Crunchy Whole Grain Tofu Bites

Our church has been participating in an inter-church 21 day fast. Most people do the Daniel Fast - veggies, fruit, and water. Hmmm...for the most part, that's my everyday eating. So I cut out coffee. Tea. Pasta. Bread. And tofu. I know. I know.

Yesterday was the last day of the fast. And for supper tonight, you KNOW what was on the menu. For me at least. I only had one container of tofu and wanted leftovers. So I had my hubby get chicken and I made this old family favorite so Those Other People would back away from the 'fu. Because they've been fasting meat. Heeheehee. And today is my eldest child's 24th birthday and he loves this recipe. With chicken, not tofu.

This is my veganization of a Pampered Chef recipe. It was yummy but the next time I make this I will marinate my 'fu in either Tabasco sauce or sriracha sauce. I like things a little spicy.

1 package extra firm tofu cut into slices and pressed, the cut into strips or cubes
6 cups whole grain chips (I used some black bean and garlic ones)
1 tsp parsley
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp dill
1/4 tsp paprika
3 tsp EnerG egg replacer
6 tbsp water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix up your egg replacer and set aside.

In a food processor, crush your chips. Add seasonings.

Gently dredge your pressed and cubed tofu in the egg replacer, then in the crumb mixture. Place on a baking dish and spritz with a little olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes or until coating is crispy and golden.

Spicy Lentil Tacos

These are SO good!  And very easy.  I veganized the recipe from Epicurious.com.  

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup brown lentils, rinsed

2 1/2 cups of veggie broth

1/2 cup vegan sour cream, optional (I like Vegan Gourmet)

1 tbsp chipotle chili in adobo sauce (I puree the whole can and freeze in 1 tbsp amounts in an ice cube tray.  When frozen, pop into a freezer container.)  You can use half this amount for less heat if you would like.  

Heat oil.  Saute' onion and garlic on a medium-low heat until soft and starting to just caramelize.  Add salt, lentils, and broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.  If you still have some liquid in your pan, you can turn the heat on medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until it's mostly absorbed, but you do want a little bit of liquid in there.  Stir in the chili with adobo sauce.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vegan sour cream if you are using it.  I've made it both with and without the sour cream and it's good both ways.  

I prefer to use a soft taco shell for mine and love it with fresh baby spinach, chopped tomatoes, and sliced avocado.  That's good eatin'!  

This recipe yields 8 servings based on using 2 tbsp of taco filling per taco and two tacos per person.  

Calories per serving:  95

Carbs: 15

Fat: 4

Protein: 6

Iron: 11

Calcium: 4

Portobello Philly Cheese Steakless Sandwiches

Today is my hubby's 50th birthday, but he had to work.  I wanted to make something yummy and portable and different.  But he is participating in a fast with our church and I also wanted to make sure it was within those parameters.  I saw a recipe for these "cheesesteaks" and just reading it made my mouth water.  When we lived in New Jersey, we both loved the real deal.  But that was then.  

The verdict on this recipe?  Just as mouthwatering - actually maybe more so!  It was also given a rave review from our pickiest eater, the 15-year-old.  (Pickiest in our family - she's truly not a picky eater compared to most kids.  It's all relative.)  

My adaptation of the Eating Well recipe:

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

6 oz sliced portobello mushrooms

2 tbsp fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried

1 tbsp flour

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 tbsp soy sauce

pepper to taste

4 whole wheat hoagie rolls, split and toasted

vegan cheese of your choice (I skipped the cheese on mine; my non-vegan family had regular provolone on theirs)

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet.  Saute' the onions until translucent; add the mushrooms, bell pepper, and oregano and saute', stirring frequently, until vegetables are cooked, about 5-7 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour on the veggies and stir, cooking briefly to remove the "floury" taste.  Pour in the broth and soy sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, for about one minute, until liquid has mostly been absorbed and has thickened.  

If you are using cheese, place it on the hoagie rolls during the last few minutes of toasting in the oven.  Top with veggies and enjoy!  

Doesn't that look yummy?  

Recipe stats for all my My Fitness Pal buddies: 

Calories (veggies only): 74

Carbs: 12

Fat: 3

Protein: 2

Iron: 6

Calcium: 4

Vegetable Red Thai Curry

I have a great love of curries.  Especially Thai curries.  This was delicious!  

Adapted from Cooking Fresh.  

1 tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp red Thai curry paste

2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut in half on the diagonal

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 14-oz can coconut milk

1 tbsp light brown sugar

1# extra firm tofu, drained and pressed and cut into 1" cubes

2 tsp soy sauce

1 cup loosely packed Thai basil (or regular basil), torn into small pieces

4 tsp fresh lime juice

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot.  In a separate small saute' pan, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat until hot.  In the large pan, add curry paste and cook, stirring frequently until fragrant, about 20 seconds.  Take the pan off the heat and stir in snap peas, shallots, bell pepper, coconut milk, sugar, and 1 cup water.  Stir to combine.  In the smaller saute pan, add the tofu cubes. I had seasoned mine with a Pampered Chef Thai curry rub.  If you cannot find a similar seasoning, you can simply season with a little salt and pepper to taste.  The tofu will pick up the flavor from the sauce.  But I like my tofu crispy around the edges, so I saute it in a hot pan on all sides until browned.  

Add the tofu to the large skillet with the vegetables and bring to a simmer over medium heat.  Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, about 8-10 minutes.  Stir in soy sauce, basil, and lime juice.  Let rest off heat for 5 minutes.  Taste and adjust salt/pepper.  Serve over hot cooked rice.  I used a brown jasmine rice.  

There were NO leftovers from this.  I was quite disappointed my family liked it so much!  I was counting on lunch the next day!  

Polenta (or Grits) with Roasted Vegetables

I never knew what polenta was until just a few years ago.  So this southern gal decided to try it and ... it's GRITS!   Okay, it's not exactly grits.  But it is very much like grits.  I've always used coarse yellow corn grits, so for me, it is very close.  

This recipe is adapted from one I saw in Fine Cooking magazine.  

For the Roasted Vegetables:  

1 lb. crimini mushrooms, halved (or quartered if they are very large)

1 lb. fresh pearl onions (or frozen pearl onions, thawed)

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

2 tsp fresh thyme

salt and black pepper to taste

1 tbsp sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

Preheat the oven to 450°F.  

In a large bowl, toss the veggies with the olive oil, garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper.  Spread on a heavy rimmed baking sheet or in a low, flat piece of stoneware.  I love roasting veggies in my stoneware.  Roast for 20 minutes; stir veggies, then continue roasting until all are tender and browned, about 35-40 minutes total.  Transfer to a serving bowl; toss with vinegar.  

You can make polenta from your favorite recipe or....  

1 cup coarse yellow corn grits

5-6 cups vegetable broth

3 tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread

salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Reduce to low and cook, uncovered, stirring very frequently to prevent lumps, until liquid is absorbed and grits are thick, about 7 minutes. Adjust seasonings.  You can also add a little nutritional yeast if you'd like "cheezier" tasting grits.  

Serve in shallow bowls with the roasted veggies on top.  

This was SOOO good!  

Falafel Pitas with Tomato Cucumber Salad

I do absolutely love Middle Eastern food.  I do love a good falafel, but sometimes good ones are hard to find.  In the Greek/Lebanese restaurants many times they are very dry.  I've tried making them at home once before, but that was a disaster and they completely fell apart while cooking.  So when I saw this recipe in Fine Cooking, I wanted to try again.  Another bonus to this recipe is that it is sauteed rather than deep fried, making it a healthier option.  

My littlest (and pickiest) baby girl helped me in the kitchen.  "Baby girl" is perhaps misleading - she is 15.  We had fun cooking together.  The bonus?  She announced (after eating two pitas) that this was the best vegan meal she had ever had.  Whoo hoo!  

Here's the original recipe from the website, but I doubled the recipe and those are the amounts given below.  I did not double the amount of oil in the recipe, though.   

***NOTE*** Since I used chickpeas that I had cooked and frozen (I do this with all my beans), I just thawed them and rinsed them off.  HOWEVER, the next time I cook chickpeas, I am going to slightly undercook some for falafel, as I think this would work a little better.  My mixture was a little wet and I needed to add about 1/4 cup more breadcrumbs.  

2-15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained or the equivalent of cooked, dried chickpeas 

7 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 medium onions, finely diced

1 cup plain fine dry breadcrumbs (or more if needed)

3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (or an equivalent amount of diced Roma tomatoes)

1 large cucumber, seeds removed, quartered lengthwise and sliced 1/4" thick

1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

8 pitas, warmed

Heat the oven to 425°F.  In a food processor, pulse chickpeas, 2 tbsp of the olive oil, cumin, coriander, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper into a chunky paste.  Add the onion and breadcrumbs and pulse until it starts to come together and you can form the mixture easily into a patty.  Add more breadcrumbs if you need to.  Form the mixture into 1/2" thick patties.  I used my large Pampered Chef scoop and it made 15 patties.  The scoop made quick work of this.  

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering.  Add the patties, taking care not to overcrowd the pan, and cook until nicely browned, about 2 minutes.  Flip and cook the other side until browned, about 2 minutes more.  Transfer patties to a baking sheet.  Repeat with 2 tbsp more of oil (if needed) in the pan and brown the remaining patties.  Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until patties are heated through, about 5 minutes.  (I wrapped my pita rounds tightly in foil and put them in the oven a few minutes before I added the patties.)  

Meanwhile, toss the tomatoes and cucumber with the lemon juice and 1 tbsp of oil and lemon juice; salt to taste.  

Split the warmed pitas and stuff with falafel and tomato-cucumber salad.  

Scrapbook Night

 Tonight I had a scrapbook class and needed to make something relatively simple for dinner, but also make a snack and dessert for my scrapbook class.

Our family loves Lebanese and Greek food.  Whenever we'd go to a restaurant, even before being vegan, I'd usually order a vegetarian plate.  I always had Mujaddara on my plate because I just loved it so much.  My family...not so much.  One day, just a couple of years ago, I decided to make it myself.  It was so much better than any I had ever had at a restaurant and, to my complete surprise, my family gobbled it up!  It is easy to make; it just requires a little baby-sitting.

Mujaddara

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp vegan margarine
1 tbsp olive oil

Melt the margarine and oil with a pinch of salt in a large skillet; when hot, add the onions.  Set heat on medium-low and stir occasionally until very soft, about 30 minutes.  Turn heat to medium high and keep cooking and stirring often until deeply browned and sweet, another 20 minutes or more.  Deglaze the pan with a splash of water.  Stir and set aside.

Lentils and Rice

3/4 cups brown or green lentils (not red or French)


1 cup long grain white rice
2 cardamom pods

Meanwhile, cook rice and lentils separately according to package directions, adding the cardamom pods to the rice and removing once the rice is cooked.

The lentils should be tender, but not mushy or soupy.  They should retain their shape.

Combine rice, lentils, half the caramelized onions, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and a splash of olive oil in a large pot or skillet.  Add about half a cup of water and heat everything together until fragrant, warm, and combined.

Turn into a serving dish.  Top with remaining caramelized onions.  You can also top with chopped fresh parsley and pine nuts if desired.

Rustic Apple Tart

This tasted much better than it looked.  I struggled with the pie crusts, though, and was reminded once again why I so prefer to make my own pie crusts rather than taking the easy way out and buying the frozen or refrigerated ones.  If you DO use a purchased pie crust, make sure you read the ingredients.  Some contain lard.  

2 pie crusts, one on top of the other on a large pizza stone and roll out over the edges of the pan 

6 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced - I used a combination of Winesap and Virginia Gold

2 tbsp all purpose flour

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp grated fresh ginger root

1 heaping tsp cinnamon (I used The Pampered Chef's Cinnamon Plus, which is probably like an apple pie spice with a little nutmeg, cloves, and allspice)

1/4 cup turbinado sugar (or more if your apples are tart)

Roll out dough over your pizza stone or other flat, heavy baking sheet, using a dusting of flour to keep it from sticking to the pan and the rolling pin.  You want the dough circle to be about 16-18" in diameter or so.  Please don't measure it, though.  Just guess.  I'm not that particular.  Combine apple slice and remaining ingredients.  Mound in the center of the dough and fold the edges of the dough up over the apples.  You just want it to keep in the juices.  You can brush the exposed crust with your favorite non-dairy milk and a sprinkling of sugar if you wish.  Cover the exposed apples loosely with a circle of foil that you have brushed with melted margarine or spritzed with a little nonstick spray.  This prevents your apples from drying out and getting to brown.  You can remove this for the last 15-20 minutes of baking time.  Bake at 350° for about 50-60 minutes or until the crust is nicely browned.  

Please forgive my ugly crust.  Remember I said I had issues with the premade crusts.  I had a terrible time with it breaking and tearing.  I really do prefer making my own crust.  So next time I'll include my homemade pie crust recipe.  It really is easy to do.  I don't know why I thought the purchased ones would save time.  The tart may have looked pretty rough (although it is a "rustic" apple tart - rustic usually means not pretty), it tasted delicious.  Not cloyingly sweet, but the natural sweetness and the delicious flavor of the Virginia Gold apples really shined through.  

Moroccan Spiced Tofu with Couscous

This is probably one of my favorite meals - after my Vegan Alfredo, of course.  It was not originally a vegan dish.  It came from The Pampered Chef "29 Minutes to Dinner, Vol. 2" cookbook.  But it was SO easy to veganize!  

For the couscous:  

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (or any kind of nut you like - I was out of almonds tonight, so I subbed toasted chopped hazelnuts and I think I like it even better than the almonds)

2 cups high quality vegetable broth

1 tbsp Pampered Chef's Moroccan Rub (if you want to make your own, you can click HERE)

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (or any other dried fruit you might like - we frequently substitute dried cherries)

1/3 cup snipped fresh cilantro

1 1/3 cups uncooked Israeli couscous (this is different from the tiny couscous - it may also be called pearled couscous)

Combine broth and rub in a large microwave safe cooker (or in a saucepan on the stove).  Microwave, covered, on HIGH for 2-3 minutes or until the broth comes to a boil.  Add chopped apricots and cilantro to the broth; stir.  Microwave, covered, on HIGH for 5-7 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Stir in nuts and cilantro.  

For the tofu:

1 package extra firm tofu, sliced into 6 slices, drained and pressed to remove excess moisture

1-2 tbsp Moroccan Rub

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp apricot preserves, melted

vegetable oil or olive oil

Add a drizzle of oil to a skillet or brush a grill pan with oil and heat over medium-high.  Season the tofu slices with the rub and salt; pat or rub the seasonings into the tofu.  Add tofu to the pan and cook until browned and crisp on the outside, turning once.  Transfer tofu to a serving dish; brush with melted preserves.  Serve with couscous.  

Spanish-Style Stuffed Peppers

This has been a family favorite recipe for many years.  It was a vegetarian dish, not vegan, but with the simple elimination of the cheese from the dish and just adding cheese to the top for my family, I can have a vegan option.  You can add shredded vegan cheese to this if you'd like.  

We have to triple this recipe for our family.  The original recipe (that I'll post here) serves four.  Without my adult son (who rarely ever eats with us), we are four.  But as I said, we have to triple the recipe.  Yes, they like it that much.  

1 pkg yellow saffron rice

2 medium red bell peppers

2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced (or you could use a poblano pepper if you like them - I don't)

1 green onion with top, sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

1 tsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

3/4 cup shredded vegan Mexican cheese blend, divided (optional)

2 tbsp water

Prepare rice according to the package directions.  We use this kind:

Check the ingredients.  Not all packages are vegan.  The one that our Target carries has chicken bouillon in the mix.  You can also make your own saffron rice if you prefer not to use a packaged product.  

As the rice cooks, prepare the bell peppers.  Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and stem.  In a large skillet, add the 2 tbsp water and place the peppers in the skillet; cover tightly with a lid and steam on medium to medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the peppers are crisp-tender.  Remove them from the skillet.  Pat them dry and set aside.  You'll use this skillet again at the end.  Put the lid back on it and set it aside.  

In a separate skillet, heat oil; add bell pepper and cook for about 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes and garlic and cook for a minute or two more.  Add green onion and half of the cilantro.  Stir and cook just until the green onion starts to soften slightly, another minute or two.  

Stir vegetable mixture into the rice.  If you are using cheese, add 1/2 a cup.  Place bell peppers cut side up into the skillet where you steamed them originally.  Spoon rice mixture evenly into each pepper.  Top with remaining cheese (if using).  Add a little more water to the skillet if it has evaporated - you don't need much.  Cover with a lid and heat over medium-low for about 3-5 minutes, just until the cheese is melted.  (If you aren't using cheese, you can skip this step).  Sprinkle with remaining cilantro.  

Serves 4.  (Or at my house, one and a half ravishing wolves - I mean kids.)  

I have served this as a side dish for company with other Mexican/Spanish/Tex-Mex dishes.  After cooking them, I do cut them in half again for a smaller portion.  

Vegan Enchiladas

These were a special request from my non-vegan (but heavily veggie) 17-year-old daughter for her family birthday party.  I've made them twice now and they are delicious!  It is Ayinde Howell's recipe featured in the New York Times made a little healthier.  When I first made them, I figured the calories and came up with 900 per serving!  Yikes!  When I made them the second time, I was able to reduce that to about 500.  Not "diet food" but definitely better!!!  

What I will do next time is actually DOUBLE the sauce recipe.  That will increase the calories slightly, but I'm going to keep the oil at the same amount and see how that does.  The calorie increase will be kept at a minimum that way.  

Vegan Enchiladas

For the sauce:

1 tbsp vegetable oil (I use olive or grapeseed)

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded (if you're chicken) and diced

1 1/2 tbsp cumin

1 1/2 tbsp chili powder

8 oz tomato sauce

3/4 cup water

sea salt to taste

In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat oil until shimmering.  Add onions, garlic, and jalapeno pepper.  Saute until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add seasoning.  Add water and tomato sauce and bring to a boil.  Cook on medium, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes or until sauce is thickened.  

For the filling:  

1-2 tbsp vegetable oil (I used one - if you see you need more, you can add another)

1 pound firm tofu, drained and loosely crumbled (I prefer Wildwood's sprouted tofu in extra firm or super firm)

10-12 flour or corn tortillas (we don't like corn, so we use flour or a mixed grain tortilla)

1 small onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded (if you're scared) and diced

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

3 tbsp Pampered Chef Southwest Seasoning (or you could sub 1 1/2 tbsp cumin and 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder)

2 tbsp soy sauce

sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375°.  In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat oil until shimmering.  Add crumbled tofu and seasoning and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and somewhat crispy and any liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.  

Add 2/3 of the onion and half of the bell pepper.  Add garlic and jalapeno.  Cook about 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften.  Add cilantro and soy sauce.  Mix well.  Taste and season with salt and pepper.  

While the tofu mixture is cooking, wrap the tortillas tightly in foil and place them in the oven for about 10 minutes to warm.  Keep them wrapped until you are ready to assemble the dish.  

To assemble, in a shallow casserole dish large enough to hold the enchiladas in one layer, add about 1/3 of the sauce to coat the bottom of the dish.  Unwrap the hot tortillas and spread one side with the sauce, about a tablespoon.  Add a few spoons of the filling and roll the tortilla tightly.  Place seam side down in the casserole dish over the sauce.  Repeat with the remaining filling.  Pour remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining onion and bell pepper.  Bake for about 15 minutes.  Garnish with chopped green onions and black olives, if desired.  

See.  Mine needed to be just a wee bit more "saucy."  But they were SO good!  The birthday dinner was at my in-laws and was one vegan dish besides all the meaty tacos and fajitas.  I'm the only vegan in our family.  But even still, we only brought home one for Brooke's lunch the next day.  The rest were devoured!  

Vegan Comfort Food

Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Pure deliciousness on a plate.

I read an article today talking about how difficult it is to be vegan because the food is so terrible.  And I thought to myself, "Oh, really?"  This would definitely prove them wrong!  Crispy yummy tofu, creamy mashed potatoes, and a very rich mushroom Marsala sauce made for the ultimate vegan comfort dinner.

Tofu gets such a bad wrap.  I didn't like it until after I was vegan for a few months and actually figured out how to best prepare it.  My preference is for Wildwood Sprouted Tofu.  It is higher in protein and a little easier to digest than regular tofu.  At least, it is for me.  I almost always slice it and press it to remove excess water from the 'fu.  That gives it a better texture.  Then you need to season tofu very well.  It is very bland and takes on the taste of whatever you season it/marinate it/cook it with.

Tonight's dinner definitely takes longer than most of my dinners because of marinating the tofu.  I breaded the tofu slices tonight, but will probably not do that again.  It was good, but it's an extra step that I usually don't find worth it.

Tofu with Marsala Mushrooms and Mashed Potatoes

• 1 16-oz container of extra-firm tofu
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup Marsala wine

Press the tofu between two heavy plates to squeeze out the extra water.  Slice the tofu into four slices, then each slice diagonally to make eight triangles.  

Place tofu slices in a flat baking type dish and cover with the soy sauce and Marsala.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  You could do this early in the day, though.  The longer the better.  

IF you want to bread the tofu, mix the following together in a shallow baking pan:

• 2 cups unseasoned bread crumbs
• 3 tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme, minced

If you don't want to bread the tofu, simply mix the seasonings together.  Set aside for when you are ready to fry the tofu slices.  

Start your potatoes.  Use whatever you have.  I love the Yukon gold potatoes and had half a package of tiny ones, just cleaned and cut in half.  It didn't look like enough for me and my mashed potato loving girls, so I also cut up four small-medium red potatoes.  I don't peel them.  I like my mashed potatoes to be kind of rustic and leave the skins on, but if you are particular about your mashed potatoes, then by all means peel them.   Cover the potatoes with water, add about 2 tsp of salt, bring to a boil, cover, and cook for about 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  

While your tofu is still marinating and your potatoes are boiling, start your Marsala mushroom sauce.  You may look at these amounts and think WOW!  She loves her gravy!  Well, I do, but it reduces down quite a bit.  You will not be sorry if you have extra sauce.  I promise.  You see the picture above?  See the small amount of mushrooms?  I forgot to take a picture and decided I'd go back and get "just one more small portion."  That's all the mushroom sauce that was left!  

• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced, about 2 cups
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups sliced mushrooms - Crimini or Baby Bellas have the perfect meaty taste for this dish, but if you can't find them, you can use white button.  Or go crazy and use a mix of wild mushrooms - I bet oyster mushrooms would be fabulous!  I'm going to try those in this dish next time - I adore oyster mushrooms!
• 2 cups Marsala
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp pepper
• 4 tsp herbs de Provence (or you can substitute rosemary, but the herbs de Provence are worth searching for)
• 1 1/4 cups Silk soy creamer

Start with 1 tbsp of the olive oil (if you need a little more, add another one) and saute the onions on a medium heat until they are translucent and just beginning to caramelize.  Add the mushrooms and saute until they are browned.  Add herbs de Provence and Marsala.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook and stir until wine is reduced by at least half.  Add creamer and continue to simmer until total amount is reduced by half again.  

While your sauce is finishing, remove tofu from marinade and sprinkle with seasoning/herbs.  (If you want to bread it, do so now.)  Heat a small amount of canola oil in a skillet - just enough to barely cover the bottom.  Add tofu to the pan and fry until browned on both sides.  Remove to a plate and blot with paper towels to remove excess oil.  

Time to whip up your potatoes.  I suggest enlisting the help of your 17-year-old daughter.  Mine sure came in handy at this point.  

Drain the potatoes and to them add:  

• 3-4 tbsp Earth Balance vegan margarine
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Silk soy creamer
• 1 tsp herbs de Provence or rosemary (if you have fresh rosemary, use that and bump it up to 1 tbsp)
• salt and pepper to taste

I use an old fashioned potato masher and do mine by hand.  I like an occasional chunk and I've already told you I leave my skins on.  Finish your potatoes in your favorite way, though.  It is comfort food, after all.  If I tell you to make them chunky and you like smooth, it won't be comforting, will it?  :::smile:::  

Enjoy!