Friday, December 2, 2011

Wiping The Egg From Your Face

There are many people who are comfortable giving up or eliminating meat from their diet, but they still cling to eggs for a few reasons: a) they enjoy the taste, b) they don't know of a way to veganize it, and 3) they are completely unaware of what happens in the poultry industry.

I'm not here to preach to you about what happens. You can google that stuff yourself. It's pretty awful. I'm not the kind of person who needs to read and see the snuff footage.

I AM the kind of person that is committed to taking something I once cherished and finding a way to make it animal product free. See that pic up there? It's eggless salad. Super easy to make. It's not 100% reminiscent of eggs, but it does have a similar texture and flavor. I put this stuff on some toasted multi-grain bread and paired it with the In-a-Pinch Corn and Broccoli chowder from the other day. It was the perfect lunch for a rainy day.

Eggless Salad

  • 1pkg extra firm tofu, pressed NOTE: this is the kind in the plastic tub with water, not the aseptic package.
  • 1T dijon mustard-(make sure it's vegan. some brands put egg in it!)
  • 1/4 c nutritional yeast also known in the vegan lexicon as "nooch"
  • 1t garlic powder
  • 2t onion powder
  • 1/2 t black pepper
  • 1T bragg's liquid aminos
  • 2T chopped pickle (dill! dill! dill!)
  • 1T fresh dill (or 1t of dried)
  • a shredded carrot (optional)
  • chives (optional)
  • pinch of salt*

*IF you can score it, get black salt. A little goes a long way and it has an eggy smell and flavor. You can find it at an Indian grocery or restaurant. Regular salt will work.

This recipe is best if made the night before. If you lack the time, it will still be okay, just not as good.

How in the hell do you press tofu? Easy--take that block of tofu and put it between two dinner plates. Sit a big ol' can of tomatoes or a hand weight-(because I know you haven't worked out in ages) and let gravity do it's thing. Drain after 10 minutes three times, and almost all of the water should be out of the block. Now this brick o' soy is a blank canvas to absorb anything and everything it is mixed with!

With clean hands, mush the tofu up to a ricotta consistency. Add all of your ingredients and stir thoroughly--you don't want to chomp into a complete bite of mustard or plain tofu-(blech!).
Sit in a tupperware container and allow the flavors to meld overnight. Serve on your favorite bread with your favorite toppings. I am partial to sun dried tomatoes.

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