Tempeh of the Sea

Things I love about summertime...

• The way my kitchen always smells like a juice bar
• Sleeping with the windows wide open
• Biting into cool, crisp watermelon slices
• Mock tuna salads

Things that drive me crazy about summer time...

• The way my kitchen is always swarming with fruit flies
• Waking to the sound of chirping birds at 5 am and my cat trying to rip out the screen in order to get to them
• Biting into mushy watermelon slices
• Running out of my favorite mock tuna salad

For someone that can't stand the thought of seafood or the smell of the ocean, I am oddly obsessed with mock tuna salads, especially in summer.  Every time I am at a new restaurant and see a mock tuna salad on the menu I have to try it.  My obsession finally got to the point where I knew it was time to make my own version so I could have it whenever I wanted.  And so I did.  

I used tempeh to replace the “tuna” in this recipe.  (If you are unfamiliar with tempeh, you can read more about it in a previous post here.) Let me tell you that I have eaten this every week for the past six weeks... in cold sandwiches, on top of romaine salads, and grilled in flat bread.  In fact, I have been so busy eating this that I keep forgetting to share the recipe with you.  My apologies.    

Tempeh of the Sea
Serves 4

1 -8 oz package plain tempeh, crumbled
1/4 medium red onion, diced
2 green onions, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
3 Tablespoons sweet relish
1 cup cashew mayo (or vegan mayo of your choice)
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard
sea salt and pepper to taste

Crumble tempeh and mix with the red onion, green onion, celery, relish, mayo and brown mustard.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve cold or grilled.

Classic Tofu Sandwich

It wouldn't be right to enter back-to-school season without talking about sandwiches. However, I have to admit I feel a little weird about putting a tofu sandwich on a vegan blog. I mean, that's all vegans eat anyway, right? Just tofu and salads?

Nonetheless, this is one of my favorite and easiest-to-make tofu sandwiches. Here are some reasons why you will love it too:

1. Prep time is less than 10 minutes - which is perfect for when you're super hungry or scrambling to pack a lunch first thing in the morning.
2. It's a cold sandwich (great for taking on-the-go!)
3. It's filling! One of the big problems that I have with other vegan sandwiches is that they use too much processed fake meat or it's all veggies (and then I'm hungry an hour later). This one guarantees the best of both worlds.

Makes about 6 sandwiches

1 loaf of good whole grain bread (my fave is Dave's Killer Bread)
1 Block of Tofu (I usually use plain extra-firm)
1 container of sprouts
1 cucumber, sliced
1 onion, sliced
Salt & Pepper to taste
Dijon Mustard to taste
2 Avocados

To keep prep time to a minimum, grill your tofu ahead of time:
Cut your tofu block into 1/2-inch slices. Add a little oil to a grill or frying pan and cook the tofu slices on medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side, or until it is medium brown. Place in a glass container and store in the fridge until ready to use.

To assemble the sandwich:
Grab your bread and add Dijon mustard to one slice and mash about a third of an avocado to another. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on one side. Add two pieces of tofu and a few slices of cucumber and onion. Top with sprouts and serve.

If you're not a cucumber fan, you could always substitute some grilled bell peppers or zucchini. Tomatoes go well on this too.

Grilled Cheeze With Brussels Sprouts

There are few foods that I miss from my non-vegan days. Unfortunately, grilled cheese is one of them. Tonight I came home to find Ashley making grilled cheese and tomato soup. The temptation was enough to make me dash right back out to the store to pick up some vegan cheese. I'm rarely eat soy cheese substitutions, but tonight was one of those times.

Still being in Brussels sprouts mode, I decided to slip a few in. Let me tell you, if you love Brussels sprouts, you will LOVE this sandwich. I highly recommend using pepper jack-flavored "cheese" to give your sandwich an extra kick.

Lightly oil pan or grill on medium heat. Add your Brussels sprouts and cook for 7-10 minutes. Or, get creative and use leftovers from another recipe -- I reheated some of these with garlic and it was divine. Place your bread slices (if you haven't tried Dave's Killer Bread - you need to!) and cheeze on the grill and cook until the cheeze is melted. Add the Brussels sprouts in at the last minute. Serve & devour.

PB&C

This is a fun twist on the classic peanut butter & banana sandwich. I was trying to think of a way to add vegetables to a PB&J and this is what I came up with. The celery adds a tasty green crunch and the banana is sweet enough to satisfy a sweet tooth. If you served this in bite-sized pieces, it'd be a quick and easy appetizer.