Strawberry and Walnut Spring Salad with Tofu Citrus Scallops

I used to love scallops, won’t even lie about it. So when I learned that tofu can be marinated and seared to mimic the texture well enough of my once favorite seafood, I was pretty jazzed.

One of our favorite local restaurants always has a tofu scallop option on their vegan menu and that is where I realized there are so many options for this idea.

Searing the tofu and topping a spring salad is something we do fairly often around here.

It’s quick and easy, protein packed, and filling. The savory tofu scallops mixed with the light strawberry, citrus dressing, and buttery pecans is just perfect combo for a light and healthy lunch or dinner.

You can change up the fruit based on seasons or nuts based on presence. Blueberries, fresh peaches, even dried cranberries would be delicious additions to this easy salad!

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INGREDIENTS:

The Salad:

• 1 bag of arugula, baby kale, spinach, or spring salad mix

• 2 cups of sliced strawberries

• 1 avocado, sliced

• 1/3 cup of walnuts or pecans

• 1/4 of red onion sliced thin

The Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon agave

• 2 tablespoons lime juice

• pinch of salt and pepper

The Tofu Scallops:

• 1 block organic extra firm tofu

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos

• 2 teaspoons honey

• juice from one lime

• 1 teaspoon garlic powser

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

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COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Remove tofu from package and wrap in a few paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Place a few heavy cookbooks or a plate on top and let the tofu sit for five minutes to remove excess liquid.

2. Cut tofu in half, length wise, and then either cut into one inch cubes, or use a one inch circle cutter to form “scallops” from the tofu.

3. Mix the marinade ingredients into a shallow baking dish and add tofu in single layer. Let tofu marinade for half an hour turning the pieces over after the first 15 minutes.

4. Add all salad ingredients into a large bowl and toss.

5. Whisk dressing in a small bowl and set aside.

6. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, begin adding the tofu and pour remaining marinade over the pieces. Cook a few minutes on each side. You may have to turn them several times to get them to brown on top.

7. Toss salad in the dressing and add the tofu scallops on top to serve.

Jackfruit Crab Cakes

If ever you were a fan of crab cakes before going vegan, then I have just the recipe for you!

When we first became vegan I kept seeing recipes for vegan crab cakes made from hearts of palm and artichoke hearts. Both would give you that crabby texture, but so would jackfruit, even more so in my opinion than an artichoke heart, and you would get a hint of sweetness that crab has.

So I decided to split the difference and use canned jackfruit in brine, paired with hearts of palm to get the perfect texture and taste for a seriously delicious vegan crab cake!

These vegan crab cakes have the perfect crab meat texture with a just a hint of fishy flavor accomplished with some seaweed flakes and old bay seasoning! They are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside!

I have fried these both in oil and in my air fryer with success. Actually when I created the recipe I did not own an air fryer. When I later purchased one, I was far too excited to try these out in it! Well, it works just fine and cuts back on all the extra calories you get from oil frying. Not that I am anti oil frying because I am not. I do however love the ease and convenience of my air fryer. I also love the how easy it is to clean. That might be my most favorite thing about it acutally.

You can serve these vegan crab cakes on their own with a salad and a side or make the best crab cake sandwich with them! Either way I think you will be pleased and glad you made them!

So get crackin…not literally, because there are not actual crabs required to make these!

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INGREDIENTS:

• 1 can of jackfruit in brine

• 1 can hearts of palm sliced

• 1/4 cup vegan mayo

• 1 flax egg

• 1 celery stalk finely chopped

• 1 small yellow onion finely chopped

• 2-3 teaspoons dulse flakes (seaweed flakes)

• 2 teaspoons old bay seasoning

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1/3 cup of panko bread crumbs

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• pepper to taste

• preferred oil for frying

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COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Drain jackfruit and hearts of palm. Add both along with the seaweed to you food processor and pulse until pieces are broken up and resemble crab meat.

2. In a bowl combine the mixture from the food processor, flax egg, mayo, onion, celery, garlic, old bay, salt and pepper. Mix well.

3. Using a medium sized scoop or a 1/3 measuring cup, scoop mixture and form a patty shape. You will get 8-10 crab cakes depending on scoop size.

4. In a shallow bowl or dish, add bread crumbs and carefully coat the crab cakes, lightly pressing the crumbs into the cakes without flattening them.

5. Line up crab cakes on a cookie sheet and pop in the freezer for half and hour. This helps them firm up so they will be easier to handle and fry.

6. Heat 1/2 to 1 inch of oil in a medium skillet until oil is good and hot. It should sizzle when you put your first cake in.

7. Fry the cakes for a few minutes on each side, before flipping. You want them to get golden brown and crispy. Work in batches careful not to overcrowd the pan.

8. Once done frying, place the crab cakes on a cooling rack with some paper towels underneath to cool and remove excess oil.

9. Serve crab cakes on their own or as a sandwich with horseradish aioli.

Serving size 6-8

Horseradish Aioli

• 1/3 cup vegan mayo

• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• 1 scallion finely chopped

• Juice from 1/2 lemon

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and serve

Sweet Potato Quesadillas

This recipe will make enough for two dinners for a family of four. Use what is needed for the first night's dinner, then freeze the extra in a quart size freezer bag. The mixture will stay good in the freezer for a few months. To thaw just leave the bag out on the counter for a few hours, or in the fridge for the day.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 small/ medium sweet potatoes

• 1 small onion

• 1/2 red bell pepper

• 1/2 cup salsa or pico

• 1 small can green chilis

• 1 can black beans

• 1 teaspoon each of the following: cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• OPTIONAL: 1 cup vegan cheddar shreds

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Peel, dice, and boil the sweet potatoes until they are soft enough to put a fork through.

2. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot you boiled them in. Mash the potatoes with a hand masher, or using hand mixer.

3. Cut onion and bell pepper in thin strips, or dice if you prefer. Heat a teaspoon of vegan butter or oil in a skillet on medium heat, and add onions, and peppers. Sauté until the onions and peppers become soft.

4. Mix in the onion and pepper mixture and remaining ingredients into the mashed sweet potatoes, and stir until incorporated.

5. Wipe clean the skillet you used for the onions and peppers, and heat a teaspoon of vegan butter on medium heat.

6. Once the butter is melted, take a tortilla and spread a few spoonfuls of the potato mixture on one side. Fold in half and add two at a time to your skillet. Allow the quesadillas to cook a few minutes on each side, letting them begin to brown and get a little crispy.

7. Continue with reaming the tortillas and serve with vegan sour cream, guac, or salsa.

BBQ Jackfruit Sandwich

These days everyone seems to be making BBQ jackfruit.

As they should! Its and easy and delicious recipe that even omnivores seem to enjoy.

Jackfruit’s texture easily mimics that of any shredded meat! Its super affordable and so easy to work with.

I learned early on when cooking jackfruit that they key is low and slow. The longer you cook it, the more flavorful it will be.

This why I always cook my BBQ jackfruit in a crock pot. It is the easiest no fuss recipes, and turns out perfectly every time.

Pile it up on a sandwich like, this BBQ and slaw slider or just eat it on its own. Either way, we think you will be pretty happy with the outcome!

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INGREDEITNES:

• 2 cans of jackfruit in brine

• 1 bottle of BBQ sauce

• 1/2 package broccoli slaw

• 1/4 cup vegan mayo

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• pepper to taste

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COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Crook pot method

1. Drain the jackfruit and separate pieces with your fingers to resemble shredded meat.

2. Put the shredded jackfuit along with 1 bottle of BBQ sauce and 1/4 cup water into a crock pot, and cook on medium heat for 5 - 6 hours.

Stove top method

1. Place the shredded jackfruit, BBQ sauce and water in a large pot or dutch oven and cook over medium/low heat, stirring occasionally for 1 hour, or longer if you have the time, on low heat.

To make the slaw, in a bowl, combine the slaw mix and remaining ingredients. Assemble sandwiches with the BBQ and slaw!

This recipes works great for parties. Just substitute hamburger buns with slider buns.

The longer jackfuit cooks in the BBQ sauce, the more flavorful it becomes. I have served it to plenty of meat eaters who were actually surprised it was not meat. I tend to prefer it in the crockpot because it really does become more flavorful cooking all day, but the stove top method works fine too as long as you have time to let it cook low and slow.

Brown Bag "Chicken" Fried Seitan

In the south we fry all the things. Chicken being a big one, but we don’t eat meat, so what are we to do??!?!

Easy y’all, make and fry up some delicious and easy homemade seitan!!

I used to fry my chicken by dumping all the ingredients into a brown paper bag and giving it a big shake. Then I would put in a pan of hot oil, fry it up super crispy, and normally, put it on a fluffy homemade biscuit!

So, once we went vegan, I do the exact same thing, but I use easy homemade seitan instead.

Seitan freezes really well, so you can double the batch, freeze half, and have an easy meat substitute on hand when you need it. You can do so much with seitan. You can obviously bread and fry it, you can slice it and use it in stir fry or fajitas, you can use it in soups and stews…so many ways to use this easy and healthy homemade vegan meat substitute!!!

Vegan biscuits are also a breeze and linked them down in the recipe! My grandmother taught us all how to make biscuits when we were kids, and it’s a skill I have passed on to my kids. I hadto make the recipe vegan, and if she were alive she would probably not be happy with me. But I also like to think if I could convince her to eat one, she might be impressed. Southern women are normally pretty set in their ways, speaking from experience of being a stubborn southern woman, myself.

Anyways, save your brown grocery bags and get to shakin! Crispy brown bag fried seitan is a game changer, and even better on a fluffy biscuit!! I like it with sweet mustard sauce and pickles, but you can put whatever you like not it!!!

Also if you need more instruction on making basic seitan, I have linked a pretty quick video tutorial at the bottom of the page as well. I will give you an idea of the process, and texture if you are new to seitan making! It’s easy y’all, and so, so, so good!!

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NGREDIENTS:

• half batch of seitan

• 1/2 cup of all purpose four

• 2 tablespoons of corn starch or tapioca starch

• 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, salt, onion powder, paprika, and turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, pepper, and ground mustard

• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil

• a paper grocery store bag (you can use a plastic trash bag or a large zip lock as well)

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COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Add the flour, starch, and all the seasoning to the bag. Give it a good shake to mix it up!

2. You should have 2 seitan pieces from your batch. With a very sharp knife CAREFULLY cut the pieces horizontally into 3 - 4 cutlets.

3. Drop the seitan cutlets into the bag and shake, shake, shake, giving a peek to make sure all sides of the cutlets are coated super well.

4. In a deep skillet heat the oil on medium/high.

5. Begin adding the cutlets in batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook several minutes per side or until they are crispy.

6. Place cooked seitan on a cooling rack with some paper towels underneath to catch the excess oil and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

7. We use these cutlets on our fluffy southern biscuits, but they are just as amazing slathered with mushroom gravy, and a side of mashed potatoes!

Seitan Buffalo "Wings"

INGREDIENTS:

• half a batch of seitan

• one bottle of buffalo sauce (Check the back for ingredients to make sure there is not dairy. Most brands are fine, though.)

• 3 tablespoons tapioca or organic corn starch

• 3 tablespoons all purpose four

• salt

• 4 - 5 tablespoons of grapeseed oil

• 1 teaspoon of vegan butter (like earth balance)

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut the seitan in 1 inch cubes.

2. Mix the tapioca (or corn) starch, flour and a few dashes of salt in a bowl.

3. Add the cubed seitan and mix to coat.

4. Heat the oil in a medium skillet and add in the cubes in batches, cooking for a few minutes on each side. You want each side to slightly brown and be crispy. You may need to turn them a few times. Place cooked wings on a cooling rack with some paper towels underneath.

5. In a small sauce pan, heat half the bottle of sauce and butter, just until the butter melts.

6. Combine the cooked sietan and buffalo sauce in a bowl until the wings are well coated.

Seitan Philly "Cheese Steak"

INGREDIENTS:

• half batch of seitan (refer to recipe or video)

• 1 package sliced mushrooms, white or baby portabello are fine

• 1 red or orange bell pepper

• 1 medium onion

• 1 teaspoon garlic

• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos

• 1 batch of vegan cheddar cheese sauce or any vegan cheese you like (optional)

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• salt and pepper to taste

Vegan Cheddar Cheese Sauce:

• 1/2 cups cashews soaked overnight, or covered in water and microwaved for 3 minutes then drained

• 1 cup water

• 2 tablespoons corn starch or tapioca starch

• 1 teaspoon light miso paste

• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

• 1 teaspoon smoke paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cut seitan and vegetables into thin strips.

2. Next heat a few teaspoons of oil over medium heat adding the onions once the oil is hot. Sauté for several minutes.

3. Next heat a few teaspoons of oil over medium heat adding the onions once the oil is hot. Sauté for several minutes.

4. Now add the rest of the vegetables and a dash of salt and let those cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Add in the seitan, garlic, coconut aminos, and seasoning and saute until all of the vegetables are cooked though and the seitan begins to brown, around 5 minutes.

6. TO MAKE THE CHEESE SAUCE add all of the ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor, and blend until completely smooth.

   Transfer the cheese mixture to a medium pot and heat on medium/ low heat, whisking continuously until the cheese begins to thicken to a queso consistency. If it gets too thick, you can add a little more water to thin it back out.

7. Use any kind of sandwich/hoggie bun or bread you like. I often buy french bread baguettes and cut them. French bread should be plant based and often the other options in the grocery store bakery are not.

8. Add the philly mixture to the buns and top with cheese sauce.

Seitan Fajitas

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 batch of seitan cut into thin strips

• 1 red bell pepper

• 1 yellow onion

• 1 small carton sliced mushrooms

• 1/4 cup cilantro

• 1 lime

• 1-2 teaspoons of cumin and chili powder

• salt and pepper to taste

• sliced jalapeños (optional)

• corn or flour tortillas

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a few teaspoons of oil  on medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onions, peppers and mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes.

2. Add the seitan and the seasoning along with the juice from the lime.

3. If you are adding jalapeños add now and continue cooking for 5 minutes or  until all of the vegetable are cooked through.

4. Chop cliantro and sprinkle on top. Serve with tortillas and toppings.

TOPPINGS:

• pico or salsa

• guacamole 

• vegan sour cream

• lettuce

• vegan cheddar shreds like Follow your Heart brand

• thinly slice onions, peppers, and seitan

"Cheese" and Bean Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS:

Sauce:

• 1 can organic, drained, diced tomatoes

• 1 small can of green chilis

• 1/2 onion

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

Add all ingredients in a high speed blender or food processor and blend for 2 minutes.

Enchiladas:

• 1 can of vegan refried beans

• 1 cup of white queso

• 6 - 8 whole wheat or corn tortillas

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Spread 2 tablespoons of beans and 1 tablespoon of queso into a tortilla.

2. Roll the tortilla and repeat with the remaining tortillas.

3. Line all of the tortillas up in a 9x13 baking dish.

4. Drizzle 1/4 to 1/2 cup of queso on top of the tortillas then pour half of the sauce on top of the cheese sauce.

5. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

6. Top with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, guacamole, salsa, vegan shredded cheese, or any other topping you like.

7. Freeze the other half of the sauce in a zip lock bag and use it later.

Carrot Dogs

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 - 8 peeled carrots

• 1/4 cup coconut aminos

• 1 table spoon maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon of the following: garlic powder, salt, mustard powder, smoked paprika, turmeric

• 3 teaspoons liquid smoke

• 1 tablespoon grape seed oil

• 2 tablespoons water

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Boil the peeled carrots until they are soft enough to pierce with a fork, but be careful not to overcook them.

2. Remove from water and cool.

3. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large zip lock bag, then add the cooled carrots.

4. Let the carrot marinade in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. I normally prepare the carrots in the morning and they are ready by dinner. The longer they marinate, the more flavorful they will be. You can let them marinate for a day or 2 as well.

5. Once the carrots have marinated, they are ready to grill! If you can not grill them, you could alternatively heat them in a skillet for several minutes until cooked through.