Recipe: Vegan Tofu Thai Pizza with Nutty Sauce

It's Friday and for many people that means PIZZA NIGHT! Pizza is so easy to love and so easy to make. It also is basically a flatbread with endless possibilities. 

This beautiful pizza (isn't it colorful?!) is just a wicked tasty healthier version of the peanut sauced pizzas you see in some fancy pants pizza places. While researching (looking at 1000 or so recipes) everything I saw called for AT LEAST 1/2 cup of peanut butter. That kind of made me feel heavy just reading it. 

I figured we could lighten that up but still keep that awesome nutty flavor. No problem! And then top it with some easy baked tofu, some fresh veggies and then.. OM NOM NOM! (I watch at lot of Sesame Street with my kiddo so that was a Cookie Monster om nom!)

Ohh so for the tofu you could get a little fancier (and spicer!) and go for some Sriracha Baked Tofu. It's just as easy to make, really but it's a bit more crazy than just plain ole baked tofu. Not that there's anything wrong with plain ole baked tofu - me and my daughter are crazy for that stuff! We had to force ourselves to stop munching on it while making the pizza. 

Man, anyone that thinks vegan pizza would be boring hasn't tried something like this! There is so much flavor going on here that you won't be missing anything. Except maybe a few dashes of extra sriracha on top!

Now, I'm sure most people know this but I just have to say - this pizza is even better the next morning (cold) for breakfast. Try it out and you won't be sorry! Well, you might be sorry if you get some cilantro stuck in your teeth before you go out to work. That would be bad. 

Vegan Tofu Thai Pizza with Nutty Sauce

serves - 2-6 (depending on how much you share. I could eat a whole pizza!)

• 1 large pizza sized ball of your favorite pizza dough
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 lb tofu, pressed and cubed
• 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari

Nutty Sauce:

• 3 Tablespoons peanut butter (or any nut or seed butter you like)
• 3/4 cup soy milk (or other milk alternative)
• 3/4 teaspoon coconut extract
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced or grated with microplane
• 1 - 3 Tablespoons sriracha (to taste!)
• 1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar

First bake the tofu - preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Toss your cubed tofu with the 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce. Spread them out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, turning halfway through, until they are lightly browned.

Turn the oven up to 425 degrees. If you use a pizza stone place it in to preheat with the oven.

Stretch your pizza dough out and place onto your pizza stone (dust it with cornmeal if you think it will stick) or onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Prebake your pizza dough for about 8 - 10 minutes or until just starting to brown. 

Make the nutty sauce: Whisk all of the ingredients for the Nutty Sauce together in a medium sized sauce pan over high heat. Bring to a simmer while whisking continuously.  Whisk until thickened and take off the heat to cool. 

Spread the nutty sauce over the prebaked pizza dough. Scatter the tofu, red onions and red peppers over the top.  Bake for 5 - 7 minutes longer, or until the crust is as crispy as you desire. 

Take the pizza out and sprinkle with the green onions, cilantro and shredded carrot. Now cut yourself a big ole slice and enjoy!

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size:  1 slice (1/8th)

7 WWPointsPlus  232 calories, 9g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 31g carbohydrates, 3.3g fiber, 5.3g sugar, 9.7g protein

Recipe: Easy Tempeh, Potato and Spring Vegetable Red Curry

There is a lovely Thai restraunt near us that I used to love to go to. That is until I had my daughter. It's just that the place isn't really "kid friendly" and it's more of a date night place. Since we hardly ever go anywhere for date nights it has dropped off of our radar.  That doesn't mean i've stopped loving Thai food though! 

(One of my neighbors came out and accused us of being "hipster" for taking pictures of of our curry on such a lovely evening! hahahah! Then I sold him a Fo Reals Life Vegan Taco Party booklet!!!)

Thai food could easily be a complicated affair including trips to the Asian market for things like lemon grass, kafir lime leaves and galangal. There happens to be some pretty nice curry pastes that you can get in many regular grocery stores though that are flavorful and vegan! I use Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste when i'm not feeling like making a big deal out of dinner. 

This is so easy to make that you could do it for any weeknight dinner. It makes quite a bit so you will have leftovers. The leftovers are just as tasty the next day as they were the day you made it. Curry leftovers are actually some of my favorite leftovers (besides pizza!)

You can add any vegetables you want to this. We had some fresh asparagus and potatoes from our farmer's market. I wanted to keep it simple so I just threw in some red pepper to balance it out. Use whatever you have in your fridge or one of these: onions, eggplant, carrots, sweet potato, any kind of peppers, summer squash, green beans, peas, finely sliced greens, broccoli, cauliflower, etc! See, anything would taste great in here. Just undercook everything slightly because it tastes best when the vegetables are still just a bit crisp. 

You may notice that I use coconut extract in this recipe. I find it adds the perfect coconut taste without all of the extra calories and saturated fat. It's a sweet little trick from Mary McDougall's recipes!

Easy Tempeh, Potato and Spring Vegetable Red Curry

makes 4-6 servings

• 8 small red potatoes, chopped
• 15-20 stalks asparagus
• 8 oz tempeh, cubed
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 3 - 4 Tablespoons red curry paste (or to taste)
• 3 cups soy milk (or your favorite milk alternative)
• 1 teaspoon coconut extract
• sriracha to taste

Place a steamer over a pot with water in it and steam your potatoes and tempeh until the potatoes are fork tender (anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on how large the pieces are.)

Take the asparagus and snap off the tough woody ends and discard them. Chop the tender stalks into 1-2" pieces.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Saute the asparagus and bell pepper for 3 - 4 minutes. Whisk the curry paste, soy sauce and coconut extract into the soy milk and add it to the asparagus and peppers. Add in the potatoes and tempeh. 

Bring to a boil and then immediately turn the heat down and simmer. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes.

I like to serve this as a one pot meal but you can always eat it over some cooked brown rice or quinoa.

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size:  1/6 curry dish

7 WWPointsPlus  274 calories, 6.1g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 41.6g carbohydrates, 4.5g fiber, 5.3g sugar, 15.1g protein

Recipe: Kick Ass Vegan Meatballs

I don't mind calling my own food kick ass. If you've made a few vegan meatballs you've probably noticed a trend - they fall apart, they are squishy in the middle and they taste like nothing that should be called a meatball. I've had this problem. I was thinking it sounded an awful lot like my burger problem that I solved with a Vegan Burger that will blow you away. Really, it's been getting great reviews from friends and testers! And I kind of couldn't stop eating them....

So the logical next step was to use that basic ratio and make a meatball. I made sure to change a few things to make sure they held together if they were simmered in a sauce. Also I added in some spinach because I love it. 

This recipes makes a bunch of meatballs. If you want, you can freeze them after they are baked and keep them in a freezer bag until you want them. Just thaw and heat up. 

So I just wanted to show you a picture of how awesome it would be on a sandwich but these are fantastic with spaghetti (Hello spaghetti and meatballs, I've missed you!) or you can put them on a pizza or stick a toothpick in 'em and serve them as appetizers. It's totally up to you and your imagination. 

Kick Ass Vegan Meatballs

makes about 35

• 8 oz tempeh 
• 6 oz fresh spinach, chopped
• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (or 1/4 cup flour if you don't have it / don't like it)
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup pizza or tomato sauce
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried fennel

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Depending on the brand you use, you may want to steam your tempeh before adding it to the meatballs. Steam over a pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Then set aside to let cool. Once it's cool chop it up until it is pretty fine - about 1/4" pieces max. It should crumble up a bunch and that's good!

Set a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add the chopped spinach and 1-2 Tablespoons of water.  Cook until the spinach is wilted. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add to your tempeh and let cool. 

In a separate bowl mix together your vital wheat gluten, flour, nutritional yeast, salt, basil, oregano, dried pepper flakes and fennel.

Mix the pizza sauce, tomato paste and rice with your tempeh mixture. Then add that to your dry mix. Stir to combine and then knead for a minute or so. 

Take a small piece of the mixture out and shape into a ball that is no larger than 1 inch in diameter. You should end up making around 35 - 40 meatballs. 

Bake for 15 minutes and then flip. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes (this is pretty crucial because it lets inside of the meatball firm up in texture.)

If you would like to you can now simmer them in your favorite marinara sauce for 5-10 minutes to warm them up. Or you can serve them without sauce, whatever you like!

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size:  about 6 vegan meatballs

? WWPointsPlus  266 calories, 5.3g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 33.1g carbohydrates, 4.1g fiber, 8.7g sugar, 25.3g protein

Video: How to Cut a Mango

Hey everyone! I wanted to make a quick video on how to cut a mango. I know that many people may already know but it's nice to see a quick way when you aren't sure or you think you're making a huge mess. (Maybe you peel the mango and then try to cut a slippery orb? Maybe you just avoid buying them at all because you're not sure?) Well just check it out - it is super easy and nothing beats a good fresh mango!

Just a few tips:

I like to cut it with the stem end down because it is a bit more stable. You can turn it around and cut it with the stem up if that helps you visualise where the center of the mango is when you are cutting.

How to make sure your mango is ripe - smell it! They should smell sweet and fragrant. They are also a little soft with you squeeze it but not squishy. If you find that the ones at the store are only hard you can ripen them on your counter.

Enjoy!

Recipe: BBQ Vegan Burgers

I can't find the words right now to describe how good this is for you. There are the pictures where you can see that it looks REALLY tasty. That helps. And I could tell you that the Mr. said it was the meatiest tasting vegan burger he's ever had. And the best one he's ever had. That may add to the description for you. Right?

Or what if I tell you a little secret: one day I ate nothing but these burgers. I had one for breakfast, then one for lunch and then one for dinner. I'm not even kidding. And since I'm sitting here writing about them and staring at the pictures I'm feeling like I could have another one right now.

These burgers have some quailities that I was searching for while making the perfect burger: They are sturdy. They don't crumble when you flip them. I haven't tried grilling them but I would be far more confident trying to grill these than any other veggie burger I've made.

They are not at all squishy on the inside (yuck!) I hate when bean based burgers taste like a paste in your mouth. That's not what I'm looking for when I'm wanting to eat a burger. These have a wonderful "meaty" texture. 

They have a really good grilled flavor without being grilled and without being overpowering. Thank you BBQ sauce for your smokey goodness!

Oh and they are not at all dry. Yahoo! And that was accomplished without the use of any added oils. I know, crazy talk! 

In fact, I think that I can see that we are going to need to keep a batch of these in the freezer at all times. 

Oh and once it is full on Summer? These are going to every single cookout that we go to. And I am going to make some double batches because I know that other people will want to try them once they smell how amazing they smell while cooking!

Alright, so one more thing: I give you the option of using TVP granules (textured vegetable protein) or tempeh. We liked both equally well but I feel better about eating tempeh than I do TVP. It's far less processed and I can get it from a local organic manufacturer, which is a sweet bonus. Use whichever you prefer!  

Oh oh I lied. Two more things and this is the last one: BBQ sauce. Trying to find some good BBQ sauce without corn syrup in it is super hard. I need to get a recipe up for some but in the meantime you can do a quick google search OR if you want to buy it (I do most the of the time!) I highly recommend getting the BBQ sauce from Trader Joe's. It's awesome. If you don't have a Trader Joe's you are going to be spending some extra time flipping over the bottle from every single brand to find the good stuff but it is out there sometimes - it just depends on your region! 

The recipe calls for cooked brown rice. I usually cook a HUGE pot of rice and then freeze it in family sized portions so that I can quickly thaw some out instead of having to take the time to cook some. If you don't have some leftover brown rice make sure you make extra time to do that before you make these. And make extras so you can always have some on hand!

Dealing with tomato paste: take out the tablespoon you need and then get a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper or freezer paper. Scoop out the remaining tomato paste in 1 Tablespoon increments and blob them onto the paper. Freeze until solid and transfer to a freezer safe bag. Now you can just pull one out when you need it and throw it into soups, burgers, dressings, or whatever else! This method is also perfect for chipotles in adobo sauce. 

BBQ BURGER:  

• 8 oz tempeh OR 1 cup TVP granules + 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast (or 1/4 cup flour if you don't have it / don't like it)
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup bbq sauce (Trader Joe's has some awesome sauce!)
• 1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 Tablespoon grill seasoning (It's a salt and spices blend. You can buy it or make your own - here's a recipe I just found!)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

If you are using tempeh you may want to steam it before adding to the burgers. Steam over a pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Then set aside to let cool. Once it's cool chop it up until it is pretty fine - about 1/4" pieces max. It should crumble up a bunch and that's good!

OR

If you are using TVP you want to heat up your vegetable broth until simmering and add it to the dry TVP granules. Let it sit until it has absorbed all of the liquid.

Set a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add your onions. You may also want to add a few tablespoons of water to keep them from sticking to the pan. Cook until they are nice and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add to your tempeh or TVP and let cool. 

In a separate bowl mix together your vital wheat gluten, flour, nutritional yeast, and grill seasoning blend.

Mix the BBQ sauce, tomato paste, soy sauce and rice with your tempeh or TVP mixture. Then add that to your dry mix. Stir to combine and then knead for a minute or so. 

Separate your mixture into 6 patties and place on the parchment lined baking sheet. 

Bake for 15 minutes and then flip. Bake for an additional 15 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes and then serve up on some awesome Dave's Killer Bread Blues Buns with some fresh veggies and condiments. I let everyone just make their own at our house! (Yeah, that's sliced red bell pepper in those pictures. It tastes awesome!) 

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size:  1 burger patty made with tempeh

? WWPointsPlus  266 calories, 5.3g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 33.1g carbohydrates, 4.1g fiber, 8.7g sugar, 25.3g protein

Crispy Tofu Fishy Tacos: Virtual Vegan Potluck!

Welcome everyone taking the tour of the Virtual Vegan Potluck! I'm so excited to meet new people and I welcome you to comment, send me a message, or talk to me on the Facebook page. I'm super friendly and love meeting new plant based people!

In honor of the Virtual Vegan Potluck I decided that today I would share something extra special - A recipe from the first ever Fo Reals Life Booklet: "Vegan Taco Party!" I am so super proud of this. So now - what's a booklet? It's like a book but smaller. This thing is 100% made by me, as well. It has over 40 recipes including drinks, appetizers, tacos (of course!), sides and desserts! There are also color photos of every recipe and it's A COLORING BOOK! Making it the coolest little vegan book I've ever dreamt of making. Check out the coloring page below - you can print it out now and color it in while your crispy fishy tofu bites are baking! 

Click here for more details and to pre-order your copy! You get a sweet deal that way. Booklets will start shipping out May 17! 

OKAY OKAY - Time for TACOS, baby!

It is getting to be warm outside and I'm dreaming of sitting on a beach watching the waves. And eating fishy tacos. Vegan fishy tacos. Made out of tofu.. yeah... with some creamy chipotle sauce. Maybe add in a beer with a lime and I'm golden.  

While I may not have the beach that I'm dreaming of (yet!) I've figured out how to make some crazy crispy tofu fishy tacos that kind of blew my mind. They are marinated in beer (yeahhhhh!!) and kelp powder. That stuff is crazy! It makes them taste just like.. well... fishy! Which was mind blowing for me. Okay so I've been vegan for quite some time and haven't had fish in forever but I've got a pretty amazing memory for food if I do say so myself.

The panko makes these extra crispy without all of the mess of frying! And if you're making them for kids you can just cut down the spices a bit because these are super kid friendly! My daughter thought they were "LICIOUS!" (how she says delicious hehe!)

Oh and here is the coloring page that I drew for this recipe that is the in Taco Party Booklet - Yeah, its a cat fishing into the taco and another one going "Mission Impossible Style" into it! 

Just click the picture to enlarge it and then you can save it to your computer! Then you can print it and color it while you're cooking away. Or let your kids color it if you're feeling nice!

You can find kelp powder in the bulk spices section of stores like Whole Foods or your local cool "hippy" marts. It is 100% essential. If you cannot for the life of you find it you can use 2 - 3 Tablespoons of blended up nori flakes (the stuff you wrap sushi in.)

This recipe looks complicated but it's actually not at all! It's a simple breaded and baked tofu recipe. I just separated everything out to keep anyone from feeling lost. They are crazy good and worth the sticky fingers you get when breading things. You know the ones... 

Crispy Tofu Fishy Tacos

makes 8-12 tacos (depending on how full you stuff em!)

Tofu Marinade:

• 1 package firm tofu (for best texture freeze it, then thaw it out and press all of the liquid out by wrapping the tofu in a tea towel and placing a plate on top. Throw some cans of food or whatever weighted items you have on there to press it down. Let it press for 15 minutes to an hour [if you forget about it...])
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 cup beer (whatever you have leftover works...)
• 2 teaspoons kelp powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Flour mix:

• 1 cup flour (whole wheat or all purpose) 
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin

Crispy Coating: 

• 1.5 cups soy or almond milk
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs

Chipotle Sauce:

• 1 cup vegan mayo (your favorite brand or use you can make your own! I like this one that I include on the biscuit recipe) 
• juice 1/2 lime
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt (depending on the mayo you use!) 
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon sugar (again, depending on your mayo and taste preferences!)
• 2 -3 large chipotles (canned in adobo sauce)

Extras:

• small corn tortillas
• limes
• cilantro
• thinly sliced cabbage
• your favorite hot sauce
• any other toppings you desire! (avocado would ROCK!!!)

Tear the tofu into bite sized pieces (small 3/4" - 1.5") and put into a zip top bag. Add in the lime juice, beer, kelp powder and salt. Squish it all around to really mix everything together. Marinate it in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours. 

When the tofu is done marinating preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.

Take your tofu out and drain off all of the excess marinade (just dump it in a strainer if you wish!)

Now to make the dipping station! First, mix all of the ingredients for the flour mix together and put that on one plate. Pour the soy or almond milk into a bowl and set that next to the plate. For the last dipping station pour the panko bread crumbs onto a place and put that on the other side of the soy milk. So it goes : tofu, flour, milk, panko, baking sheet! 

Ready? You got this! 

1.) Take the tofu (a few pieces at a time) and roll them around in the flour mixture making sure to completely coat them.

2.) Dip the flour dredged tofu into the milk very quickly to wet the mixture. 

3.) Roll them around in the panko until completely coated.

4.) Place onto the parchment lined baking sheet making sure to leave a bit of room between each piece.

5.) Repeat until you've coated all of your little tofu bites.

Place into your preheated oven and bake for 25 - 30 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Make the chipotle sauce: just blend everything together! Add extra sugar, salt or chipotles (if you dare!) to taste! *To taste means that you actually TASTE IT and think "hmm this is good but I want it saltier!" or "hmm more sugar!" or "Ohhh this tastes awesome just the way it is!" - always taste! 

Now - just throw some shredded cabbage down on some warmed corn tortillas, top with your fishy tofu bites, some sauce, maybe some cilantro, (some avocado!) and a hefty squirt of lime juice.

I suggest eating these on the porch with a good beer and maybe some watermelon as dessert but that's just me craving summer.

Nutritional information per serving : Serving size:  1/8 recipe (1 HUGE taco or 2 small!) - not including the chipotle sauce

? WWPointsPlus  204 calories, 4.4g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 31.6g carbohydrates, 1.6g fiber, 1.5g sugar, 10g protein

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Recipe: Strawberry Ice Pops

I'm sure not everyone is enjoying sunny weather yet but even if you're not it's hard to resist a real fruit popsicle! Especially strawberries which are just starting to come in to the markets I frequent.

Since this is a really super simple recipe you want to have the very best quality of each ingredient. You want nice and sweet fresh organic strawberries, a good juicy lemon and some organic cane sugar. Add a bit of water and that's about it! 

Oh and a popsicle mold. Or you can use paper cups with a stick in it if you want to try that. I went to World Market to get my mold but you can find them at almost any kitchen or big box store during the spring and summer months! Also you can score one on Amazon.com - up to you. 

Isn't my model the cutest? She LOVES these and I can't imagine any kids that wouldn't. I like them because they are totally natural, organic, vegan and don't cost an arm and a leg. You can make a ton ahead of time and just pull them out, wrap them in plastic and store them in zip lock bags. We have around 20 in our fridge at this very moment!  

Yum! Let's get making! 

Strawberry Ice Pops

makes 6-10 depending on the size of your popsicle mold

• 1 lb strawberries, washed and stems removed 
• juice 1 lemon
• 6 Tablespoons sugar
• 6 Tablespoons water

In a small saucepan combine your water and sugar over high heat. Just stay with it and stir until the sugar is disolved. Set aside to cool.

Blend the strawberries and lemon juice in your blender or food processor until fully pureed. Some smaller chunks are okay (and even good!) but you don't want large pieces because they freeze rock solid and are hard to bite through!

Mix the strawberry puree and sugar syrup together and pour into your molds.

Freeze until solid - around 4 hours or more. If you are using a popsicle mold with the wooden sticks let your mixture freeze without them for about an hour. Then you can easily push the sticks down into the pops without them floating back up or turning wonky.

Enjoy outside on the porch with your favorite people!