Vegan Sloppy Joes

1/2 lb firm tofu
1 T oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped (optional)
1/4 t garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t salt
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t basil
1 c tomato sauce
2 or 3 English muffins


Mash tofu to crumbly, drain if needed. Sauté onion, pepper, and garlic in oil for 2-3 minutes. Add tofu, salt, and herbs and stir for a few minutes until most of the moisture from the tofu has evaporated. Add tomato sauce, mix and simmer on medium low until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Split and toast English muffins, cover each slice with Sloppy Joe. Optional: top with mozzarella or parmesan and broil to toast cheese.

Tofu Stir Fry

This one is more of a guide than a proper recipe, so it's kind of vague on things like... ingredients. And times... And temperatures... It's what I wrote down when I realized I didn't actually know how to make a proper stir fry (as opposed to a pile of undercooked vegetables covered with squishy crumbled tofu bits, which I have totally mastered) and asked my dad. Really the only other detail I can add is that you should use extra firm, non-silken tofu, like Nasoya, as it will hold up better.

Tofu Baked Ziti

This casserole basically substitutes tofu for ricotta cheese for way fewer calories, and you'd never notice if you didn't know what was in it.

12 oz uncooked ziti
28 oz tomato sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
10.5 oz firm silken tofu
1 egg white
10 oz frozen spinach block
1/4 t nutmeg
1/8 t pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Boil water and cook ziti according to package. Puree together all other ingredients except ziti, sauce, and mozzarella. Mix the cooked ziti into the tofu/spinach mess. Divide the mixture into 3 parts. Pour 1/4 of the sauce (about a cup) into a casserole dish, then 1/3 of the ziti/tofu/spinach. Continue layering, ending with the rest of the sauce. Top with mozzarella. Bake covered for 45 minutes.

Broccoli-Chicken Braid

A recipe from from a Pampered Chef catalog that converted to vegetarian quite nicely. It was our main dish for Thanksgiving yesterday.

img via: taste of home

3 Morningstar Farms soy chik patties, cooked and chopped
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 t dried dill weed
2 8-oz. packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 T slivered almonds

In a large bowl, combine: chik patties, broccoli, bell pepper, cheese, garlic, mayonnaise, and dill weed. Open the crescent rolls but do not separate. Arrange the dough on a cookie sheet and press to seal the perforations. You will end up with one large rectangle of crescent dough. Every 1.5" on the long sides, make a cut going 3" in from each edge. Spread the filling evenly over the center of the dough. To braid, bring each strip to center, giving it a half-turn. Tuck ends together and brush dough with egg whites. Sprinkle with almond slivers. Bake for 25-28 minutes at 375 degrees.