Vegan Tofu Turkey

This recipe was a result of combining aspects of a few different tofu turkey recipes on the web. Let me know what you think! The trick with the tofu turkey (if anyone out there is thinking vegan holidays) seems to be how long it's pressed. The longer its pressed*, overnight is ideal, the firmer your tofu will become.

Ingredients:

Tofu turkey:
5 (10 oz) large blocks of tofu
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fresh minced parsley
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp lime juice

Stuffing:
1 cup diced onions
1 1/2 cups diced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups diced celery
2 cups soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 dried berries

One cloth (cheesecloth or clean
dish cloth)

Line a colander with a cheesecloth. Crumble tofu and blend in a food processor with the first 7 ingredients. Then pack it into the colander, and cover
with overlapping cloth.
Get creative here and place a flat item on top (i.e. dessert plate, tupperware lid) then set a heavy object on top of that. *I used books and pressed the tofu for about 2 hours. Leaving the tofu to press overnight in a fridge or cold room would be ideal.

Meanwhile, make the stuffing. Sauté onions, garlic, celery, walnuts, berries and mushrooms in 1 Tbsp sesame oil for one minute then add the herbs and half the soy sauce, cover, and cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add bread crumbs and mix well.

With your tofu pressed for at least two hours, scoop out middle portion with a
large spoon about 1 inch of space around the sides of the colander. Press the stuffing in the hollow and cover it with the spooned out tofu. Press down firmly.

Grease a baking sheet/dish and quickly flip the tofu turkey over onto it, flat side down. Combine the remaining soy sauce and sesame oil and brush it over the top to baste. Cover with foil and bake for one hour at 425°F. Transfer to a serving plate, baste with any remaining liquid. Serve with your favourite veggies!

Tips: cook sweet potatoes, carrots, whole mushrooms and zucchini along with your tofu turkey surrounding it in the baking sheet. It will save time and turn out delicious.

Vegan Rice Paper Rolls

Appetizer for 2-3

1 Pkg extra-firm tofu
3-4 circular rice paper sheets
1 c. chopped fresh greens of choice i.e. spinach, kale, arugula...
1/4 c. fresh sprouts
shallow baking dish or plate filled with warm water

asian sesame sauce:
1/2 cup tahini
2 tbl fresh lemon juice
1 tbl soy sauce
1 tbl freshly grated ginger
1 tbl honey
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 tbl hoisin sauce

1. Drain tofu and wrap in paper towel and cheesecloth. Press gently but firmly to remove excess water. (You can skip this step - but pressing tofu makes for a nicer texture when cooked)

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees f. Slice tofu into strips and place in a lined baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix together tahina, lemon juice, soy sauce, ginger, honey, garlic and soy sauce. Use some of this mixture to coat tofu strips and bake tofu for 10-12 minutes.

3. Fill a shallow baking dish or plate with warm water. Dip one rice paper sheet in warm water for about 10-20 seconds and put sheet on a clean working surface. The sheets will be delicate after being submerged in warm water. Place tofu, fresh greens, and fresh sprouts on sheet. Begin rolling from one side, fold sides in when you reach the middle, and continue rolling. Repeat for other sheets.

4. Cut each roll in half and serve with asian-sesame sauce.

Easy Blueberry Pancakes

Serves 2-3

1 1/4 flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 c. milk or alternative (vanilla almond breeze is my favourite!)
1 egg or equivalent of egg replacer
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp butter
1/2 pint blueberries

1. Mix flour, baking powder, and cinnamon powder in a bowl.
2. Add milk, egg, vanilla extract and mix in with dry ingredients until batter is smooth. Add in blueberries.
3. Heat a non-stick pan on the stove.
4. Add 1/4 cup of batter into pan and flip, roughly one or two minutes on each side.
5. Serve with maple syrup or simple syrup with the leftover blueberries.

Sweet Potato, Spinach & Cranberry Salad

Serves 4

3 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 c. chopped fresh spinach
1/4 c. dried cranberries
thinly sliced red onion
1/4 c. veganise
2 tbl lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
thinly sliced cucumber to garnish
1 tbl olive oil

1. Preheat conventional oven to 350 f. Cut potatoes into fours and set aside. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set potatoes on the foil. Drizzle with olive oil and add a pinch of salt. Bring edges of aluminum foil upwards toward the middle and join together to form a pouch. Put in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

2. In a large bowl, mix veganise, lemon juice, salt and pepper (and whatever seasoning you like, I used some cardamom + rosemary as well)

3. Remove skins from potatoes (They should come off easily) and cut into bite-sized cubes.

4. Add potatoes and remaining ingredients into large bowl and mix together. Garnish with cucumber slices or mint leaves.