Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Tofu-No-Egg-Salad

Tofu-No-Egg-Salad


I could probably name this summer the season of no-cooking but one dish I've made over and over again is based on a recipe by Mark Reinfeld from his book Vegan Fusion World Cuisine.  After a few changes and additions, I feel comfortable sharing my version here.  For comfort, I eat this in the morning on toast and when I'm feeling super healthy, I eat it in a lettuce wrap or served on top of greens and tomatoes.  Any way, it's delicious!   Before I went vegan, I used to love egg-salad sandwiches and this definitely satisfies my cravings in that direction. 

1 block firm or extra firm tofu
1 stalk celery diced
1 carrot grated
1/3 cup sweet or dill pickles diced (I often use both)
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon or stone ground mustard
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons dried dill or 2 tablespoons fresh
sea salt to taste
black pepper, ground to taste
1/2 cup vegan mayonaise

Crumble tofu into a medium sized bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mix.  Refrigerate for at least half an hour (or eat it immediately if you can't wait). 


I always make my own vegan mayo.  It's super fast and simple.  Add 1/2 cup of olive or safflower oil to the blender along with 1/4 soy milk, approximately 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a small dash of maple syrup or other sweetener, salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.  While the blender is still running, add either 2 teaspoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.  The mix should firm up immediately.  This should be the perfect amount for the tofu salad above.  I like the dressing a little bit sweet so the amount of sweetener is up to you, go ahead and experiment.