Spicy Buffalo Tofu Chick'n Sub

Can we say football food? Buffalo Chick'n Sub with feta, pickles, and spicy mayo! Made with crispy fried tofu, it's literally the best of a Publix Sub and a Popeyes Sandwich all rolled into one! Seriously these subs are so good that even your non plant-based friends with gobble them right up!

In all the years that I have been plant-based, I only recently started preparing tofu, using this method, to use as a chicken substitute, in dishes. This recipe turned out so good and flavorful and it’s honestly way easier than you may think!! The trick to these subs is the buffalo sauce and, of course slathering them in spicy mayo!

What you are going to need to buy:

Extra Firm Tofu

Vegan Butter - (This recipe used Earth Balance)

Flour

Corn Starch

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Salt and Pepper

Paprika

Buffalo Sauce, or make your own! (See below)

Dairy Free Mayo

Hot Sauce

Sub Rolls or Hot Dog Buns

Dill Pickles

Butter Lettuce

Dairy Free Feta Cheese

What you are going to need to do:

To start, crumble your extra firm tofu into 2” inch bite-sized pieces, or larger, if you like

In a bowl, mix together equal parts corn starch and flour, along with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper (The quantities will vary based on the amount you’re making but the following should be enough for 4 portions.

1/3 cup of flower

1/3 cup of corn starch

1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

Dredge the tofu pieces into the dry mixture and coat well. The better you coat the pieces, the better, and more crisp they will be.

In a skillet, melt 3-4 tablespoons of vegan butter, on low heat and once the skillet is good and hot, pan fry the tofu, until a nice crust is formed.

Remove from heat and gently pour over your buffalo sauce: Be careful not to tear up your tofu while saucing

Buffalo Sauce is simply your favorite hot sauce, butter, a splash of white vinegar, and garlic! But, to be honest…I really like the Frank’s Brand Buffalo Sauce

In a small bowl, mix vegan mayo and your favorite hot sauce and paprika, to taste and slather your buns with the spicy mayo!

Top your buns with lettuce, pickles, tofu chick’n, and dairy free feta cheese and serve!

Orange Tofu Chick'n with Homemade Glaze

There’s a lot of buzz about the new partnership with Beyond Meat and Panda Express’ Orange Chicken but down here in Central Florida we don’t have it yet…and my mouth has been watering for Orange Chicken for weeks now, so I broke down and worked out an at-home version!

In all the years that I have been plant-based, I only recently started preparing tofu, using this method, to use as a chicken substitute, in dishes. This recipe turned out so good and flavorful and it’s honestly way easier than you may think!! The orange sauce is so much better than anything from a packet! It's remarkable how much better fresh, from scratch, flavors are!

What you are going to need to buy:

Extra Firm Tofu

Vegan Butter - (This recipe used Earth Balance)

Flour

Corn Starch

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Salt and Pepper

Orange Juice

Red Bell Pepper, julienned

Maple Syrup

Soy Sauce

Cauliflower Rice

Fresh Kale

Minced Garlic

Paprika

Ginger Powder

Vinegar

Cayenne Pepper, optional

What you are going to need to do:

To start, crumble your extra firm tofu into 1.5” inch bite-sized pieces

In a bowl, mix together equal parts corn starch and flour, along with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper (The quantities will vary based on the amount you’re making but the following should be enough for 4 portions.

1/3 cup of flower

1/3 cup of corn starch

1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

Dredge the tofu pieces into the dry mixture and coat well. The better you coat the pieces, the better, and more crisp they will be.

In a skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of vegan butter, on low heat and once the skillet is good and hot, pan fry the tofu, until a nice crust is formed. Remove from heat and set aside.

Wipe out your skillet and using another tablespoon of vegan butter, saute the red pepper and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic until the pepper begins to soften.

To the pepper and garlic, add orange juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Again, depending on how much you are making these quantities can vary.

1 cup orange juice

1/3 cup of maple syrup

2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of vinegar

1/2 teaspoon each of ginger powder and paprika

For a spicy glaze add cayenne pepper, to taste.

Stir to combine and increase heat to reduce the sauce. Allow to boil until the sauce is thick and sticky enough to coat the back of a spoon and able to cling to the tofu pieces. If you’d like to speed up this process you can make a slurry with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 2-3 tablespoons of water and add that to the sauce.

Once the glaze has thickened, add the crispy tofu pieces back into the orange glaze and turn heat down to warm.

I like to serve over butter cauliflower rice with some wilted kale!

Vegan Hamburger Helper with Homemade Cashew Free Cheese

If you’re an 80’s kid, like me, and you grew up in the States, you most definitely experienced Hamburger Helper as a part of your childhood. My mother went back to nursing school the same year that I went to kindergarten and when my brother was just out of diapers so needless to say, she was juggling a lot. I guess it goes without saying that we had a lot of “boxed” meals growing up. This recipe is all the nostalgia of those family dinners without any of the meat or dairy!

If I’m honest, I was a little hesitant to post this as a recipe because it wasn’t one that I carefully sat down and planned out. Truth is, I was under the weather last week and wanted comfort food. This was thrown together with a lot of odds and ends but when I posted it on IG last week everyone went a little crazy, so here we are! Hope that you all enjoy.

What you are going to need to buy:

Pasta, I used orecchiette because I had it on hand but an small noodle will work. I do like this shape because they are like little noodle bowls for the sauce!

Your favorite plant-based ground meat - (I used the ground from Impossible Foods)

Small Sweet Onion, diced

Minced Garlic - (like this jarred options from Spice World!)

1/2 cup Vegetable Stock - Or half a cup of water and a veggie cube

Butter - (We love THIS ONE from Earth Balance)

Salt & Pepper

Liquid Smoke

Homemade Vegan Cheese Sauce! (Find that recipe HERE!)

What you are going to need to do:

To start, let’s make the sauce!

I make this cheese sauce every month or so and have it in the fridge to throw into all kinds of things, which is just exactly what happened with this recipe! Hope on over and make it! Will you have some left over? Yep. Is that a bad thing? Nope!

GO TO THE CHEESE SAUCE RECIPE HERE

Welcome back!

The rest is pretty easy.

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, begin to cook down your plant-based meat, along with the diced onion. Once you put them in the pan try not to stir or move them around too much because you want to get some good color/char on the meat.

After about 1-2 minutes stir the mixture and add a tablespoon of dairy free butter, a tablespoon (or more if that’s your thing…) of minced garlic, a pinch of salt and pepper, 8-10 dashes of liquid smoke and continue to cook until the meat is done and the onions are nice and soft.

While the meat and onions cook, bring a pot of salted water to boil on the stove and when it’s ready, drop 4 servings of your pasta (follow the box directions for portions and cook time.)

Next, add your veggie stock to the meat and onions and using a wooden spoon, scrape up any of the little bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan! This is where all the flavor is hiding!

Add in 1 cup of your cheese sauce and stir to combine.

A note about the cheese sauce: If you make the cheese sauce ahead of time, and I hope that you do because it stays good in the fridge for weeks…it will solidify a bit. It’s much easier to “melt” it back into your Hamburger helper if it’s runny so you can just scoop out what you need and toss it into the microwave for 10-20 seconds, stir, and that should do the trick!

Drain pasta, but save 1 cup of pasta water.

Add the pasta to the cheesy/meat mixture and stir to combine. If the dish is too dry and not all that “creamy” slowly add the pasta water to thin the mixture and help the sauce emulsify. You may not use all the water and that’s okay because if you get it too runny then you’ll need to cook it longer and let some of that liquid evaporate.

Taste for seasoning. Add salt, pepper, if necessary.

I like to top mine with fresh herbs to serve. Either thyme or rosemary work really well!

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Shells Stuffed with Sage Sausage, Spinach, and Ricotta

Looking for a fall twist on an old comfort classic? While we’ve still got a couple more weeks until Autumn officially arrives…over here I was craving some fall flavors...and these Butternut Squash Shells stuffed with Sage Sausage, Spinach and Ricotta totally hit the spot!

The best part of this recipe is that, while the flavor profile is different, the assembly is basically the same, so if you’ve ever successfully made stuffed shells in the past, these will be a snap. The entire dish does take a bit of time to make because you’ve got to roast the butternut squash and make the sauce so I would recommend that you plan to make a couple of recipes with squash so you can do some prep for several meals at once! Once the sauce is made, (which can be done ahead of time) the rest of the dish comes together in less than an hour!

What you are going to need to buy:

Medium Butternut Squash

Jumbo Shells

Medium Sweet Onion, diced

Minced Garlic - (like this jarred options from Spice World!)

1 cup Plant-Based Milk

1.5 cups Vegetable Stock

Dairy-Free Ricotta

Dairy-Free Mozerella

1/2 lb Plant-Based Sausage

Fresh Spinach

Just Egg, egg alternative

Olive Oil

Butter - (We love THIS ONE from Earth Balance)

Salt & Pepper

Fresh Sage

Warming Spices (Allspice, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger)

What you are going to need to do:

To start, let’s make the sauce!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Chop your squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Liberally salt and pepper the cut side. Roast on a baking sheet for one hour, flipping halfway through, until the squash is fork-tender.

In a high-walled saucepan or medium pot, saute in butter, the diced onion and a tablespoon of garlic until soft and translucent. Reduce heat and set aside.

Scoop out the roasted squash from the skin and into the saucepan with the onion and garlic. Add the plant-milk and the vegetable stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer and add a teaspoon of each of the warming spices.

At this point, if you have a stick blender, it’s helpful to blend the mixture for a smoother texture but it’s not 100% necessary.

Let the sauce reduce until it’s the consistency of pasta sauce. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Now, onto the filling!

In a small saucepan, gently wilt one bag of spinach over medium heat.

In a large mixing bowl combine the following:

sausage (does not need to be cooked)

the wilted spinach

the equivalent of one egg

1.5 cups of ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

2-3 tablespoons of minced, fresh, sage

salt and pepper, to taste

The Shells:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Follow your package directions and cook your jumbo shells in boiling water.

After the shells are boiled and tender, remove and drain.

In a large skillet or baking dish fill the bottom of the dish with the butternut squash sauce.

Stuff each shell with the ricotta mixture and place into the baking dish.

Depending on the size of your dish you should be able to fit 15-20 shells. Do not overcrowd the dish. You want the sauce mixture to be able to rise up around the shells on either side.

Sprinkle mozzarella onto the top of the shells and cover with tin foil.

Bake for 15-20 minutes covered. Remove the tin foil and bake another 15 minutes until the sauce and cheese are hot and bubbly.

Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

While the shells are resting, fry up some sage leaves in Olive Oil until crispy and crumble the leaves onto the top of the shells for garnish.

Serve the extra sauce on the side.

Enjoy!

Thai Inspired Spicy Lime Peanut Sauce (Only SIX Ingredients!)

Perfect for everything from stir-fry and noodles to veggie wraps, or even as a dressing for a Asian inspired summer salad, this sauce is something you’ll want to have in your refrigerator this summer. I love this recipe because it looks and tastes fancy but it comes together with simple pantry ingredients in just about 10 minutes.

I don’t know if you’re like me, but I have a hard time spending the money on sauces and dressings at the grocery store that I know I can make at home and this Thai Inspired Spicy Lime Peanut Sauce is no exception! And…bonus, it only takes SIX ingredients to whip up! This recipe makes about 4 - 5 servings, depending on what you are using it for and how thin you make it.

What you are going to need to buy:

Peanut Butter - (creamy is best)

Sesame Oil - (You can use another neutral oil, but the flavor will differ a bit)

Chili Oil - (If you don’t have Chili oil, you can use dried chili powder)

Soy Sauce

Maple Syrup

Lime Juice

Water, for thinning

What you are going to need to do:

This can be done on a bowl with the aid of the microwave, or on the stove-top in a small sauce pot.

Mix together the following

8 tablespoons of peanut butter

2 tablespoon of sesame oil

2 tablespoon of Soy Sauce

1 teaspoon of chili oil

Heat these ingredients until the peanut butter becomes soft enough to incorporate easily into the oils and whisk to combine. After well combined add:

2 tablespoon of maple syrup

2 tablespoon of lime juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

At this point, taste your sauce…want a bit more tang, add another splash of lime juice. Like things a but more spicy…more chili oil. Once you get the flavor you like use 2-3 tablespoons of water to thin sauce to desired consistency. I like mine about the thickness of a ranch dressing, thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to stick to vegetables, noodles, or as a dressing for wraps.

To Serve/Store:
Drizzle peanut sauce on top of anything and everything. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. (It won’t last that long, I promise!) Let sauce come to room temperature or warm slightly to re-serve. You can always add a bit more water if necessary after it’s been in the fridge a few days

Enjoy!

Noodles with Garlic Mushrooms and Peppers topped with Thai Inspired Spicy Lime Peanut Sauce

Sometimes you plan, shop for, and execute extravagant meals that look and taste like they should be served at the fanciest of restaurants and sometimes you haven’t been to the grocery store in a week and you’re trying to find way to level up ramen! This recipe is perfect because it looks and tastes fancy but it comes together with simple pantry ingredients and a small amount of produce, in less than 20 minutes!

Raise your hand if you buy mushrooms, when they are on sale, and then spend the next week watching them turn to goo in your fridge because you’re uninspired as to what to do with them!? I’ve got you covered! The Thai inspired spicy lime peanut sauce is all you need to turn ramen and mushrooms into an amazing dinner! Make a little extra, because you’re going to want to put it on everything!

What you are going to need to buy:

Ramen - (the stuff you ate in college is fine, especially if you have some in the house BUT a trip to your local Asian market for a more authentic option is really going to make this dish!)

Vegan Butter - (This recipe used Earth Balance)

Mushrooms, sliced - (This recipe used a couple kinds because it’s what I had in the bottom on the crisper drawer, but use what you’ve got!)

Red Peppers, julienned (cut into strips)

Yellow Onion, diced

Minced Garlic - (we like these jarred options from Spice World!)

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Peanut Butter - (creamy is best)

Sesame Oil - (You can use another neutral oil, but the flavor will differ a bit)

Chili Oil - (If you don’t have Chili oil, you can use dried chili powder)

Soy Sauce

Maple Syrup

Lime Juice

Water, for thinning

What you are going to need to do:

In a medium skillet, saute your mushrooms, onions, peppers and garlic in a little olive oil until soft.

Note: add the garlic about 1/2 way through cooking, once the onions have given up a little moisture into the pan, so that it doesn’t burn

Prepare your ramen, per the package directions BUT if your ramen comes with a flavor packet, do not use it. Once noodles are soft, drain well and stir in one teaspoon of butter, while the noodles are hot.

To Make the Spicy Lime Peanut Sauce: (This makes enough for two servings)
This can be done on a bowl with the aid of the microwave, or on the stove-top in a small sauce pot.

Mix together the following

4 tablespoons of peanut butter

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce

1/2 teaspoon of chili oil

Heat these ingredients until the peanut butter becomes soft enough to incorporate easily into the oils and whisk to combine. After well combined add:

1 tablespoon of maple syrup

1 tablespoon of lime juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

At this point, taste your sauce…want a bit more tang, add another splash of lime juice. Like things a but more spicy…more chili oil. Once you get the flavor you like use 2-3 tablespoons of water to thin sauce to desired consistency. I like mine about the thickness of a ranch dressing, thin enough to drizzle, but thick enough to stick to the mushrooms and noodles.

To Serve:
Plate the noodles and top with the cooked mushrooms, peppers and onions.

Drizzle peanut sauce on top.

Garnish with chopped peanuts, if desired.

Enjoy!