the tofu rather than dicing it.

I would recommend trying it as published and then playing with it to your heart’s content.

Best-Ever Vegan Chicken Salad

7 ounces baked tofu (I use Nasoya brand)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I use no calorie mayonnaise from Harris Teeter unless I have made some of my 8 to 10-calorie Blooming Platter Mayonnaise which is only 10 calories per tablespoon, but use Vegenaise or whatever you prefer)

2 tablespoons vegan sour cream

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

10 to 12 firm green grapes, quartered

1 celery heart sliced lengthwise into quarters and then finally diced

4 to 5 very thin green onions very finely sliced (used two to three if thick)

2 tablespoons roasted and lightly salted sunflower seeds

8 to 10 plump pecan halves, roasted or not, broken into pieces

Using your fingers, crumble tofu into a medium bowl. Add mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Fold in remaining ingredients, taste, and serve immediately or refrigerate. This salad is delicious served with fresh vegetables as scoops, on a toasted whole wheat sandwich with curly lettuce, stuffed in a tomato for a truly vintage presentation, perched stop crackers, etc.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #veganchickensalad #plantbasedchickensalad

Yield: 1/2 dozen donuts (easily doubles)

Holidays are meant for baking! Today is President’s Day and I am home from school, so…

I had a new baked donut 10 burning a hole in my cabinet, so I broke it out and made my first foray into the vegan baked donut world. Dangerous territory!

Stay tuned for many more iterations, but for now this hopefully will satisfy you!

Note: even if your pumpkin pie spice contains nutmeg, I would add the recommended amount because donuts just need to have that hint of subtly pronounced (what an oxymoron) nutmeg…flavor in my opinion.

Donut Batter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup non-dairy milk, sweetened or unsweetened
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, fresh or ground
1/4 tsp sea salt
Glaze (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 6- cavity donut pan. In a medium-large bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Divide evenly among cavities in donut pan. Baked for 11 to 12 minutes. Note: you can either spoon in batter and smooth, or place batter in a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped or a piping bag and pipe batter into the pan. While donuts cool, make glaze, turn donuts out of pan onto wire rack, and dip donuts individually into glaze, setting on rack glaze-side up.

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
11/2 teaspoons non-dairy milk as necessary to achieve desired glaze consistency
1 teaspoons canned pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoons apple brandy
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

In a medium bowl, whisk altogether until smooth.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #vegandonuts #plantbaseddonuts #veganpumpkindonuts #plantbasedpumpkindonuts #veganapplebrandydonuts #plantbasedapplebrandydonuts

2-8 or 9″ quiche

Bob is famous for his dairy quiche, but at a recent family brunch, 6 slices of his were eaten and 14 of mine! Plates scraped clean. Vegan quiche for the win!

This is a great recipe for when you have leftover white rice, say from Chinese takeout as we frequently do. But feel free to try it with wild rice, black rice, or whatever type you prefer.

When sautéing the vegetables, I sauté them all together, using a little water or stock.

This recipe is made for tailoring to make it your own by substituting a variety of seasonal vegetables.

Quiche Base
1 pound firm or extra firm tofu, drained
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 to 4 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy milk (I use soy) or enough to achieve a consistency slightly thinner than brownie batter
2 tablespoons light miso
2 tablespoons favorite vegan salad dressing, pesto, or sauce–something with some oomph, even stone ground mustard
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon liquid aminos
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Add-Ins
1 small to medium yellow onion, diced and sauteed
One red bell pepper, diced and sauteed
6 to 8 oz sliced mushrooms, sauteed
12 ounces broccoli florets, steamed or sauteed
4 cups rice
1 cup shredded vegan mozzarella cheese

Garnishes
Halvef grape tomatoes
Four tablespoons vegan parmesan

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease two 8 or 9-inch pie pans. Process all quiche base ingredients in large food processor until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Divide between two large mixing bowls and place half of the add-ins in each bowl. Fold to mix thoroughly. Divide between prepared pie pans and gently smooth to edges. Garnish each with halved grape tomatoes and two tablespoons each vegan parmesan. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Avoid drying out. Enjoy hot, warm, or room temperature.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #veganquiche #plantbasedquiche

A certain friend, whose name begins with Tammy Wells and sister whose name begins with Ginny Gough, left a bottle of Crown Royal Vanilla here at Christmas.

What’s a girl to do besides soak some dried figs in it, drizzle over a little chimichurri, add a dab of vegan Chipotle cream, garnish with a couple of smoked almonds, and call it dinner.

This is the food of the gods!

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #figs #chimichurri #veganappetizers #plantbasedappetizets

We always have lots of leftover rice after ordering Chinese takeout. I love rice cakes and I shared a recipe a few posts back that requires very little corn starch binder, but I wondered if I could make more of a patty it burger and use no binder by making a paste out of the cooked rice. The answer is a resounding yes! The rice never became quite a paste, ending up more like quinoa, but it held together so beautifully and allowed itself to be shaped into thicker burger type patties. Enjoy seasoning and garnishing these however you choose.

Yield: 2 patties

1 cup cooked rice,

2 cups baby kale

2 tablespoons drinkable unsweetened coconut milk from a carton (not high day can)

Sea salt to taste

App. 3/4 teaspoon spices to taste (I used Indian spices, namely ground cardamom, coriander, and cumin)

1 tablespoon vegan butter

Garnishes: 2 teeny dabs each vegan sour cream and chutney (I used spicy plum) plus 2 peanuts

Process together in food processor until a slightly sticky consistency he’s achieved with little pearls similar to quinoa. It should hold together when pressed between your fingers. Shape into two patties about 3/4 inch thick. Melt about 1 tbsp vegan butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. I use an accidentally vegan low calorie variety. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and just slightly crusty.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #kale #ricecakes #ricepatties #Indian

Super Bowl noshing with all the flavor and none of the guilt!

Starving in the late afternoon last Sunday, but going out for Chinese that night, I needed something low-calorie but filling to tide me over.

A fridge and pantry scan resulted in this creamy, delicious, and colorful spread on a rice cake.

Confetti Dip or Spread

Yield: 2.5 cups

1/4 cup vegan sour cream

1/4 cup no-calorie mayo (I purchase at Harris Teeter) or 8-calorie/tablespoon Blooming Platter Mayo

1/4 cup vegan parmesan

1/4 cup vegan mozzarella

1/4 cup diced bell pepper (I use red)

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon or so Liquid Aminos

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon spice of choice (I use Japanese Seven Spice)

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Mix all together in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes if possible to allow flavors to meld. Serve on rice cakes or stuffed in celery sticks.

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Friday nights are for healthy low-calorie but indulgent ahh-its-the-weekend noshing. Enjoy my latest TGIF treat any night of the week.

We fried our pita (30 seconds at 375 degrees) and drained it well, but you could use purchased pita chips or bake yours (10 minutes at 350).

1 small-medium yellow onion, diced

2 very large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon each ground cardamom, coriander, and cumin

10 ounces baby spinach leaves (cooks way down)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (the drinkable kind in a carton, not the high calorie canned kind)

16 pita triangles, baked, fried, purchased

8 teaspoons chutney (I used plum)

Cover the bottom of a large skillet with water and bring to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and salt and saute until onion is soft and water is mostly evaporated. Stir in spices. Cover with spinach–spinach will quickly wilt–and saute, stirring, until spinach is still bright green, but very soft. Stir in coconut milk and cook, stirring, until flavors meld and milk is absorbed. Serve immediately dolloped on pita triangles. Top with a dab of chutney and a cashew half. Note: when we fried our pita, we found that the layers broke apart easily and that just one layer was plenty of crispy bread for each Not-cho, making these even more low calorie. But suit yourself, always.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #Indian #fusion #spinach #natchos #lowcalorieappetizer #lowcaloriedinner #saag

If you find yourself with leftover rice, say from Chinese takeout as we did, these make a delicious appetizer or dinner. With the larger version there is a smaller ratio of crispy crust to creamy interior, but they are still delicious.

I was craving Asian flavors, but you could spice these up anyway you like: Indian, Italian, Middle Eastern, or whatever suits your fancy. And speaking of fancy, they look spiffy enough for a party, but are so simple that you can whip them up for any occasion…or no occasion.

Rice Cakes

Yield 6-2″ cakes or 2-4″ cakes

1/2 cup rice

2 tablespoons minced green onion, green part only; reserve the white part, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons coconut milk

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon Japanese Seven Spice or the spice of your choice

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Sea salt to taste (if your spice mixture does not include salt)

2 tablespoons vegan butter ( I use accidentally vegan Country Crock as it is half the calories of vegan butter)

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except white part of green onion and butter. Mix well. mixture should hold together when squeezed. If not, add additional coconut milk or cornstarch, or both, as the moisture content of rice varies widely. In a large skillet over medium to medium-high, melt butter, add white part of green onion, and saute, stirring, for about a minute or until softened. Remove onions to a small cup or bowl, leaving as much butter as possible in skillet. Dollop rice mixture into skillet, whatever size you like, and press firmly with a small spatula to compact the mixture, shaping into discs. Cook for a couple of minutes or until golden brown on one side. Flip and repeat.

Serve with sauteed white parts of green onion scattered over the top or, for that matter, whatever topping you desire.

#vegan #veganrecipes #veganfoodshare #veganfoodporn #plantbased #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedfoodshare #plantbasedfoodporn #ricecakes #veganappetizers #plantbasedappetizers