Your Vegan Mom

Crunchy Baked Tofu Sticks and Post-Easter Food Trauma

I am so done with Easter.

And we had such a nice day on Sunday too.  As predicted, we had brunch at my mom's, followed by an egg hunt in the backyard.  And then a long walk for most and a long nap for some.  We played on the beach and then had dinner at my dad's.  There was an egg hunt at his house too.  With lots more candy.  

There were actually four egg hunts with loads of candy over the course of the week.  And it should have been five - we missed one.

Did you read that article on sugar in the New York Times magazine a couple weeks ago?  I may have mentioned it at the park surrounded by Desmond's classmates who were happily scarfing down the spilled contents of plastic eggs scattered across picnic blankets at the park.  Every single mom and dad for blankets around may have gone quiet at the mention of the word toxin.  I may not be particularly socially savvy.  Also, the (toxic) jelly beans may have been from me.  

We had enough.  Way too much actually.  And I am now ready to banish all leftover Easter candy from our house, and get back to our normal way of eating.  I am going to have to work hard though to entice these boys away from their memories of intense sugar.  (On Sunday night, sleeping over at my mom's house, Felix woke up in the middle of the night to demand more cake - did I mention there was also a birthday celebration in the middle of all those jelly bean-filled plastic eggs?)  

So, here's a pretty healthy recipe that I know they love.  I do up a whole block of tofu in this fashion and the leftovers keep well in the fridge.  Re-crisped in the oven, they're maybe even better the next day.  They travel well for dinner on the go if necessary and they meet the super important dippable requirement for a successful kid dinner.  If you serve them with your house's favorite roasted vegetable (asparagus here at the moment) and oven fries, then the whole dinner cooks itself in the oven while you do the dishes or coax your kids down from their sugar high.

Making cornflake crumbs.

Crunchy Baked Tofu Sticks

• 1 pound super firm tofu, marinated overnight or at least 4 hours
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups corn flakes, smashed to crumbs
• 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• pinch of black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Get out 3 medium bowls for dipping tofu.  In one, whisk together the flour and seasonings.  In the second whisk together the flax meal and water.  And in the third, mix together the rest of the ingredients with a fork.  

If you haven't already,cut the marinated tofu into sticks.  Then dip each stick in the seasoned flour, tossing around to coat.  From there, dunk it in the goopy flax (give that flax another stir just before your first dunk).  And finally press the tofu into the crumbs.  

Place all your coated tofu sticks on a cookie sheet.  Heat the oven to 375, while you let your tofu just hang out for a bit to get everything nice and stuck together.  When the oven is hot, bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and crunchy.  

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Toast Cups and Easy, Kid-Friendly Brunch Fare

I'm thinking about you.  Will you, perchance, be cooking up something to replace your mom's Cheese Baked Judy this Easter Sunday following the egg hunt?  Yes?  No?  Okay, I'm thinking about me.  And I'll need a super simple brunch-y main dish that I can easily make in not-my-own kitchen.  Bonus points if my kids will eat it.  

Super score.  This is it.  Tofu Scramble in Toast Cups.  The mundane meets the unexpectedly festive in one perfect brunch dish.  Happy Easter!  

I have to thank Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Cookbook from 1959 for the inspiration for this recipe.  Right there in the Easter spread on page 31 there is a recipe for toast cups (with eggs baked inside) that leaves me wanting to serve everything in a vessel of oven crisped bread - pot pie filling and creamy mushrooms and then I even start to think about all the creamed things that my mom hankers for on toast and I wonder about plopping vegan equivalents into these edible receptacles.  Creamed Tempeh in Toast Cup - I bet that's good.  

But for now, this scramble will meet your Sunday brunch needs.  It's easy and delicious, and actually, after it serves its festive, holiday needs, I could see this becoming a simple, savory breakfast on the go staple.  Did I mention that both boys (and their parents to boot) loved it?  Hallelujah.  

Toast Cups with Tofu Scramble and Spring Vegetables
Makes: 12 appetizer or 6 light main dish servings
Takes: 30 minutes (20 active)

• 12 slices soft whole wheat bread, crusts removed
• 4 tablespoons vegan butter, divided
• 1 spring onion with the tops, finely chopped (or 3 green onions)
• 2 smallish carrots, shredded
• 1 medium zucchini, shredded
• 1 19-ounce package medium-firm tofu (I mostly use the pink one from Trader Joe's for scrambling.)
• 1/4 cup tofu seasoning blend (recipe below)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill

To make the toast cups: Heat the oven to 325.  Lightly butter your bread squares and gently smoosh into the cups of a muffin tin.  (If your bread is too stiff - you'll know when it doesn't smoosh nicely - cover a stack of buttered slices and stick them in the microwave for 30 - 60 seconds or until soft, working in 2 or 3 batches) Bake for 20 minutes or until crisp and golden brown - they will crisp up more as they cool.

To make the scramble: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.  Add the white parts of the onion and the carrot.  Cook for about 2 minutes, until soft and fragrant.  Stir in the zucchini.  Season with a pinch of salt and cook for another 2 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown.  Add the green parts of the onion and cook just until wilted and smelling delicious.  Crumble the tofu into the pan.  Add the seasoning mix and a bit of dill.  Smash the seasoning into the tofu and vegetables, cooking and stirring.  Season with salt and pepper if necessary.  If your tofu is very wet, let most of the liquid cook off.  Otherwise, you're done with this part.

To assemble: Place a dollop of scramble in each toast cup and serve.

Toast cups and scramble can both be made a day ahead.  Reheat the scramble and proceed.

Basic Tofu Seasoning Blend
Makes: about 2 cups
Takes: less than 5 minutes

• 2 cups nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Place all ingredients in a jar.  Shake.  Use as needed.   

Food for Grown-ups

Tuesday morning after the swarm of locusts that is the four year old and the one year old descended on my kitchen devouring everything in sight - bowls of oatmeal, baskets of strawberries, dozens of tangerines, loaves of cinnamon toast - I paused for a moment to heat up the three bites of leftover pasta from the night before - the pasta that itself had been composed of refrigerator detritus leftover from quality food prepared for my children.  There was some cold penne that they had been snacking on, and a quarter cup of tomato sauce, and some sundried tomato pesto from the farmers market, a few slices of smoky eggplant that I cut in slivers, a handful of spinach for good measure and some dried chili to mark it as grown-up dinner.  Paul and I pushed the books and whatnot off half of the dining table and had a tired dinner date at the end of the day.  We ate most of the pasta, but there were three bites left.  That would hold me for an hour or at least until I found my coffee cup.  

As I stood in the middle of the kitchen, fork in hand, poised to eat bite one of three of my pathetic breakfast, the boys in turn shouted from their shared perch on top of the red step ladder stool:

"What's that?"

"That!  I want that!"

I turned around, ate it really fast, and put the dishes in the sink.

I held out my hands in the universal toddler symbol for all gone and we moved on with our day.  

And then later, after a gaggle of pals came over to play, when the peanut butter and jelly plate was empty and the apple bowl too, when there was just one pal left with his mom, and the boys were off playing quietly, the moms sat down and ate lunch.  A really healthy, satisfying lunch.  We even chatted and managed to carry several threads of conversation through to a satisfied completion.  We peeled tangerines into our empty bowls, and then we ate them.  Ourselves.  

It was nice.  

And I'm sure this sounds incredibly obvious, but it reminded me how essential it is to feed yourself too.  And maybe not always the crusts from peanut butter sandwiches and the half a banana that nobody else wants.  

It doesn't take long to whip up some salad dressing and stick it in the fridge for the week... for you.  I'm finding that the recipes in Isa Chandra Moskowitz's newish Appetite for Reduction are perfect for this sort of nourishing grown-up fare.

As the title suggests, these recipes are low in fat and calories, but packed with flavor, and what I like best, nutritionally dense.

The author worked with a registered dietician on this book, Matthew Ruscigno, and I like the results. The nutritional info is really easy to read.  It's reassuring to see where your iron and calcium and vitamins are coming from.

I've made the baked falafel three times now, and there are currently two varieties of salad dressing in the fridge - the Caeasar Chavez and the Green Goddess Garlic dressing.  They're both creamy and rich from ground nuts or tahini rather than tons of oil.  The flavor is action-packed with fresh herbs and garlic or shallots and capers - so they are in no danger of locust infestation - they're all mine.

They have topped not only a variety of salads but also as the author suggests some simple meal bowls like the ones my friend and I shared for lunch.  That lunch was just brown rice, edamame, and blanched spinach topped with the flavorful dressing, but it was so satisfying.  I like this realistic approach to cooking.  Near the end of the book, after all the recipes, there is a short chapter of simple spins that you might take - suggestions for sandwich fillings and potato toppings and bowl components - instant meals that will leave you feeling nourished.  I love it.

There have been recipes that the boys have liked as well.  Last Sunday we made the low fat creamed corn and pineapple collards to go with Susan's barbecued ribs and everyone was happy.  And I have hopes for some of the hearty vegetable-laden stews that I think might appeal to my kids.  Moroccan Chickpeas and Zucchini over whole wheat couscous and Veggie Pot Pie Stew thickened with yellow split peas might work.  We'll see.  If not, I've got lunch next week.  Maybe I'll have my pals over. 

From the book Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group.  Copyright (c) 2010. 

Caesar Salad with Eggplant Bacon 
Serves 4.  Active Time: 20 minutes.  Total Time: 30 minutes
(Can be made gluten free if using tamari in place of soy sauce.) 

Briny Caesar dressing meets smoky eggplant slices in this spin on the classic Caesar.  I love all the texture going on, with the crunchy fresh romaine, creamy dressing, and the eggplant bacon - crisp in some places, chewy in others.  To make this into more of an entree salad, add some basic baked tofu or a handful of chickpeas.

Eggplant Bacon:

• 1/2 pound eggplant
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

Salad:

• 8 cups chopped romain lettuce
• 1 recipe Caesar Chavez Dressing 

Preheat the oven to 425.  Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.  

Prep the eggplants while the oven is preheating.  I slice them into half-moons because it's the easiest shape to slice consistently.  Aim for eggplants that are around 4 inches in diameter at their widest.  Cut off the stem and the bottom, then cut the eggplant in half lengthwise.  Lay the eggplant halves cut side down, and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices.  Don't worry if your slices are a bit irregular; that just adds to the texture, which should be varied between tender and chewy to smoky and crisp.  What we're going to do is bake them at a high temperature with just a bit of nonstick cooking spray, then let them cool, then give them smoky salty flavor and reheat.  Place the eggplant strips in a single layer on the parchment paper.  Spray lightly with cooking spray.  Place in the oven and bake for about 8 minutes, keeping a close eye.

Remove the pan from the oven and flip the eggplant slices.  They should be browning already, and if any are slightly burnt, don't worry.  Just transfer them to a plate to let cool.  Return the remaining slices to the oven for about 3 minutes.

Remove from the oven.  The eggplant should be dark brown to burnt in some places, and yellowish white and tender in others.  Transfer to a plate to let cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 350.  When the eggplant is cool enough to handle, mix the soy sauce and liquid smoke together in a bowl.  Dip the eggplant slices into the mixture and return them to the baking sheet.  Bake for about 3 more minutes, until heated through.  Serve within the next few hours.  

Assemble the salad: Pour the dressing into a large mixing bowl.  Add the lettuce in batches,using tongs to coat the lettuce after each addition.  When all the lettuce is coated, transfer to bowls and top with the eggplant.

Caesar Chavez Dressing
Serves 4.  Active Time: 5 minutes.  Total Time: 5 minutes

• 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
• 2 tablespoons cashew pieces
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 tablespoon miso
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon capers with brine
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Place everything in a food processor (I prefer a blender for wet stuff like this.) and blend for at least 5 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides often, until completely smooth.  It's really important that you blend for the full time, otherwise your dressing may be grainy.  Taste for salt.  Keep refrigerated in a tightly sealed container until ready to use.