Tofu And Potato Casserole

In case you haven’t noticed yet, casseroles, breads and pies are important part of Finnish cuisine. Last weekend I posted a recipe for Sweetened Potato Casserole in which the potatoes were mashed. Another way to use potatoes in casseroles is slicing them.

Sliced potatoes baked with pork or Baltic herring is a common dinner. (Or at least it still was couple of decades ago, I’m not that aware what omnis eat nowadays.) Vegan version is made with tofu, and we had it with sauerkraut.

Tofu and Potato Casserole

250 g plain, smoked or marinaded tofu

marinade for plain tofu:
5 tbsp oil
3 tbsp water
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika

8-10 potatoes
1 small/medium onion (optional)
black pepper
0,5 l water
margarine

Slice the tofu thinly. Put the slices between towels and press gently to remove some water. Mix marinade ingredients together and marinade tofu slices overnight or at least couple of hours.

Peel and slice potatoes and onion. Grease a dish with margarine. Put a layer of potatoes to the dish, half of the tofu slices, some onion slices and sprinkle with pepper. Then again potatoes, tofu, onion, pepper and finally potatoes on top. Pour the marinade and water to the dish. If you bought marinaded or smoked tofu, put dollops of margarine on top. Bake covered 1,5-2 hours in 200 Celsius degrees.

Small Zucchini Quiches

Recipe for the veganized zucchini quiches we had on our Yugoslavian movie night.

Bučkerelice

Dough:
400g wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3 dl mineral water

Filling:
3 zucchinis
salt
250 g tofu
2 tsp lemon juice
pepper
1 tsp basil
pinch of cayenne
3 garlic cloves
0,5 dl oil

Coarsely grate the zucchinis. Sprinkle with salt and drain in colander.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add mineral water and quickly knead together. Divide in 8 balls and roll them flat circles. Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius degrees.

Crumble the tofu with your hands. Add drained zucchini and rest of the ingredients. Add more salt or other spices if needed. Put a generous layer of filling on each dough circle, but leave a border on the edges. Lift the edges up. Bake 20-30 minutes or until the crust and filling are slightly browned.

Cooking for Allergic People

I was invited to a class mate’s surprice birthday party. It was a potluck party and I promised to bring a savoury dish, but making something that everyone can eat wasn’t so easy. For example gluten, yeast and nuts were forbidden and it had to be something that wasn’t too weird for omnis. Luckily soy was allowed and I started to think of a pie with tofu based filling. I made a practice pie couple of days earlier with tofu, bell pepper, carrot and celery and realiced it was very similar to a cottage cheese pie that I had made quite a few times in my past. The taste of celery was too strong and I substituted it with leek and used more bell pepper in the final product. I guess the omnis liked my pie, since everyone took second or third slice.

Tofu, Leek and Bell Pepper Pie

Crust
125g margarine
1 dl rolled oats*
1 dl soy flour
1,5 dl potato flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp water
margarine for greasing the dish
sesame seeds or gluten free bread crumbs (optional)

Filling
250g tofu
1 tsp dill
1 tsp parsley
2 tsp basil
0,5-1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp apple vinegar
1 garlic clove
1 small red bell pepper
10 cm piece of leek
2 tbsp potato flour
2,5 dl soy milk
2 tbsp oil

Mix the margarine, soy flour, rolled oats, potato flour and baking powder with your hands until it’s crumbly. Add water and mix. Greace a pie dish (25-27 cm diameter) and sprinkle with sesame seeds or bread crumbs if you want to make sure the crust doesn’t stick to the dish. Spread the dough to the dish with your hands and bake in 225 celsius degrees 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile crumble the tofu to a bowl with your hand. Add herbs, salt, pepper and vinegar and cumble until it’s quite smooth. Cube the bell pepper, chop the leek and mince the garlic and add them and the potato flour to the tofu mixture and mix well. Last stir in soy milk and oil. Spread the filling on the prebaked crust and bake 25-30 minutes more.

*Some coeliacs can eat only “clean” oats that are not processed at the same place as wheat and other grains that include gluten.

Excuse Me, There’s Tofu in My Tortilla

We usually have bean filling in our tortillas, but for variety’s sake we decided to experiment with tofu based filling. One of the best things about tofu is its bland natural flavour and the ability to absorb almost any taste possible. We also happened to have broccoli available and it seemed like a nice idea to combine these two to make a filling. The results were a splendid experience. The spices are a rather traditional tex mex blend, but it’s pretty easy to experiment with them and craft the filling to suit your personal preferences.

Tofu And Broccoli

4 tbsp oil
1,5 tsp cumin
0,5 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
some chili, fresh or dried
4 big garlic cloves
1 onion
500g tofu
florets from 1 big broccoli
250g passata

Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a large pot or pan. Fry cumin, coriander, paprika, smoked paprika and chili about 30 seconds. Add onion and garlic and fry until onion starts to become soft. Add cubed tofu, coat well with spices and fry at least five minutes stirring often. If you want to get the dinner ready quicker, you can boil the broccoli florets about 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and passata to the pot and simmer until broccoli is al dente. Serve with cooked grains or wrap inside tortilla with salsa and fresh vegetables such as cucumber, bell pepper and onion

Almost Instant

As far as I know, Japanese ramen always contains some kind of meat. My vegan version of ramen is made of whole wheat noodles, tofu and vegetables. This time I used carrot, bamboo shoots and red cabbage, which dyes everything pink, but you can use any vegetables you have.

Tofuhead’s Ramen

8,5 dl water
1 vegetable bouillon cube (preferably MSG free)
2 tsp miso powder
7,5 dl vegetables, cut into strips (cabbage, carrot, onion, green beans, bamboo shoots etc.)
350g tofu
100g whole wheat noodles
soy sauce for serving (optional)

Bring the water to boil and dissolve the bouillon cube and miso powder in it. Add the vegetables and tofu and simmer 2-3 minutes. Add noodles and simmer 3 more minutes.

Little Pies

Watching a movie and eating something good is a great way to spend Saturday night. Tonight I made these cute little pies, which were delicious. You just can’t go wrong with broccoli and tofu ricotta.

Small Broccoli Pies (makes 16)

500g puff pastry (8 sheets)

Filling:
2/3 recipe Tofu ricotta
250g broccoli + water for boiling
2 dl plain soy yogurt
1 dl oat cream
2 tbsp potato flour
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt and pepper
0,5 tsp thyme
1 tsp dried parsley

Cook the broccoli in boiling water until it’s al dente. Break into small florets and cut the stalk to small cubes. Combine all the filling ingredients. Cut each pastry sheet in half to make 16 squares. Grease a muffin pan lightly and line each cup with a pastry square: press the pastry gently to the cup, try to avoid stretching, the corners of the pastry should be pointing up from the cup. Fill the cups with broccoli filling. Bake 15-20 minutes in 225 celsius degrees.