Tag: Vegetarian

Meatless Monday: Gluten-free margarita tofu with fresh pico de gallo and corn salsa

I have to confess, I didn’t make this one—my darling spouse did. The fresh pico de gallo and corn salsas are some of his specialties, so I was more than happy to relinquish my spatula and let him take over dinner. The end result was this delicious Margarita Tofu, served over cilantro lime jasmine rice, with refried pinto beans, and topped with his amazingly delicious salsas and guacamole. Here’s how he did it.

Margarita Tofu

*Nutrition facts at bottom

1 package firm (or super firm) tofu, cut lengthwise into thin strips
Garlic powder and onion powder to taste
1/3 cup sour mix—use store bought or make your own as follows:

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup lime juice

Mix sugar and water and cook over medium heat until well dissolved. Cool completely. Mix with lemon juice and lime juice. Store in the refrigerator.

  1. Marinate tofu in sour mix for 1–2 hours.
  2. Sauté in skillet over medium-high heat until golden brown on each side (approx. 4-7 minutes per side).

Serve over rice mixed with sour mix and cilantro to taste. Refried beans make a great side as well.

Pico de Gallo

*Nutrition facts at bottom

4 large ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
juice from 2 limes
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and chill for 1–2 hours before serving.

For corn salsa, swap out the tomato for corn. and cut back the lime juice to one lime.

If you try these recipes, let me know in the comments section how you liked them. And as always, feel free to connect with me and share on social media.

Margarita Tofu

Serving Size: 2 pieces
Servings: 5
Calories: 108
Total Fat: 4.4g
Total Carbohydrates: 7.7g
Dietary Fiber: 1.4g
Sugar: 4.3g
Protein: 10.2g
Sodium: 26.3mg

Pico de Gallo

Serving Size: approx. 1/4 cup
Servings: 12
Calories (not including parmesan): 13
Total Fat: 0g
Total Carbohydrates: 3g
Dietary Fiber: .5g
Sugar: 1.5g
Protein: .4g
Sodium: 31.3mg

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Meatless Monday: Gluten-Free Crabless Cakes and Tofu Scampi

When I was a kid, I loved seafood. Even before I stopped eating meat because of my love for animals, I didn’t each much of it because I didn’t really care for it. But I would eat the heck out of some seafood. I was pescatarian for a several years before eventually leaving fish behind as well. But one of the things I’ve missed most over the years is a smooth, buttery scampi with a side of hearty crab cakes. So, today’s meatless Monday meal is a throwback to my childhood favorites, but with a gluten-free, vegetarian spin.

Crabless Cakes

1 can palm hearts
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1/2 cup green pepper diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrot, shredded
1 ear sweet corn (cut off the cob)
1/2 tbs garlic, minced
2 tsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup gluten-free panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup gluten-free flour
1/2 cup water (or dry white wine)
1 flax egg (see below for instructions)
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste

*Nutrition facts at bottom

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Use two forks to shred the palm hearts lengthwise and then cut shreds into smaller chunks (about the size of lump crab meat.
  3. Mix in onion, pepper, celery, carrots, corn, garlic and parsley.
  4. Add gluten-free flour, Old Bay, and seasonings of choice, and stir to combine.
  5. Stir in water (or wine) mustard, incorporate well.
  6. Mix in bread crumbs and flax egg.
  7. Shape into patties and bake for 20–22 minutes.

To give these a bit of a crunch around the outside, brown on the stove for 1–2 minutes on each side over medium-high heat before baking.

Serve with lemon and your choice of sauce. Sometimes, I will top these with avocado slices and drizzle with Thai sweet chili sauce.

Tofu scampi

1 package firm tofu
2 tbs butter (or vegan butter)
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
Salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese to taste

*Nutrition facts at bottom

  1. Cut tofu into small cubes.
  2. Melt butter and olive oil together in a skillet over medium heat.
  3. Add garlic and sauté until lightly golden (1–2 minutes). Do not overcook!
  4. Add wine, pepper, crushed red pepper, and salt and let simmer and reduce for 2–4 minutes.
  5. Mix in tofu and sauté approx 4–5 minutes.
  6. Stir in lemon juice and sprinkle with parsley and parmesan.

If you try these recipes, let me know in the comments section how you liked them. And as always, feel free to connect with me and share on social media.

Crabless Cakes

Serving Size: 2 cakes
Servings: 5
Calories (not including wine): 129
Total Fat: 1.2g
Total Carbohydrates: 23.4g
Dietary Fiber: 2.8g
Sugar: 2.4g
Protein: 4g
Sodium: 389mg

Potato Fritters Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: approx. 1/4 cup
Servings: 5
Calories (not including parmesan): 191
Total Fat: 13.4g
Total Carbohydrates: 4.3g
Dietary Fiber: 1.5g
Sugar: .5g
Protein: 8.6g
Sodium: 30.2mg

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Meatless Monday: Gluten-Free Cauliflower Steaks and Potato Fritters

Once upon a time, Oldest Child thought they hated cauliflower. Until one day, they came into the kitchen while I was cooking, lured in by the delicious smells, and asked me what I was making and could they have some. Boy were they surprised when they were handed a serving of cauliflower steak. Naturally, they loved it, and it’s been in our regular meal rotation ever since. And here’s how we do it.

Cauliflower Steak

1 medium head of cauliflower
2 tbs gluten-free soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
1 tbs olive oil
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
Salt, pepper, and other seasonings to taste

*Nutrition facts at bottom

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Cut the cauliflower into 1/2 inch slices.
  3. Mix the soy sauce and olive oil and brush over the “steaks.”
  4. Sprinkle both sides with paprika, salt/pepper, and seasonings of choice.
  5. Lay flat on baking sheet and bake for approx. 20 minutes or until browned and soft enough to puncture with a fork.

You can grill these instead, but consider grilling them on top of foil or a plank because they crumble easily.

Once they’ve finished cooking, brush the steaks with butter (or vegan butter for dairy-free). Cover with foil and let rest for a few minutes before serving.

Potato Fritters

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup gluten-free bread crumbs
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
2 flax eggs (see below for additional instruction)

*Nutrition facts at bottom

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Mix potato, carrot, celery, onion, and garlic in large bowl.
  3. Stir in flax eggs (to make 1 flax egg, combine 1 tbs flax meal w/ 3 tbs water; stir well, and let rest for 5 minutes until it takes on a similar consistency to egg whites).
  4. Mix in bread crumbs.
  5. Shape into patties and bake for 20–22 minutes.

To give these a bit of a crunch around the outside, brown on the stove for 1–2 minutes on each side over medium-high heat before baking.

I like to top these with a spicy vegan aioli (a recipe for another day) and feta cheese and serve with sliced avocado and lime.

If you try these recipes, let me know in the comments section how you liked it. And as always, feel free to connect with me and share on social media.

Cauliflower Steak Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 steak
Servings: 6
Calories (not including bun/toppings): 51
Total Fat: 2.8g
Total Carbohydrates: 5.5g
Dietary Fiber: 2.5g
Sugar: 2.4g
Protein: 2.3g
Sodium: 335mg

Potato Fritters Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 2 fritters
Servings: 6
Calories (not including bun/toppings): 77
Total Fat: 0.8g
Total Carbohydrates: 15.8g
Dietary Fiber: 1.7g
Sugar: 1.4g
Protein: 2.1g
Sodium: 42.2mg

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Meatless Monday: Gluten-Free Tofu Burgers

The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer because the majority of my household is vegetarian anyway, so everyday for some of us is “meatless Monday.” But today, I wanted to share one of our family favorites. We also keep a gluten-free kitchen, since two of us have Celiac Disease.

I won’t bore you with a super long intro before the actual recipe. Let’s get right to the “meat.”

7.5oz (1 container) super firm tofu (drained)
½ cup gluten-free breadcrumbs
(I like the 4c seasoned GF breadcrumbs)
½ cup gluten-free flour
(I use my own blend or for a quick grab, I use
King Arthur GF flour blend)
¼ cup grated parmesan
2 tbs flax meal
1 tbs gluten-free soy sauce (or coconut aminos)
2 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp ground cumin

*Nutrition facts at bottom

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Chop the tofu into small pieces in a food processor until the pieces are about the size of small chunks of ground beef. You can do this by hand by mashing with a fork as well.
  3. Mix the soy sauce and flax meal into the tofu and let rest for 5–10 minutes until the flax has absorbed some of the liquid from the tofu and taken on more of an egg-white consistency. Note: it will not be exactly like egg whites in the tofu, but it will be similar.
  4. Mix in the breadcrumbs, flour, and seasonings until well incorporated.
  5. Form mixture into patties.
  6. Sauté in a frying pan on medium-high heat 2–3 minutes on each side until lightly golden brown.
  7. Bake for 18–20 minutes.

You can grill these instead, but make sure to grill them on top of foil or a plank. Otherwise, they will slip through the grate and you will have no burgers, and that would be sad.

Top with your favorite burger toppings and serve on gluten-free buns. If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments section how you liked it. And as always, feel free to connect with me and share on social media.

Servings: 5
Calories (not including bun/toppings): 166
Total Fat: 5.3g
Total Carbohydrates: 20g
Dietary Fiber: 2.7
Sugar: 0.4g
Protein: 10g
Sodium: 310mg

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