Crispy Cajun Tofu, Swiss Chard and Mac and Cheeze
By jen | April 3, 2009
Since Souley Vegan is still closed, I’ve had to satisfy my cravings for vegan soul food by making my own crispy tofu and mac and cheeze.
The crispy tofu recipe comes from The Artful Vegan cookbook from Millenium Restaurant. The balance of flavors in the batter and spices were delicious and I will definitely be making this again! I sautéed the swiss chard in olive oil, garlic, onion and a little balsamic vinegar. For the mac and cheeze, I used large shell pasta, which I highly recommend because it holds the sauce really well. I adapted Fat Free Vegan’s mac and cheeze recipe because I didn’t have miso, tahini, or dry mustard and I like a little kick in my mac and cheeze. If you are sensitive to spice, you can cut the amount of garlic powder, cayenne pepper and black pepper. If you like spicy, this mac and cheeze is delicious with a few shakes of hot sauce on top!
Vegan Mac and Cheeze
1 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk
1 cup water
3/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tb cornstarch
1 Tb lemon juice
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. Prepare the pasta al dente and return the drained pasta to the pot. Add the blended mixture to the pot and stir on medium heat to heat and thicken the sauce. Remove from heat once the sauce thickens slightly as it will continue to thicken in the pot.
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Hello!
By jen | April 1, 2009
Welcome to my new food blog where I share with you my (mis)adventures in vegan cooking and baking!
I became a vegan permanently in January 2007 (after a few unsuccessful attempts) and have come a long way in my culinary abilities since then. As much as I enjoyed food, I was never particularly interested in cooking when I was an omnivore or vegetarian. When I became vegan, I was essentially forced to learn to cook for myself and boy were the first six months rough! I felt helpless, even with all of my newly purchased vegan cookbooks. I didn’t have any staple ingredients, hadn’t worked with most of them and I lacked the patience to even try. My diet mostly consisted of salads, Tofurky, rice and tofu and veggie stir fries. B-o-r-i-n-g!! And as much as I loved to bake, vegan baking seemed intimidating.
Since those first few months, something incredible has happened. I cook and bake nearly every day and I absolutely love it! I feel that veganism has opened a new outlet for my creativity and awakened my appreciation for food and food preparation. I love trying new recipes, experimenting with ingredients and sharing the results with my partner and friends. A domestic side of me surfaced that had never existed before age 26. (Anyone who has known me since before 2007 can attest to this.)
I read dozens of vegan food blogs every week and am in awe of all amazing recipes and photos – there is some serious talent out there! I hope to one day reach the level of all of my vegan blogger heroes, but in the meantime, I’ll be sharing many of my mistakes along with my successes as I continue to learn the art of vegan cooking and baking. I hope you enjoy the blog!
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