Eggless Egg Salad

Eggless Egg Salad

1 ½ pounds extra-firm tofu
½ cup eggless mayonnaise (vegenaise)
2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
4 or 5 green onions, white and green parts, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
4 teaspoons pickle relish
1 ½ teaspoons prepared Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Black pepper, to taste
Sliced bread of your choice

In a large bowl, crumble the tofu with your hands. Add all ingredients and combine well. Serve on sliced bread or on crackers as an appetizer. Can also be served as a side salad at a picnic or barbeque.

Matzoh Ball Soup

Matzoh Ball Soup

3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
6 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ yellow onion, minced
½ cup matzoh meal
½ teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
1 ½ tablespoons minced fresh parsley
6 cups homemade vegetable stock (recipe to follow)
1 carrot peeled and finely shredded, for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped dill, for garnish

Whip flaxseed and water in a food processor for 2-3 minutes, until a very thick, creamy, almost yogurt like consistency.
In a sauté pan, warm oil and sauté onion until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Combine flax mixture, sauté onion, matzoh meal, salt, and parsley in a bowl. Cover, and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
When ready to assemble, fill a large soup pot with vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Remove matzoh batter from the fridge, and form into tight, walnut-size balls (about 1-inch around). Make sure they are tightly packed. To help you form the balls, dip your hands in water before scooping batter and rolling each one. You should have 10-12 balls.
Once the broth has boiled, reduce heat to a rapid simmer, and carefully drop in balls. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
When ready to serve, ladle stock evenly into 5-6 bowls. Place 2 motzah balls in each. Just before serving, sprinkle each bowl with shredded carrot and shopped dill, if desired.

Homemade vegetable broth:

1 tablespoon olive oil or water
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, including leaves, roughly chopped
2 large carrots, roughly chopped
3-5 scallions, roughly chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
8 sprigs, fresh parsley
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
2 quarts water

Heat oil or water in a large soup pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, scallions, garlic, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook over med-high heat for about 10 minutes stirring frequently.
Add salt and water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain vegetables.
You can use many vegetables to make a nice stock. Try mushrooms, corn, fennel bell peppers, basil, and tomatoes. You can even try roasting the veggies first.

Yield: 6 servings.

Macaroni Salad

Macaroni Salad

This is an old 70’s style macaroni.

2 cups cooked elbow macaroni
1 cup fresh or defrosted frozen corn kernels
½ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cucumber, seeded and cut into quarters
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
¼ cup chopped chives or green onions
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup vegan mayonnaise (vegenaise)
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and enjoy.
You can also add 2 teaspoons curry powder to mix it up a bit.

Tempeh Basic Prep

Tempeh Basic Prep

3 tablespoon olive oil or sunflower oil
Four 2 ounce tempeh patties
¼ cup simple Deglaze (recipe follows)

I suggest slicing the block in half lengthwise and then again in half crosswise to get four square patties about 2 ounces each.

Heat oil in frying pan over moderately high heat. Add tempeh patties. They should sizzle slightly. (Make sure the oil is hot enough or the patties will absorb more oil before they get brown.) Saute until golden, about 1-2 minutes on each side. You may need to add more oil when you turn them to get the other side brown.
After the second side is brown and there is no excess oil in the pan, pour the ¼ cup Simple Deglaze over and around the tempeh patties all at once.
Lower the heat slightly. Remove tempeh when the Simple Deglaze had been absorbed and the tempeh has a nice golden brown color.

Simple Deglaze:

2/3 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Blackened Tempeh

Blackening spice:

¼ cup cayenne
¼ cup paprika
¼ cup chili powder
2 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons seat salt
2 tablespoons dried thyme
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ ground allspice
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground mace

Combine all spices well. Store in a tightly sealed jar to keep fresh, and store in the refrigerator to keep fresher longer.

Brush a little oil onto one side of each sautéed tempeh patty. Place some of the blackening spice in a flat dish or plate and press the oiled side gently into the spice to coat well. Allow a clean and dry cast-iron pan to get very hot on the stovetop, and then place the spiced side down on the hot surface. Let it sear and smoke about 10 seconds, or until spice mixture blackens.

This tempeh goes well with the California Caesar salad.

California Caesar

California Caesar

Caesar vegan dressing recipe:
Makes 2 cups

1 cup olive oil
¾ cup water
¼ cup Miso
¼ cup lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon capers
¾ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Puree all ingredients in a blender.

Country Croutons recipe:

8 slices day old bread, cut into ½ inch cubes
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 300 F. Put all ingredients in a bowl and toss well. Spread evenly on an ungreased baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Turn croutons with a spatula and bake another 10 minutes until all are nicely browned.

Caesar Salad recipe:

1 head romaine lettuce
½ cup Caesar vegan dressing
1 avocado, sliced
Croutons
Lemon slices (optional)

Chop lettuce into one inch pieces or tear. Place in a mixing bowl and toss with vegan dressing and croutons. Arrange avocado slices with salad on individual plates or in a serving bowl, and garnish with lemon slices.

For a change, serve with blackened tempeh.

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder

This is a nice light vegan corn chowder. If you want a chunky chowder version, puree only half the soup.

¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cups fresh or frozen corn (save one cup for garnish)
2 medium potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons, dried thyme
6 cups water

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, and sauté onion until transparent and lightly browned. Stir in 2 cups corn kernels, potatoes, and seasonings. Add 6 cups water, and simmer 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Then puree in a blender or use hand blender. Pour puree back into pot, and add remaining 1 cup of whole corn kernels.
You can use vegetable broth instead of water and adjust amount of salt.