Cheesy Garlic Tofu Spinach Nest

Cheesy.  Low Calorie.  Vegan.  Gluten-Free.  Low Carb.  Satiating.  Beautiful.  Best of all, easy and cheap.  Does it get any better?  Impress your guests with this fabulous dish.

Cheesy Garlic Tofu Spinach Nest

12 Cups Baby Spinach (washed and dried)

1 Pound Extra Firm Tofu

Coconut or Olive Oil (or BOTH for added flavor)

6 Cloves Fresh Garlic (thinly sliced)

1/2 Cup Nutrirional Yeast

Sea Salt and Black Pepper

If you have a Wok, now would be a great time to bust it out.  If not, any old large saute pan should suffice.  Chop tofu into 1 inch cubes and sprinkle with salt and pepper and half of nutritional yeast and toss to coat evenly.  Set aside.  Thinly slice garlic, set aside.  

Heat a dash of oil in Wok or pan and add all spinach.  Cook just until wilted.  Drain any liquid and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Remove and plate in a pile "nest".  

Using same pan, add another dash of oil and heat.  Add all tofu, stirring and tossing gently.  When golden, add another pinch of yeast and thinly sliced garlic.  Cook until garlic turns golden.  Place tofu mixture a top spinach nest and sprinkle with remaining yeast.  Serve immediately.  Makes about 4 servings.

Day 56 - Vegan Going Strong

Hi Everyone.  I decided to give a little update on My New Vegan Life but sorry no recipes tonight but I will discuss a few upcoming ideas.  I trust everyone has been enjoying their weekend.  I know I did.  I had my favorite houseguest my baby sister visiting me and of course we had an awesome time.  She was super excited to try out some of my vegan creations.  I also successfully ate out at a couple restaurants with no major hitches.  One was Japanese and the other Thai so it wasn't a huge feat as both places had plenty of vegan fare to chose from but, still, it was a first for both since my shift.

So far everything has been going really well.  My weight loss has slowed but only because I have been eating too much.  This doesn't really surprise me.  Have you seen my recipes?  As I've realized it's still very easy to consume way too many calories whether you are vegan or not.  It's all about calories in and calories out.  I'm sure I will lose more weight over time but I am not unhappy about it.  I didn't go vegan just to lose weight.  I went vegan so I would eat more plant-based foods and enhance my overall quality of life.  So far I have done both and I am anticipating things are only going to get better.

Primary source of not losing more weight (aside from too many calories) um, two things, carbohydrates and fat.  I have been eating more carbs than I have in years and while it is very exciting for this former Atkin's dieter, it's also not a great way to shed pounds.  Fortunately the fat I have been eating is very good fat i.e. olive oil, coconut, etc.  but it still needs to be consumed in moderation and moderation has just never been my thing.  I tend to live more by a quote from Jerry Garcia "Too Much of Everything is Just Enough".  Any Dead Heads out there?!  LOL.  Oh how I miss the 80s and 90s.  I don't know how many Dead shows I went to but let's just say I went to my first when I was just 9 years old.  Enough said.

So before I sign off I will give you a glimpse of some recipes I have been working on.  As I incorporate more Chia Seeds into my life, I have decided to make up some kick butt recipes with them outside of the usual Chia Seed Pudding everyone is raving about.  How about putting that Chia Seed Pudding into your ice cream maker and making vegan frozen custard?  I'm sure it's been done and found a few folks who had dabbled in it.  Sounds pretty good to me.  I'll keep you posted on this experiment.

I would love to hear some ideas from folks on what you would like to see in the way of recipes.  There seems to be a lot out there on vegan desserts and that is great but I am more of a savory girl.  Anyone out there?

Super Versatile Savory Seitan

Super Versatile Savory Seitan (meat substitute)
1 T Spike
1 T seasoned salt
2 T nutritional yeast
1 t allspice
1 t black pepper
1 t black sesame seeds
1 t coffee grounds
1 t agave
1/4 c molasses
Juice from 1 lime
1 vegetable bouillon cube
2 cups water
2 cups vital wheat gluten

Put water, bouillon cube, yeast and spices into bread machine (***see note below). Add vital wheat gluten flour. Set pizza dough setting and hit start. Meanwhile bring 10 cups water to boil and turn down to simmer. Remove seitan dough from bread machine. It should be wet and rubbery. Cut into 1/2 inch strips, chunks or cubes and add one by one into simmering water. Give it a gentle stir. Leave lid cracked so steam lets out and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove peices using a slotted spoon and allow them to rest to cool to room temperature. Use in a variety of recipes. Slice thin for sandwiches, leave in chunks for stirfry or whatever strikes your fancy. Store unused portions sealed in refrigerator. You can also skip the boiling and fry small peices of dough in hot oil until they puff slightly and become golden brown. I did some like this and coated them with a little barbecue sauce. They reminded me of burnt rib tips! Yum! I can't stop eating it. I just tried a peice sliced thinly with all of the following sauces and applications individually. Wow. Seriously.
-Bbq sauce
-Steak sauce
-Peanut sauce
-Vegan cheddar spread
-Avocado cream sauce on flax bread
***you do NOT need a bread machine! Just mix wet and dry ingredients separately and then combine and knead dough for a few minutes. I only used a bread machine so I would have less dishes to wash.