vegan calzones

Several years ago, before I became a vegan, I worked at a little Italian restaurant where every dish was packed with dairy. At the time, my favorite end of shift meal was always a cheesy, veggie filled calzone. Although I haven’t been back to this restaurant for years now, I still have occasional cravings for my old favorite. Once I discovered Rory Freeman and Kim Barnouin’s recipe for Tofu “Ricotta” from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch, I finally had the perfect “cheesy” filling to create my own vegan version of calzones at home. By making just a few alterations to the Skinny Bitch recipe and adding my favorite vegetables, these Vegan Calzones turned out to taste so similar to the original; I could almost feel my old apron strings around my waist.

Vegan Calzones

16 oz frozen Bread Dough, thawed
shredded Vegan “Cheese” (I like Follow Your Heart Mozzarella)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Veggies of your choice

Tofu “Ricotta”
10 oz Extra Firm Organic Tofu, crumbled*
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tbsp dried Oregano
dash Sea Salt
dash freshly cracked Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
*You’ll want to lightly drain the tofu before you crumble it, but some moisture is necessary. 10 oz should be about 3/4 of a package.
Blend all ingredients for Tofu Ricotta to a smooth consistency.

Divide bread dough into four equal parts.
Roll each ball of dough into a circle about 8” in diameter.
Spread ¼ of the Tofu Ricotta onto 1 half of each circle.
Load up your favorite vegetable toppings. We used portabella mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, and artichokes.
Sprinkle a small handful of vegan “cheese” over the vegetables.
Fold the 2nd half of each dough circle over the toppings to create a half moon shape.
Seal the edges of the dough by carefully curling the bottom edge up over the top of the dough and pressing firmly.
Slice a few hash marks into the top of the dough on each calzone.
Lightly brush with olive oil.
Bake for 25 minutes until tops of calzones are golden brown.
Serve with your favorite marinara and fresh basil.

Serves 4.

citrus-chili glazed tofu & broccoli

The idea of frozen tofu has been floating around in my head for a while, since I've read so much about the magical flavor absorbing qualities (see Vegan Dad's Ultimate BBQ Tofu and Sweet and Hot Tofu, Fat Free Vegan's Tofu, Tempeh, and Butternut Squash in Slow-Cooked Peanut Mole, or The Voracious Vegan's post on Tofu Bacon), but I hadn't actually tried this little trick until tonight. Now I can't figure out why I had never tried this before! It is magical. Now that I'm armed with perfect sponge-like tofu, my spicy citrus-chili sauce finally has something to soak into.
Citrus-Chili Glazed Tofu & Broccoli

1/4 block of Organic Extra Firm Tofu, cubed, frozen, thawed, and pressed*
1 crown Broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 Shallot, roughly chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
Sesame Oil

Citrus-Chili Sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp Chili Paste
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed Lime Juice
4 Tbsp freshly squeezed Orange Juice**
1 tsp Orange Pulp**
1 tsp Organic Orange Zest**
2 tsp Arrowroot Powder
2 tsp Agave Nectar
1 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar

Combine all ingredients for Citrus-Chili Sauce in a small bowl.
Heat a bit of sesame oil in a wok over medium heat.
Add garlic and shallots and cook for about 1 minute.
Add tofu and stir fry until tofu begins to brown.
Add broccoli florets and stir fry until they turn bright green.
Add Citrus-Chili Sauce and stir to coat.
Continue to cook until sauce is heated through.
Serve over rice, or just eat it out of the wok with a spoon :)

Serves 2 if served over rice.

*Several very toxic pesticides are used to grow conventional soybeans, so be sure to use organic tofu.
**Most pesticide residue is concentrated in the orange peel, so it is important to use only organic oranges when using orange zest. This is true for lemons and limes too.

smokey bbq tofu & collards wrap

A few weeks ago my best vegan friend introduced me to a little cafe in Atlanta called The Flying Biscuit. Although the cafe is famous for, you guessed it, biscuits - I was excited to find a handful of vegan choices on the menu. They had the usual suspects (tofu scramble, hummus sandwich, soysage), but my expert friend said "you have to try the Vegan BBQ Burrito." Ever since I stuffed my face with the delicious wrap filled with BBQ tofu and collards, I just knew I could whip this one up at home. When I finally got around to trying it out today, the results were even better than the original.

Smokey BBQ Tofu & Collards Wrap

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra Firm Organic Tofu*, crumbled
Annie's Organic Hot Chipotle BBQ Sauce***
Organic Collard Greens**, rough stems removed, chopped
Button Mushrooms, thinly sliced
Organic Vegetable Broth
Organic Lite Soy Sauce*
Liquid Smoke
Whole Grain Tortillas

I didn't include measurements, because it really depends on how many wraps you're planning to make. However, the recipe is so simple, you'll easily figure out the right proportions.

Heat about a tsp of oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add crumbled tofu and saute until golden brown.
Transfer tofu into a small sauce pan.
Return the skillet to the heat and add another tsp of oil.
Add mushrooms and collards. (Remember that the collards will cook down to about 1/2 this size.)
Saute mushrooms and collards for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid burning.
Add vegetable broth (just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet), a few dashes of soy sauce, and a generous amount of liquid smoke.
Stir to evenly coat the greens.
Continue to cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
If the greens soak up the liquid really quickly, just add more vegetable broth to prevent the greens from burning.
While the collards are cooking, add the BBQ sauce to the tofu (just enough to thickly coat the crumbles).
Add a few dashes of liquid smoke and stir.
When collards are done and tofu is heated through, fill up your tortillas with even amounts of greens and BBQ.
Serve warm.

*Several very toxic pesticides are used to grow conventional soybeans, so be sure to use organic tofu and soy sauce.
**Because collard greens grow close to the ground, they tend to have high pesticide residue levels. Organic is better. Local organic is best.
***You can use your favorite BBQ sauce, but I love love love Annie's Organic Hot Chipotle BBQ. It doesn't have that weird sweetness like most packaged BBQ sauces and the heat level is perfect for these wraps. Plus, even big box grocery stores carry Annie's products.

wild mushroom miso

Last week while my dad was visiting for the holidays, I finally made it to the Dekalb Farmers Market and now I’m feeling silly that this is our second year living in Georgia and we’d never visited this amazing place before. I could rave on and on about the indoor market’s selection of organic produce, fair trade coffee, organic bulk grains, spices, dried foods, and nuts, or you can read all about it on their website here.

Although my dad and I intended to mostly browse the isles, we left the market with our canvas bags overflowing. The bulk items were especially hard to pass up, since everything was so much less expensive than the bulk selection at our local health food store or co-op. Our jaws dropped when we found a mix of dried wild mushrooms, about 3 cups worth, for less than $3. We’ve used them sparingly in pasta and in a wild mushroom and pecan pesto, which we made off the cuff and it was fabulous. I’ll be sure to post it once I get the ingredient measurements down.

Today, however, we have been lying around nursing the colds that kept us home last night and nothing sounded better than hot, brothy soup. The following recipe for Wild Mushroom Miso is so easy, you’ll probably be able to manage pulling your-self out of bed to make it on your next sick day, or, you can whip it up any old night when your head doesn’t feel like a balloon and you’ll enjoy it even more. The most important part of the recipe is the broth created from soaking the mushrooms in water to re-hydrate them, so remember not to throw it out when you drain the mushrooms. The broth is just as flavorful and savory as the mushrooms themselves.
Wild Mushroom Miso

¾ cup Dried Wild Mushrooms
3 cups Water
1 Vegetable Bouillon cube
1 – 1 ½ Tbsp Organic White Miso*
¼ carton Organic Firm Silken Tofu, cubed*

Boil 1 cup of water.
Pour boiling water over dried mushrooms in a bowl, using a second bowl inside to weigh down the mushrooms and keep them submerged.
Soak mushrooms for 10 minutes, then remove them from the water.
Chop hydrated mushrooms into smaller pieces, if necessary.
Add the water used to soak the mushrooms with 2 additional cups of water and the vegetable bouillon cube to a soup pot.
Bring broth to a boil.
Add mushrooms and tofu and reduce heat to low.
Transfer one ladle of broth to a bowl and stir in miso until dissolved.
Return broth to soup pot.
Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, until tofu is heated through and soup is steaming hot.

This recipe will make enough for 4 small bowls of soup, but my husband and I just ate all of it between the two of us. We served it with hot white tea, which was a perfect pair.

*Several very toxic pesticides are used to grow conventional soybeans, so be sure to use organic tofu and miso.

easy tofu scramble

There are so many easy and delicious vegan breakfast choices like whole fruit, granola, toast, oatmeal, smoothies, etc., that preparing alternatives to eggs and other animal products is truly unnecessary. However, if you are making the transition to a vegan diet or simply craving something warm and savory in the morning, this scramble can really hit the spot.

Easy Tofu Scramble

5 oz. Organic Firm Tofu, drained and crumbled*
Handful of Your Favorite Veggies, diced**
1/2 Tbs Organic low-sodium Tamari (soy sauce)*
1 Tbs Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
pinch of Turmeric
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

*Several very toxic pesticides are used to grow conventional soybeans, so be sure to use organic tofu and tamari.
**I used onions, tomato, portobellos, and green onions, but any combination of vegetables you have on hand will work.

Add a drizzle of oil, tofu and tamari to the pan and sautee over med-high heat for 5 minutes, allowing the tofu to fully absorb the tamari and begin to brown.
Add veggies and saute for 3-5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium.
Sprinkle on nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, and turmeric and stir to evenly coat tofu and veggies.
Continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe makes one large serving, or you could share and there would be plenty for two.
Nutritional Information for Easy Tofu Scramble***:
Calories: 225
Total Fat: 12.0 g
Saturated Fat: 1.0 g
Sodium: 300.0 mg
Total Carbs: 12.3g
Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g
Sugars: 0.9 g
Protein: 16.0g
***this information is accurate if you include the same vegetables I did.

vegan quiche

There are admittedly some pretty bad vegan quiche recipes out there, but I think you’ll find that the following recipe is just right. Extra firm silken tofu provides a perfect texture for this dish, even for your dairy loving family and friends. I also used Ener-G egg replacer and found that the moisture from the tofu and the soymilk bind really well, so there is no need to add water. Of course, you can use any variation of vegetables that you prefer, but you’ll want to make sure you’ve got a full pound of vegetables. Once they cook down you’ll have a perfect amount of filling for your crust.

Vegan Quiche

1 Pre-made frozen pie crust*

1 head of Broccoli, chopped
1 handful of Mushrooms, diced**
2 handfuls of Spinach
1 medium sized Onion, chopped into 1” pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

12 oz Extra Firm Organic Silken Tofu***
¼ cup Organic Soymilk**
3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 ½ tsp Ener-G egg replacer powder
¼ tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Tahini
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard (optional)
Dash salt
Dash pepper

*There are plenty of brands that make dairy free frozen pie crusts, just check the ingredients on the packaging.
**Even if you’re tempted to grab portabellas at the store (like we often are), remember that white button mushrooms are super rich in dietary fiber like chitin, which lowers cholesterol, and beta-glucan, which stimulates T-cell production and boosts your immune system. White buttons are also rich in protein and unsaturated fatty acids.
***Several very toxic pesticides are used to grow conventional soybeans, so be sure to use organic tofu and soymilk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Pre-bake the pie crust for 12 minutes.
While the crust is baking, sauté the mushrooms and broccoli in olive oil until just tender.
Set mushrooms and broccoli aside in a mixing bowl.
Add a little more oil to the pan and sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent.
Add the mushrooms and broccoli back to the pan.
Add spinach and continue heating vegetables until the spinach wilts.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
In a mixing bowl, combine the vegetables with the tofu mixture and stir until all vegetables are evenly coated.
Pour the mixture into the partially baked pie crust.
Continue to bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
Brush the top of the quiche with olive oil ½ way through cooking.
Let the quiche sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
Enjoy!


This recipe makes 10 slices of quiche.
Nutritional Information for 1 slice of Vegan Quiche:
Calories: 200.0
Total Fat: 12.2 g
Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
Sodium: 140.0 mg
Total Carbs: 16.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g
Sugars: 1.0 g
Protein: 6.0 g