When I was envisioning the vacation I had from work last month, I decided that I wanted a week of relaxing and fun low-stress things. Since I find vegan cooking classes fun, I searched NGI’s class calendar to see if they would be something that might work for my vacation dates, and so I signed up for Easy Go-To Vegan Sauces!

I last wrote about my little trip to Candle 79- I did this the same day. In between I did a ton of walking (I wanted to earn my Jobs badge on 4Square, but I’m guessing a lot of stores aren’t tagged properly). By the time I got to class, I was pretty worn out… but lucky for me, this was a demonstration class, not a participation class.

Normally I much enjoy the participation, but I was grateful for a more relaxed atmosphere- and my feet were thanking me for it!

The menu for this class certainly sounded good…

None of these recipes were terribly difficult. If you’ve never taken a class before, this might be a good one to start with!

First up, All-Purpose Savory Gravy over Mashed Root Vegetables.

A creamy mixture of potato and parsnip, covered in gravy. The secret to a good vegan gravy? Starting with a good vegan stock.

Next, Creamy Lentil Dhal over Brown Rice.

Just your basic Dahl. Very flavorful!

The Zesty Ginger-Carrot Sauce over Mixed Grain Croquettes was probably one of the more interesting dishes of the evening!

The croquettes are probably one of the best reasons to take this class- I would use those with all kinds of different sauces!

The Roasted Red Pepper Rouille over Steamed Vegetables was actually served with celery instead, but was delicious nonetheless!

This was delicious- I could have just eaten that sauce with a spoon. I wish I had a gas stove for easier roasting of peppers so I could make this more often!

You know what stinks about being a bad blogger by not posing in a timely manner? I can’t remember this dish all that well- Coconut Curry Sauce over Pan-Seared Tempeh.

I remember everything in this class being good, despite not being able to remember this one specifically!

Last but not least, Spicy Fresh Herb Sauce with Lemon and Garlic Over Quinoa and Grilled Tofu.

This was a really good dish- very “fresh” tasting. I love things with fresh herbs!

This was a great class to sit back, relax, and eat some good food in- and one that I don’t think I would have minded taking on a work day either. It ran a bit shorter than in the description, but that was fine by me! A day I wasn’t so tired, I might have been a little disappointed by the inability to participate, but I think that if you know that’s what your getting into, it’s a perfect time to relax. Sounds good for a vacation, doesn’t it?

The day after my last post, I got an iPad. It is awesome, and has been my primary internet device since then. There is one thing that the iPad isn’t so good for though… and that’s blogging. So I’m here with my trusty laptop after a bit of a blogging break!

But, I do have a few posts to make!

I just had a very nice vacation of cleaning. Seriously, I rented a rug cleaner and everything! I’m cool like that. And in addition to my cleaning, there was cooking, restaurant going, cooking-class taking and other things going on!

For the longest time, I have wanted to go to Candle 79. It’s just so… fancy. Celebrities go there! I live just a train ride away, and yet I have not been!

I decided I must rectify that, and took myself there for lunch. Lunch is not as fancy as dinner (and there were no celebrity sightings), but it was awesomely good!

I thought about having a nice glass of wine, but I went with a limonade instead.

Limonade was a little too tart for my taste, but good. And hey, look! My iPad came to lunch, too! With LTE and everything. It was an exciting day overall!

I was having a hard time settling on an entree, but I went with a Chili Grilled Tempeh Sandwich.

Wedges of avocado, but not an overly heavy sandwich. Very nice!

And I finished with dessert. This was of course, the best part of the meal and a reason all by itself to go!

OMG good. Cannoli, with chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate drizzle. All vegan, of course!

I have many more vegan spots in NYC to check out, but I will definitely be coming back here!

And of course, after lunch there was much walking done. I made it my mission to go to three Apple Stores, but that would be a whole other blog…

What should you know if you go?

• It’s open for lunch and dinner.
• Even by NYC standards, it’s an expensive restaurant. Lunch is much cheaper than dinner.
• You might spot a celebrity!
• All the food is vegan, some is also raw and some is also gluten-free.
• The menu is seasonal.
• Dress at lunch is casual- you’ll fit in if you’re wearing jeans.
• Can’t get there yourself, but you want to try something from their menu? They have a cookbook!
• Be warned: you will immediately want to go again.

It’s so nice to come home at the end of the day and smell this…

I’ve been loving the slow cooker lately.

And I had a hankering for chili!

Slow cookers and chili making just go hand in hand.

With a bit of a time investment in the evening for taking care of the veggies, it comes together in about five minutes in the morning. This recipe uses canned or precooked beans, so you will need a little time in the evening when you get home to throw those in and let them heat up. Gives you a little time to make some cornbread to serve alongside if you like!

The only drawback that I see is that you won’t get to taste the chili while it’s cooking for seasoning (though, if you get it started before you’re ready to leave in the morning, you could check your seasonings after the first hour of cooking and adjust as needed). That’s definitely not a deal-breaker though, especially if you know how you like your chili spiced.

Slow Cooker Vegan Chili

• 1 onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 2 poblano peppers, diced
• 3-4 jalapeño or serrano peppers, minced (seeds removed if you would prefer a milder chili)
• 1 package vegan ground beef/crumbles or 1 cup prepared TVP, optional (“meat”)
• 2 28oz cans (or boxes) of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbs cumin
• 1 tsp – 1 tbs (to taste) chipotle chili powder
• a sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1 can or 2 cups cooked kidney beans
• 1 can or 2 cups cooked black beans

1. The night before (or in the morning, if there’s no time crunch), prep your veggies. Sautée the onion and garlic, either in a non-stick pan or in a cast iron pan with a small amount of oil (optional).
2. Add the “meat” to the pan to brown. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
3. Add the cumin to the pan to toast, as well.
4. Package up the onion, garlic, and “meat” with spices and put in the fridge. Do the same with the peppers/chilis. You can sauté those as well, but it is not necessary.
5. In the morning, add everything to the slow cooker except for the beans. Set to cook on low for 5-6 hours.
6. In the evening, add the beans. Cook on high for 30 minutes to an hour to heat through. Make sure to taste for seasoning while you’re at it!
7. Garnish with vegan cheese, or scallions, or vegan sour cream or diced avocado or whatever else you enjoy.

Not the prettiest dish, but tasty and spicy. I’m glad I finally found a way to use black chickpeas!

Last fall I got into the slow cooking craze, but it’s taken me a while to get comfortable with leaving the slow cooker while I’m out for the day. I did it for the first time on Friday when I made a delicious marinara sauce. When I stepped off the elevator Friday evening, I was greeted by a delicious smell that just kept getting stronger as I walked towards my apartment. I realized I should use the slow cooker more often!

Good luck for me, because there was also a copy of The Indian Slow Cooker in front of my door. I heard there were recipes for Black Chickpeas, so I had ordered a copy, since I had a bag of them laying around.

Golden beat soup and salad in the back.

An aside: during the summer, vegan boyfriend and I decided to have a “healthy” weekend of food, after eating a lot of junk (delicious junk) the previous few weekends. There were lots of fruit and vegetable dishes, including two with golden beets- a golden beet salad like one I had at Vida Vegan Con, and a golden beet soup from The PPK. I had a really hard time finding golden beets- they were only available at the time at Whole Foods- and were more expensive that the traditional purple kind. Vegan boyfriend, born and raised in Poland, mentioned the golden beet soup to his mother- who told him golden beets were reserved for the pigs in Poland.

So I spot these fancy black chickpeas at the natural foods store, and decide to buy them, despite the fact they probably cost three times as much as the regular variety. Then I can’t figure out what to do with them until I get this cookbook. Then I read in the cookbook… black chickpeas are often horse food in Southern Asia.

We silly Americans, spending all this money for food reserved for livestock in other countries…

Back to the slow cooker: upon getting home today, I was again treated to a delicious smell as I got off the elevator. It was so nice coming home and knowing that my chickpea curry would be waiting- along with the rice I had in the rice cooker all programmed to be ready just about the time I wanted to eat. Not a bad way to come home at all!

Seaweed. Need I say more?

I don’t like seaweed. Pretty much in any form.

I’m originally from Cape Cod, land of the Kennedys, tourists and beaches. I remember going to the beach many times and trying my best to avoid all the seaweed in the water- sometimes I would go to the beaches that had more stones and shells in the shallow water which hurt my feet, simply so I could avoid walking through seaweed. I hated the touch, the smell…

And the first time I tried sushi, I realized that I hated the taste, too.

Ew.

It was years before I tired seaweed in any form again.

What is sushi?

Sushi refers to the seasoned rice that is traditionally wrapped in seaweed. In the non-vegan world, they are traditionally served with raw fish. This being a vegan food blog and me hating fish, I’m not talking about that at all. of course, if you’ve stumbled across this post because you don’t like seaweed, even if you’re not vegan/veg, I’m willing to bet you don’t like fish either. Welcome!

Inari Sushi

Inari sushi (or inari-zushi/inarizushi) became my best friend. Well, maybe not my best friend all the time, but certainly for when an occasion calls for sushi. Inari is basically a very thin pocket of tofu that is fried and soaked in a flavorful liquid. I think that you can also find them dried, but I’ve always found them in a can at my local Asian foods stores.

My understanding is that they’re traditionally made for children. Well, I have a child’s palate in many ways, so it works for me.

Inari sushi, from a couple of Christmases ago.

Alternate Wrappers

You’re not limited to rolling sushi in seaweed, either. One of my friends once rolled sushi for me in rice paper, which was quite good. I’ve also seen sushi rolled in injera, for a totally fusion-type cuisine (injera are pancake-like things made of teff flour, traditionally used in Ethiopian cuisine). Anything that you can think of that’s flat and pliable is a potential sushi wrapper! Pancakes, crepes and vegan omelets are all potential wrappers!

And guess what? Apparently manufactures have figured out that I hate seaweed, so that make sushi wrappers just for that purpose!

Soy Wrappers

Look how pretty!

Soy Wrappers are these nifty papers the same size as nori sheets for rolling sushi. They’re a little more delicate than traditional nori, but work the same way. This particular brand comes with papers in several different colors!

Green spinach colored ones, mixed in with plain white.

Yellow turmeric colored ones. These are leftover (hence the browning avocado)
served up in my bento box for lunch!

I think these things are amazing, and have become my default whenever I’m making sushi.

But what about when you are at a restaurant or a party or just want to try to be normal and like regular sushi wrapped with nori like everyone else?

Nori-Wrapped Sushi for Picky Eaters

I have now eaten nori-wrapped sushi and not hated it.

Seriously.

I won’t lie- it’s not my favorite, and if I’m making it at home, I’ll stick to soy wrappers for myself. But, there are a few tricks to making it not taste so… seaweed-y.

First off, not all preparations of seaweed have a strong taste. In the Healthy Japanese Cooking class that I took last year at NGI, I tried several things made with Kombu and Wakame- and I couldn’t really taste it in the finished products. I think that’s important for picky eaters to know, because I was totally scared off of making things with those before, and it’s a shame, because they have some potential health benefits.

You also have probably had seaweed in other things and not known it, too! Irish moss is a type of seaweed that often used in things like tooth paste all the way to raw food delicacies. Kanten is often a stand-in for gelatin. You can’t taste the ocean in any of these things, my friends!

But back to nori. Yes, you can taste the ocean in it. But, you don’t have to!

Nori Tip #1

Wasabi & Ginger: best friends!

Wasabi is your friend.

So is pickled ginger.

Have you ever had straight tequila with the salt and the lime? This is sort of the same principle. Add the wasabi to some tamari (stir well), and dip the sushi into it, then eat. When you’re done, eat a piece of pickled ginger. You’ll be eating seaweed- but you won’t really taste it!

Nori Tip #2

Eat your nori-wrapped sushi fresh. I don’t think there’s much that can be done about the seaweed flavor in nori-wrapped sushi that’s been sitting around for a while. This doesn’t make for good leftovers if you hate seaweed, and I would definitely stay away from the pre-made bento boxes that you can find at many health food and grocery stores these days. I think if you’re getting it from a restaurant that makes rolls to order (as most do), you’ll be fine.

Follow these tips, and then you can enjoy things like this!

Yes, there’s nori, but with wasabi and pickled ginger, it’s eatable.

Sometimes a picky vegan wants to be hip like all the other vegans and eat sushi, too. Now you know how!

On to the last of this series!

I got a comment from a reader through my contact form last week a few weeks ago:

Subject: Seitan, Tempah, & Tofu

Message Body:
All I can say is “ick”. I’m good with all grains, vegetables, etc. But how do I acquire a taste for these? All vegans I know use them and I just can’t stand the taste! Tofutti yes but not tofu in its natural state. Help! Example: I use lentils for taco “meat”.

Most of us aren’t born into veganism, so there’s a learning curve for most of us. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t grow up eating any of those.

Over the last three weeks, I’ve been giving an introduction to those foods for my readers, and some ways that I really like them. Today is seitan day! Check out tofu and tempeh days!

Without further introduction…

What is seitan?

It’s the protein part of wheat flour, also known as gluten. It’s made by using flour- often white and whole wheat, in combination (it needs to be a high-protein flour, so pastry flour won’t work), which is then “washed” of all the starchy part, leaving behind a gummy, glue-y substance, which is then baked, boiled, simmered or steamed, usually with some type of flavorful liquid.

This seitan is breaded and baked, served with
spinach and mashed potatoes.

An easier way to make seitan is using something called vital wheat gluten. This is the protein part of the flour, dehydrated, which you simply mix with a liquid and cooked however you like to make your seitan. You can also buy seitan pre made in any Whole Foods or natural foods store (but not Trader Joe’s, at least that I’ve ever seen). You can also buy it online- I’m really partial to Upton’s Naturals Italian Style seitan- I love it on pizza!

Seitan (wheat gluten) is also the primary ingredient in many mock meats, such as Field Roast and Gimme Lean.

Calorie for calorie, seitan is higher in protein than either tofu or tempeh. Of course, traditional seitan is off-limts for anyone with Celiac Disease or who otherwise needs to be gluten-free.

Why does it sound evil?

The emphasis is on the “tan.” It’s fully non-evil, but you may well get strange looks and comments when wearing a Praise Seitan t-shirt.

Even if it’s not evil, it sounds weird and gross. Am I right?

Like tofu and tempeh, it’s not gross!

It is however, not very flavorful on its own. This is why you have to cook it in a flavorful liquid, or add flavor to it when you’re cooking it up. My lemongrass-seitan sandwich is a good example- you can even take pre-cooked seitan and simmer it in flavored broth as you’re preparing everything else, and it can still take on a wonderful flavor.

Lemongrass-seitan, wasabi mayo and arugula on toasted French bread. Delicious!

How should I try seitan if I’ve never had it before?

In my early veg days, I first tried seitan in the Seitan Stroganoff recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance (sans mushrooms, of course). It’s still a recipe I like to make!

This used a slightly different recipe, but is really similar.

Buffalo seitan was also something I made a lot in my early vegan days. I served this a birthday party once- non-vegan friends couldn’t stop eating it!

It’s awesome with some ranch-style dip!

I don’t have a picture because I haven’t made it in ages, but I used to also like to make “seitan stew” just like a beef stew, as well.

Can I use seitan just like meat in recipes?

Seitan may look a lot like meat, but it’s not quite the same in a number of ways. Even very lean meat has fat (and cholesterol), which influences the way that it cooks. Since seitan is plant based, it won’t cook up quite the same way- it doesn’t release fat in cooking, which means that it won’t help thicken sauces or get crispy by the same means.

This seitan bourguignon needs some slightly different treatment than one made with beef.

Any other tips or inspiration for seitan?

Many!

Recently I’ve been eschewing store-bought meat substitutes in favor of less processed versions (and more veggies, of course), and seitan is ideal for making many of these!

There are two great recipes for sausages made with vital wheat gluten in Vegan Brunch, but there are so many more ways to use it.

I’ve been into making vegan ham out of seitan (recipe based on one in La Dolce Vegan!) fairly frequently. I served it just like traditional ham at Christmas, but I bet it would also be awesome in this wild rice soup!

I used to make this with a store-bought vegan ham sub with 293847293874 ingredients, but I can make ham-style seitan now. Much simpler!

Smoked Seitan Ham went along with dinner, made in a slow cooker, and then smoked in the stovetop smoker.

Seitan also works well ground up in the food processor for things like chili, sloppy joes, tacos, Bolognese sauce and other places you’d use “ground beef,” but you can get fancy with it too, like in this celeriac puree.

Mashed potatoes, ground seitan, celery root purée, golden zucchini and green beans. Just another way to have some seitan in your life!

The same recipe I use for the lemongrass-seitan I mentioned above can also work for making vegan pho. I made a batch of the lemongrass seitan in the slow cooker over night last night- in the middle of the night, I woke up smelling its divine goodness. I saved the (strained) broth for pho later this week!

Pho is a great way to get in vegetables! And yes, despite the title of that post, I know that’s not how you say “pho.”

Despite the fact that seitan is not technically a whole food, it’s a good one. It’s easy to make, and it’s really easy to to eat healthfully with it. I personally think no vegan kitchen is complete without it!

Now that you’ve learned a bit more about tofu, tempeh and seitan, I hope that you’ll try some of the recipes, especially if you’ve been intimidated by these foods in the past. And remember, the key to any balanced diet is variety, so don’t forget about beans, lentils, nuts and veggies, too! No vegan diet should be based on processed foods alone.

I got a comment from a reader through my contact form last week a couple of weeks ago:

Subject: Seitan, Tempah, & Tofu

Message Body:
All I can say is “ick”. I’m good with all grains, vegetables, etc. But how do I acquire a taste for these? All vegans I know use them and I just can’t stand the taste! Tofutti yes but not tofu in its natural state. Help! Example: I use lentils for taco “meat”.

Most of us aren’t born into veganism, so there’s a learning curve for most of us. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t grow up eating any of those.

Over the next week, I’d like to do some introduction to those foods for my readers, and some ways that I really like them. Today is tempeh day! Look out for seitan day soon!

Healthy Scrambled Tempeh

What is tempeh?

Unlike tofu, tempeh is a whole food. Yes, really!

Tempeh at its simplest is soybeans fermented with a bacterial starter into a large block. The hulls (skins) are removed, and the beans are split (as in they fall apart into two pieces). Brown rice or other whole grains might also be included. The process goes like this: soybeans are soaked, de-hulled and split, cooked (boiled), cooled, inoculated with a starter, pressed into a cake, and then left to ferment for about a day. That’s all there is to it!

Of course, it’s not quite that simple. I’ve tried making it from scratch, with disastrous results- but I am optimistic enough to want to try it again! You can read up on how to make it from scratch at tempeh.info.

How does someone called The Picky Vegan like something that sounds so gross?

It’s not gross!

I love me some tempeh reuben.

I don’t remember the actual first time that I tried tempeh. I think it was in a tempeh reuben, but I’m not positive. I do remember the first few times that I bought blocks of tempeh, I got a little afraid of them (since they’re covered in mold, essentially) and I ended up tossing them. Mostly, I ate tempeh when I could get it at a restaurant, usually in the form of a sandwich. I found that I really liked tempeh bacon (you can buy Lightlife Fakin’ Bacon in the store), but I was poor and couldn’t afford it much. There’s a recipe for tempeh bacon in Vegan with a Vengeance- I started using that on a regular basis, and then learned to make my own adaptations to make some really delicious food!

So why does it taste so gross?

It’s not gross!

Tempeh bliss: marinate in a flavorful liquid and then fry pieces in (refined) coconut oil. You’ll thank me. Ultimate liquid + fat!

Actually, tempeh is probably a lot less “gross” than tofu, as it doesn’t have a soft or weird mouthfeel. If you’ve eaten beans, you’re probably down with the texture of tempeh. Like tofu, it has a pretty bland flavor on its own, though it’s slightly nutty and slightly bitter. The beans and grains are generally both a little undercooked, so there’s some trick to preparing tempeh so that it tastes good- namely adding some kind of moisture (and maybe some fat). I had the good fortune to take a class on tempeh at the Natural Gourmet Institute last year, and that really helped me learn how to prepare it well.

How should I try tempeh if I’ve never had it before, or I had it and it grossed me out?

Tempeh bacon.

As I mentioned before, you can buy Fakin’ Bacon at the grocery or natural foods store. If you can’t find it, there is the above mentioned recipe, but I’ve developed my own recipe that I like better! In my recipe, the microwave steaming helps add critical moisture to the tempeh, as well as flavor from the marinade- I think it gets in much better this way than just simple marinading.

Sriracha-Maple-Cider Glazed Tempeh. This recipe uses the same process as the bacon with different flavors and a glaze.

Any other tips or inspiration for Tempeh?

While tempeh doesn’t lend itself to quite as many applications as tofu, it’s still amazing. You can use it in so many different ways!

Like tofu, you can crumble it and use it in things like chili, sloppy joes, or as taco meat, though I would suggest steaming it before sautéing it.

Smokey tempeh over yellow split pea soup. Just like the tempeh bacon recipe, but finished off in a Stovetop Smoker

It’s much hardier than tofu, and lends itself to some different applications. Like, vegan pork-chop-style, buffalo-wing-style, piccata, braising, and it even works in this scrambled tempeh recipe from Vegan Brunch!

Piccata style!

This is tempeh crumbled up and molded into a cake, topped with rice and snow peas- from the tempeh class I took at NGI.

The best part about tempeh- it doesn’t take long at all to make a really flavorful dish. It’s definitely a staple around my kitchen, even if I was scared of cooking with it at first.

I got a comment from a reader through my contact form last week:

Subject: Seitan, Tempah, & Tofu

Message Body:
All I can say is “ick”. I’m good with all grains, vegetables, etc. But how do I acquire a taste for these? All vegans I know use them and I just can’t stand the taste! Tofutti yes but not tofu in its natural state. Help! Example: I use lentils for taco “meat”.

Pad Thai. An example of pan-fried tofu. Tasty!

Most of us aren’t born into veganism, so there’s a learning curve for most of us. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t grow up eating any of those.

Over the next week, I’d like to do some introduction to those foods for my readers, and some ways that I really like them. Today is tofu day!

If you want to know even more about tofu, head over to the Wikipedia article for more info!

How on Earth can someone named The Picky Vegan like tofu?

When I was in college, my mom started experimenting with tofu. Once when I was home on break, she made chili. Beef chili, which at the time, I generally enjoyed. Except she threw big chunks of tofu into it. I was totally grossed out, and I swore I’d never eat tofu again. My only other early experience with tofu had been the chunks floating in hot and sour soup at various Asian restaurants, which I would simply pick around (I was picky long before I became vegan!), because it just looked gross.

It took me years before I was willing to try it again, but I find now that I enjoy it. I’ll walk you through what it is and some of the ways I enjoy it.

So what is tofu?

Tofu is a processed food. It’s made by soaking, boiling, blending and straining soybeans into soy milk, and then adding a coagulant, like gypsum or epsom salts, and then pressing the curds that form into a block and discarding the extraneous liquid. The amount of liquid left determines the softness or firmness of the tofu.

If you go to the grocery store, you’ll typically find tofu in two different places: in the refrigerator case, where it’s typically in a plastic container that houses a block of tofu and some liquid, or on the grocery shelf, where it’s in a tetra pack. Both are perfectly fine to use, and they come in anything from soft to firm or extra firm, and everything in between. I find that the refrigerated variety has a much less bean-y flavor, so that’s what I almost always use.

Bonus: what’s silken tofu?

It’s made very similarly to the tofu described above, but usually salt water is used as the coagulant, and much less water is pressed out. As above, you’ll find it both in the aseptic packs and the refrigerator packs. Silken tofu is best for things like sauces, dressings, puddings and as an egg replacer in baked goods.

Extra bonus: seen any blocks of tofu floating around in a ton of water at your local natural foods store or Asian grocery? That’s fresh tofu. It’s usually of a firm consistency, and usually has a very delicate taste.

So why does it taste so gross?

By itself, tofu doesn’t taste like much of anything, except perhaps a slight bean flavor. I don’t think it’s the taste that gets people so much when they first try it, but rather the texture. That’s what grossed me out so much about the aforementioned chili.

How should I try tofu if I’ve never had it or been grossed out by it before?

The first kind of tofu that I tried that I liked was Sesame Tofu- fried pieces of tofu smothered in a sweet and spicy sesame sauce. Back in the day, I preferred to freeze the tofu first, then defrost and drain before using- this changes the texture significantly, and makes it more “meat like.”

I love, love, love this stuff.

This “tofuffalo” is basically made the same way-
fried and smothered in sauce.

Aside from the sesame tofu, you can use the same method to fry the tofu and use whatever kind of sauce (or dip) you like. You could also season the flour/cornstarch you use to coat it to add a little flavor as well.

Another option when you’re first starting out is to use it in a crumbled form. As my reader noted, she often uses lentils as “taco meat.” You can crumble up tofu and use it in the same way- spiced and sautéed in a little oil anywhere that you might use ground meat- like in chili, spaghetti sauce, sloppy joes, and of course, tacos. Personally, I’d say if you’re already using lentils that way there’s no need to switch to tofu, as lentils are a whole food, but if you’re just looking for a way to get used to tofu, it’s not a bad way.

How about some other ways for the more adventurous?

If you’re not going to smother the tofu in a flavorful sauce, it’s important to add flavor via a marinade, or your tofu just won’t taste like much of anything. My favorite way right now is to marinate, bake, then broil for a couple of minutes, like in this masala baked tofu from Appetite for Reduction.

It gets this awesome chewy texture, and takes on the flavor of whatever you marinate it in.

One thing you’ll need in order to make tofu like this is a way to press the water our of it. Some people put it on a plate wrapped with paper towels and with heavy items on top- like a cast iron pan or a cutting board with a few cans on top- but I’ve found that to be a great way to break a perfectly good plate. Others swear by it. Fortunately, there’s another option- the Tofu Xpress. I have two. They’re also handy for making tofu, it you want to try your hand at doing it from scratch.

Marinated and grilled presents another delicious option! Just press the liquid out, marinade in your favorite marinade, and grill on a grill pan or outdoor grill. Make sure you lightly oil or spray whatever you’re grilling with and your surface is really hot before putting the tofu on, or it will stick something awful.

This was marinated in jerk seasoning, first.

Other options: Stir-fry, Tofu Scramble,and fritattas. Tofu lends itself well to breakfast!

How about those sauces and dressings with silken tofu?

If you’ve never had tofu or you’re not a big fan, don’t go with these first. I know others will say otherwise, but I think they tend to be too strongly flavored with soybean, and they’re a turn off for many. Including me in the beginning, but I tend not to taste it anymore. If you’re adventurous enough to venture down this path, do yourself a favor and stay away from the shelf-stable tetra pack tofu, and go with the water-packed variety. It’s got much less of a strong flavor.

From the Happy Herbivore Cookbook, Fettucini Alfredo.

I don’t really do dressings with tofu- I prefer Veganaise or soaked, blended cashews for a creamy base, but I find tofu works well in creamy pasta type sauces. Aside from the above Fettucini Alfredo, this Macro Mac & Cheese also uses silken tofu in its sauce.

Recipe from Blissful Bites.

You don’t need to be nearly as adventurous to enjoy this one- I don’t think you’d even know this omelette from Vegan Brunch is even made from tofu.

I was someone who was scared of tofu for the first several years that I was vegetarian. Now I eat it at least once a week- and not usually in one of those fried forms, which should be considered a treat. Believe me, if I can do it, you can do it too!

Another one for intuitive cooking.

I was at my mom’s last weekend, and she had just done a big produce grocery shopping, and thought it would be nice if we made a healthy stir-fry for dinner on Saturday. I had us pick up some ginger and miso, as I’ve been finding that it makes a great combination for a stir-fry sauce.

The veggies here were peppers, onions, carrots, cucumber (yes, cucumber works well in stir-fry!) and bok choi.

Served over sweet potato noodles, and topped with some srirachca. Pan seared tofu is also there.

This is intutite cooking, so I am not adding amounts- do what seems right!

Ginger-Miso Stir Fry Sauce

• Yellow miso
• minced or grated ginger (as much or as little as you like)
• a splash of tamari
• a little more than a splash of rice wine vinegar
• a drizzle of sesame oil
• water or vegetable broth to thin
• optional (and not used this time): agave or brown rice syrup to taste

1. Spray a small pan with oil and brown the ginger.
2. Add the miso, tamari, vinegar and sesame oil.
3. Add a small amount of liquid and stir to dissolve the miso. Do not bring to a boil.
4. Add enough liquid more to bring to a consistency you like; add sweetener if desired.
5. Heat, but do not boil. Add to your veggies when they are ready.

I probably used about 2 tsp of miso. You can use more or less if you like! I’ve done this sweetened before, but it really doesn’t need it.

I know intuitive cooking can sound intimidating, but with a list of basic ingredients, I’m sure you can do it!

File this one under intuitive cooking.

I’m trying to use up stuff that I have around the house before I go grocery shopping again. I have a bunch of different root vegetables that keep well, and among them was some celery root (celeriac). I really wanted something that could be poured over mashed potatoes last night. So, I stood in front of the fridge, figuring out what I had on hand. I came up with the celery root, some frozen seitan, and some frozen veggies. This is what it turned out to be. The seitan was ground up in the food processor before being added.

Mashed potatoes, ground seitan, celery root purée, golden zucchini and green beans. Weird combination, but it works!

I looked for celery root (celeriac) purée recipes, but didn’t find exactly what I was looking for. I don’t think that spreading the purée on the plate would have been all that attractive with mashed potatoes, plus I wanted something smother-worthy, so it’s used like a gravy, although it’s not really a gravy, either. But is was interesting!

Are you wondering what celery root is? It’s exactly what it sounds like. It smells like the more traditional celery, but it tastes much milder, and there’s none of that stringy stuff.

This purée is gluten-free, and the entire meal can early be made gluten free by using tempeh or tofu instead of seitan.

Since this is intuitive cooking, I’m not giving amounts- use what you have on hand. I’ll explain.

Celeriac Purée

• celery root, chopped
• onion, minced
• garlic, minced
• water/veggie broth
• salt and pepper, to taste

1. Spray a pot with oil (or heat a small amount of broth/water with which to sauté).
2. Sauté onion until brow; add celery root and continue to sauté. Add garlic as celery root begins to soften.
3. Add enough water/broth to cover veggies. Cook until celery root is fork-tender.
4. With an immersion blender, blend all until a purée consistency. Taste for seasoning. You can add anything like seitan, tofu, tempeh or veggies at this point, if you like.

This whole intuitive thing is about using whatever you have on hand rather than an actual recipe. I had a little more than 1/2 of a celery root, and used a lot of onion, because I like it. I used about 3 cups of broth, but I might use slightly less in the future.