Tofu Krab Cakes with Vegan Tartar Sauce...New and Improved!!!

So I've been tweaking my Tofu Krab Cake recipe for a couple of years now....it was good before, but with a few improvements, I think it is now PERFECT!!! I have even improved the Vegan Tartar Sauce recipe! I like the serve these with rice, as the texture and flavor combination just works really well together; so I came up with this flavorful and light Lemon Tarragon Rice side dish. Add some coleslaw, and you've got a pretty awesome meal!! I think you'll love this as much as I do. New and Improved Tofu Krab Cakes (serves 12, with 2 cakes per person)
2 cups breadcrumbs, preferably homemade
3 blocks extra firm tofu (3 lbs)
2 Tbs dried hijiki seaweed, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes and drained
1/2 cup red onion, minced
1 large celery stalk, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp kelp granules
2 Tbs ground flaxseeds
1 1/2 Tbs Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 Tbs hot sauce
1/3 cup vegenaise
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 Tbs olive oil
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 Tbs canola oil, divided into 3 tsp

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease 2 sheet pans.
In a large bowl combine the breadcrumbs, tofu, flaxseeds, vegenaise, and dijon mustard. Use your hands to crumble the tofu into chunks and incorporate the ingredients together. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine; this works best with your hands. Mix together until everything is well incorporated, but not too mushy. You still want some good sized chunks of tofu. Using a 1/2 cup measuring cup or scoop, form into 24 patties, approximately 3 inches in diameter. When forming, pack each patty tightly to ensure they stay together while cooking.
Place on prepared sheet pans and sprinkle with a little extra Old Bay seasoning over the tops for texture and color. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes; this helps them bind and stay together much better. Heat about 1 tsp canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add cooled krab cakes to the pan, and brown lightly on both sides. Repeat until all the patties are browned. Serve with Vegan Tartar Sauce and garnish with scallions.
Note: These freeze extremely well! Place leftover patties in an airtight container, before the browning steps, and freeze until ready to use. Brown in oil after thawing.

Vegan Tartar Sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
1 box silken tofu
2 cups vegenaise
1 Tbs white wine vinegar
2 Tbs capers
1/2 cup dill pickle relish, or chopped pickles
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 Tbs olive oil

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients. Puree until smooth; a few chunks of capers or pickles is fine. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Lemon Tarragon Rice (serves ~12)
2 1/2 cups brown rice
5 cups cold water
1/2 tsp salt

Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 bunch fresh tarragon, minced

In a large pot, bring rice, water, and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low; allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Do not lift the lid during this time
After rice is done, gently stir in the lemon juice, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic powder, olive oil, and tarragon, using a fork; fluff rice as you stir. Serve hot.

Serve meal with coleslaw and garnish with lemon wedges and scallions....Enjoy your faux seaside feast!!!

Jerk Seitan and Tofu Crab Cakes

This week has been waaaaaay less busy than last week, so I have actually had the time and energy to cook! Real meals, too, not my typical sandwich or salad! I was pretty proud :) I was feeling pretty creative and I had a lot of resources with all of the great summer produce about, so here are a couple dishes that I made this week (oh, and Steve enjoyed them too!)...

Tofu "Crab" Cakes

I took this idea from when I went with my mom to the Chicago Diner a few months ago, and it seriously turned out to be one of the best things I have ever made. seriously. I just kind of made up the recipe as I went, so the measurements may not be exact, but you can play around with amounts and make things to your taste....but if they turn out how I made them, they should be tasty, plump little cakes of yum with crispy outsides and soft insides and taste like heaven. So go for that when you are making them! I also made a vegan tartar sauce to dip them in, and I served them with some brown rice and a nice summer-y vegetable salad. My new favorite I think.

Tofu "Crab" Cakes (makes enough for about 6 or so people)
1 lb. tofu
3 cups bread crumbs
zest and juice of one lemon
2 stalks celery, finely minced
1 red bell pepper, finely minced
1 small yellow onion, finely minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/4 cup pickle relish
1/2 cup hijiki, soaked in warm water for 20 min. and drained
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 Tbs Old Bay seasoning
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup Vegenaise...or more if you are me :)
2 Tbs dijon mustard
1 tsp hot sauce (I use Frank's)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a cookie sheet and set aside.
In a large bowl, mash the tofu until all crumbled up. Add in the Vegenaise, mustard, seasonings, and breadcrumbs, then use your hands to blend everything together. Then add in all the veggies and the oil and mash everything together until completely combined and homogeneous.
Divide into 12 or so uniformly-sized balls and space evenly apart on greased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten the tops of each ball with the palm of your hand. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, flip each patty, and bake for 15 more minutes, until golden and crispy on the outside and the patties can stay together when moved. Serve with tartar sauce and make the world jealous that you are a vegan master!

**Vegan Tartar Sauce**
1 cup Vegenaise
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/3 cup pickle relish
pinch of salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and chill for 15 to 20 minutes before serving with your kick-ass faux crab cakes!

Jamaican Jerk Seitan

I made this dish because I was feeling something spicy and I had some seitan in my fridge that I needed to use up. I had also not really ever tried to make jerk before and I had always wanted to, so I guess this was a logical choice for dinner! It is pretty spicy and has just the perfect hint of sweetness to cool it off. This is just the recipe for the seitan itself, but I served it over some rice that I cooked with some coconut milk, then put it with a stir-fry of onions, carrots, broccoli, greens, steamed sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. For a pretty garnish, top it with some fruit salsa...it's sooooo good!

Jamican Jerk Seitan
(adapted from the Jamican Jerk Tempeh recipe at http://ivu.org/recipes/latinam/jamaican-jerk.html)
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/2 small habanero chili, seeded and minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbs lemon juice
3/4 cup lime juice (can substitute apple juice, pineapple juice, etc.)
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 lb. seitan, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 350 F. Put all of the ingredients, except the seitan, into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over sliced seitan in a glass casserole dish and cover with foil. Bake for about 45 minutes, until sauce has reduced and it all starts smelling really good :)
Remove from oven and serve over rice, sweet potatoes, veggies, etc.


ah! I'm sooooo glad I decided that I like cooking again!