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.

13 comments:

  1. I'm not a mustard, vinegar, or mayo fan, but I can tell this is a great adaptation. I'm glad you enjoy it so. I'll share it with others who will likely enjoy it. Most people do like mayo, mustard, and vinegar. I'm a weirdo I guess. Pretty photo! The dish looks really appetizing.

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    1. Lisa, the mustard and vinegar are not the flavours that come through in the finished dish. The strongest flavour is the dill which is super yummy, if you like dill! You could probably make this without the vinegar and mustard, perhaps substituting another acid like lemon juice?

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  2. Lee, I do like dill. I have to leave out mustard, vinegar and vegan mayo completely or, trust me, I will taste them. Yes, I'd probably like this with lemon juice. Thanks.

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    1. It definitely needs some type of dressing to hold everything together. This is probably not the dish for you, Lisa. But I'm sure you make something similar with a different type of dressing that's equally delicious and satisfying.

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  3. Yum!!! I love dill so I'll definitely have to give this a go! Thank you for sharing, Lee! :)

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  4. Looks amazing, Lee! And I love the different ways you eat it. What a diverse dish. I never liked egg salad, and I actually despise dill, so I probably won't make it myself but kudos for your inventive recipe and the gorgeous photo!

    I actually always hated mayo. I have never been brave enough to try vegan mayo; I figured that if I didn't like the "real stuff" I probably wouldn't like the vegan substitute. But, I actually like all the ingredients in your homemade version so maybe I will try it sometime :-)

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  5. This is fantastic! I tried it today and I swear, it was the best "egg" salad I've ever had. Instead of pickles, I gave it a little "kick" with one pepperoncini (seeds out). And I added some sliced black olives. I had it over organic red leaf lettuce for lunch.

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    1. Oh wow! Thanks for letting me know. I'm so happy you enjoyed one of my favourite "salads" - LOL.

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    2. I can't wait to try it. Thank you Lee.

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    3. Great! Let me know if you make it, Radu. <3

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