Blissful Bites (43 page)

People go crazy for egg salad. It's always on the salad bar and available at every deli. Personally, I never got into it until I made this vegan version. It's so reminiscent of the real thing—but without the heart attack.

1 package (14 ounces) extra firm tofu

2 celery stalks, small dice

1 medium carrot, grated (optional)

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cup vegan mayonnaise

1 tablespoon relish or 2 tablespoons chopped dill pickles

1 tablespoon Dijon or yellow mustard

1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon celery salt

Dash black pepper

Steam tofu for 10 minutes. Cool. Using your hands, crumble tofu into a medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix gently but thoroughly. Serve as a sandwich filling or on a bed of greens.

tropical three-bean salad

• Makes 5 to 7 servings

This salad is made with three of my favorite types of beans, which I like to cook from scratch. They can all be soaked in the same bowl and cooked together in a pot or pressure cooker because they take about the same time to cook.

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cup dried kidney beans, soaked 5 to 8 hours,
or 1 can (15 ounces), drained and rinsed

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cup dried white beans, soaked 5 to 8 hours,
or 1 can (15 ounces), drained and rinsed

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cup dried chickpeas, soaked 5 to 8 hours,
or 1 can (15 ounces), drained and rinsed

1-inch piece kombu

1 mango, chopped

Pinch sea salt and black pepper

1 large heirloom tomato, chopped (or 2 cups Roma tomato)

1 avocado, cubed

1 lime, juiced

1 teaspoon cumin

Dash cinnamon and coriander

Sea salt, to taste

If you have a pressure cooker, cook all three beans together according to manufacturer's directions with a piece of kombu, then drain, discard kombu, and place in medium bowl.

Let beans cool slightly, then combine all ingredients with beans and allow 15 minutes for flavors to meld. Add sea salt, as needed.

baked oil-free falafel with tzatziki sauce

• Makes 12 patties

I love falafel, but most recipes and the store-bought kind are full of oil. So I created this oil-free version that is baked instead of fried. Of course, you can fry these if that is what you prefer. This is a great way to use leftover chickpeas. Serve with tzatziki sauce (recipe follows) in a pita, in a wrap, or on their own.

Oil, for pan

1 cup dried chickpeas, washed and soaked 6 to 8 hours

2 tablespoons tamari

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cup cilantro leaves, packed

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cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

2 tablespoons flax meal

Dash black pepper

Dash paprika

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cup breadcrumbs, plus some for pan

Follow the
basic beans
recipe on page 202 for cooking chickpeas. Then preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Drain chickpeas and put them in a food processor with all the ingredients except the breadcrumbs. Blend until well combined, making sure to scrape down the edges of the bowl a few times to incorporate all the ingredients. Add the breadcrumbs and blend for one more minute.

Lightly oil a muffin pan. Then sprinkle breadcrumbs in each tin to barely coat the bottom. Put about 2 tablespoons of the falafel mixture in each tin and lightly press down. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip each patty, lightly press back down, and bake another 20 minutes.

Makes about 1 cup

This is a healthy vegan version of the popular Mediterranean tzatziki sauce traditionally served with meals. It would also be great in a wrap, on a baked potato, or used in place of tartar sauce.

1 package Mori Nu silken tofu

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon dill weed

1 tablespoon tamari

Dash black pepper

Dash paprika

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

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cup pickles, finely chopped

Blend all the ingredients except pickles until smooth. Fold in pickles. Chill for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 3 to 4 servings

This seitan is very meat-like and is great cut into “cutlet” pieces with BBQ sauce drizzled on top or chopped finely for a pulled-pork-like texture served on a whole-wheat bun.

Oil, for steamer basket and cookie sheet

1 cup vital wheat gluten

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

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teaspoon paprika

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teaspoon coriander

Dash black pepper

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cup
homemade bbq sauce
(recipe follows) or store-bought

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cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon tamari

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons cashew butter

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

Mix first five dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients except oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Knead the dough into a ball for about five minutes, then let dough rest for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, place steamer basket in a medium pot with an inch of water. Spray basket lightly with oil. Cut seitan into two pieces and place on steamer basket. Cover, bring to a boil, then steam for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Take each piece of seitan and cut into 3x2 “cutlet” pieces. Spray cookie sheet lightly with oil and place seitan pieces on the sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flip, and bake another 10 minutes.

barbecued seitan

• Makes about 5 cups

Sure, it's quicker to just buy a bottle of barbeque sauce, but making it from scratch is super easy and delicious! If you can't find barley malt, you can substitute molasses.

1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree or sauce

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cup filtered water, or less, to desired thickness

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, dissolved in vinegars

1 tablespoon tamari

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cup maple syrup

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cup barley malt

1 tablespoon vegan Worcester sauce

1 tablespoon chili powder

Pinch sea salt and black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until combined. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Refrigerate up to one week.

• Makes 6 to 8 servings