The Sexy Vegan Cookbook (20 page)

Two 14-ounce blocks extra-firm tofu, drained (see Tip,
page 35
), frozen (see Tip,
page 136
), and thawed

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 teaspoons seaweed powder (see WTF,
page 63
)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus a few sprigs for garnish

¼ teaspoon ground chipotle

½ teaspoon salt

Pepper

Oil for greasing the grill, grill pan, or skillet

¼ cup Sour Creaminess (see recipe,
page 205
) or other vegan sour cream

¼ cup vegan mayo (see WTF,
page 42
)

Hot sauce

Twelve 6-inch soft corn tortillas

2 cups finely shredded green cabbage

2 medium Roma tomatoes, diced

4 scallions, thinly sliced

Lime wedges, for garnish

Corn and Jicama Salad (recipe follows)

http://youtu.be/IlxlZzvjn1M

Cut both blocks of tofu in half crosswise (when you’re cutting, the side of your knife should be parallel with the shorter sides of the tofu block). Then cut the halves into thirds. You should now have 12 flat tofu rectangles — these are your “fish” fillets.

Whisk together the 1 cup of lime juice, the seaweed powder, 2 teaspoons of cilantro, the chipotle, salt, and a pinch of pepper, and put the mixture in a large zip-top bag with the tofu. Gently slosh around so it gets coated, squeeze the bag to suck out as much of the air as possible, and put it in the fridge to marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

Heat your lightly oiled grill, grill pan, or medium skillet over medium heat. Remove the tofu fillets from the marinade and gently shake off the excess. Place them on your grill or in your skillet, and don’t touch them for 6 to 8 minutes. When they have grill marks or are browned, flip and cook on the other side for 6 to 8 more minutes. Do this in batches if necessary, keeping the cooked fillets warm in a low oven.

While the tofu is cooking, whisk together the 2 tablespoons of lime juice, the sour creaminess, mayo, and a couple dashes of hot sauce. This is also a good time to warm your tortillas. You can throw them right on the grill or the flame of your gas range and let them heat up until they’re pliable.

Transfer the tofu fillets to a cutting board, and cut them into thirds lengthwise. If all those cutting instructions made sense, you should now have pieces that are sort of long cubes, like big fat french fries. (This would be much easier to demonstrate on TV…can someone give me a TV show, please? I promise it will be good. Thank you.)

Spread a bit of the white sauce on a tortilla. Add 3 pieces of tofu, and top with the cabbage, tomato, and scallions. Garnish with the cilantro sprigs and lime wedges. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 12 tacos. Serve with Corn and Jicama Salad.

1 cup raw or grilled corn kernels

1 cup drained freshly cooked or rinsed canned black beans

1 cup diced peeled jicama

1 cup shredded carrot

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons roasted pepitas (see WTF,
page 56
)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon fresh basil chiffonade (see WTF,
page 103
)

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

¼ cup fresh orange juice

Zest of 2 limes

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

Salt and pepper

In a medium bowl, combine the corn, beans, jicama, carrot, scallions, pepitas, cilantro, and basil.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, orange juice, lime zest, cumin, and coriander. Toss with the veggies. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

8 Basic Seitan Cutlets (see recipe,
pages 24–25
)

4 teaspoons Blackened Seasoning (see recipe,
page 210
)

¼ cup diced yellow onion

1 cup thickly sliced cremini or button mushrooms

Salt

1 clove garlic, minced

½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

½ teaspoon chopped fresh sage

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons nutritional yeast (see WTF,
page 27
)

2 teaspoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce (see WTF,
page 25
)

½ cup white wine

2 cups vegetable stock, heated

Pinch of celery seed (optional)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Celery Root Oven Fries (recipe follows)

In a large, high-sided skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat. Rub another tablespoon of oil on the seitan cutlets, and generously coat both sides with the blackened seasoning. Slowly place
one cutlet in the skillet. If you don’t hear a sizzle, wait until the oil in the skillet gets hotter. If it does sizzle, place all cutlets in the skillet (do it in batches if you need to). Fry the seitan on one side for 3 minutes, or until browned, then flip and repeat. When the second side is browned, remove the cutlets from the pan and set aside.

To the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, and lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt, and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, and sage, and cook for 4 more minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft and the onion is tender and translucent. Stir in the flour. Continue stirring for 5 minutes, until the flour becomes a blond color, then add the nutritional yeast, tamari, and wine. Cook for 2 more minutes, then stir in ½ cup of the heated stock. When the liquid is incorporated, stir in the rest of the stock ½ cup at a time. Adding the stock in stages prevents a lumpy gravy. Stir in the celery seed, if using, return the seitan cutlets to the pan, and submerge them in the gravy. Gently simmer for 5 more minutes. Place two cutlets on each plate, top with the gravy, garnish with parsley, and serve with a side of celery root oven fries.

3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 pounds celery root, peeled and cut into steak-fry shapes

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil and lube up the foil with 1 teaspoon of oil. In a large bowl, toss the celery root with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, a healthy pinch of salt, and a couple grinds of pepper. Spread out the celery root fries on the baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, tossing after 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and taste. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

http://youtu.be/rPRh3LPAis8

1 cup black lentils

2 cups water, plus more if needed

Pinch of ground cumin

Pinch of ground coriander

Salt and pepper

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup diced yellow onion

½ cup diced carrot

½ cup diced celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly (see Tip,
page 45
)

2 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

¼ cup frozen corn kernels

¼ cup frozen peas

8 Pretend Chipotle Sausages (see recipe,
page 29
)

Pico de Gallo, for garnish (see recipe,
page 187
)

Gargantuan Guac, for garnish (see recipe,
page 183
)

In a small pot, cover the lentils with the 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, checking periodically to make sure the water hasn’t completely evaporated. If the water evaporates before the lentils are cooked, add a little more. The key is to keep the lentils just barely covered. When the lentils get soft, season with the cumin, coriander, and salt and pepper to taste. Then mash them with the back of a wooden spoon until they get to a “refried bean” consistency. If you need to add more water to get the right consistency, that’s totally cool. Season with more salt and pepper if needed, and they’re done.