Lunch ideas

Vegan Egg Salad

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment

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Normally, I take vegan recipes on their own merit rather than comparing them to their non-vegan counterparts. However, if you didn’t watch me make this Vegan Egg Salad and I simply served it in a sandwich, you very likely would assume that you were eating real eggs. I have also served this as a luncheon salad over lettuce and other than it doesn’t look quite exactly like non-vegan egg salad, the taste was the same.

I have no problem with real eggs. No animal had to die to give them to me and they are nutritious powerhouses. But I actually have come to prefer my Vegan Egg Salad over non-vegan egg salad. And I get all the protein with less fat.

Tofu sucks up flavor like a sponge. So in and of itself, there isn’t much of a flavor profile. Squeeze out the excess liquid and add your seasonings of choice and now we’re talkin’. There are different levels of tofu – everything from Silken tofu to extra, extra-firm. And different brands. Find a brand that you like and use the extra-firm for this recipe.

This recipe is my favorite version, but feel free to change it up. Use fresh dill instead of parsley or cilantro or a combination. If you absolutely have no fresh herbs in the house, use some dried dill. The one ingredient that you must have to pull this off is Kala Namak or Black Salt. It smells god-awful. But it is that sulphurous smell that when used with tofu, fools you into thinking you are eating eggs. Thankfully, once it is mixed with the other ingredients, that awful smell dissipates. You don’t need a lot, but if you are looking to make tofu scrambles or chickpea omelet or fritatta, you’ll want this on hand. It’s available online and in spice shops and some ethnic grocery markets.

So if you are looking to add some delicious and easy vegan alternatives to your weekday meals, this Vegan Egg Salad is a great way to start. The measurements are a guide. Depending on where you live, tofu may come in slightly different weights than I get. Don’t get bogged down with that. You may like more -or-less – pickle. Make it your own. Give it a try. This will hold up well in the fridge for several days, although you may need to mix through or pour off any liquid that might form at the bottom.

This is great to take on picnics because unlike things made with real eggs and real mayonnaise, Vegan Egg Salad won’t spoil as quickly.

Recipe

Yield: About 4 cups

Ingredients

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14 ounces of extra-firm tofu, pressed or squeezed of its liquid (Since the tofu will be broken up anyway, just go ahead and squeeze the liquid out with your hands.)

2 to 3 scallions or 1/2 of a small onion, chopped

2 to 3 T chopped pickle of choice (I like gherkins for this, but you do you.)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon Kala Namak or Black Salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (Parsley, cilantro, dill or a mix)

1/2 of a small carrot finely grated or to taste

1/8 teaspoon of ground turmeric

Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

2 rounded Tablespoons of your favorite vegan mayonnaise or more to taste

Directions

Squeeze as much liquid out of the tofu as you can. Crumble the tofu into a bowl.

Add all of the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Chickpea Sandwich Smush

~ lisaandfrancescook ~ Leave a comment
Chickpea Sandwich Smush

Due to the unprovoked, brutal war of annihilation against Ukrainian civilians by Vladimir Putin and his army and the worsening humanitarian crisis, please consider helping by following the link below. There are a number of reputable aid agencies from which to choose.

Support Humanitarian Efforts in Ukraine

Every week I bake a wonderful sandwich bread. In fact, my husband and I eat bread of one kind or another daily and we both enjoy making different kinds. Bread isn’t the enemy, guys! The flour I use is grown and milled locally with all of the whole grain goodness intact. I use a blend of different flours, some of which are heirloom varieties. You can taste the difference. So doesn’t this deserve a great filling? Just try my Chickpea Sandwich Smush. You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy it.

Not all of the breads we make are on my blog, but many wonderful options are here and can be found using the search function. But you don’t have to bake your own bread to enjoy this wonderful sandwich filling. Pack it on your next picnic or just for a great weekday lunch. With plenty of plant protein to keep you going all afternoon and with nothing to weigh you down. No mid-afternoon slump here.

Normally, my husband uses cold cuts in his sandwiches, but he has been trying to wean himself from this. So after doing some Googling, I came across “No-Tuna” salads. Most of the recipes were pretty similar, utilizing the delicious and nutritious chickpea in place of the tuna. Personally, I am not calling my version “No-Tuna.” Tuna is tuna and this isn’t it. I think that people are often turned off by vegan recipes that purport to taste “just like meat/fish/chicken.”

Let’s just enjoy these dishes for themselves. And while it is true that there are increasingly great meat substitutes available, sometimes a veggie burger is just a great veggie burger. This recipe is a great Chickpea Sandwich Smush. It is, of course, adaptable to your personal tastes and ingredients on hand, but below is one perfect version. Works great on whole grain sandwich bread, in a wrap or just as a salad and will hold up for 4 to 5 days in the fridge.

This sandwich filling has everything going for it. Great texture, brininess, umami, satisfying and riffable. Each element that I include adds brightness, texture and flavor. Generally I like to cook up my own chickpeas, but for this to work, they need to be very smushable so may cook a bit longer than usual. Canned work well here, but find a brand that you like, preferably one without lots of the skins left on the chickpeas.

Chickpea Sandwich Smush

Recipe

Servings: Enough for 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can of chickpeas (preferably organic), rinsed, drained and with the excess skin shells removed

3 Tablespoons tahini (Use a really good quality brand like Soom or Seed and Mill, both of which are readily available in the US and online)

1 rounded Tablespoon of plain yogurt – plant-based or dairy

2 teaspoons of Dijon or spicy brown mustard

1 Tablespoon of Agave nectar or maple syrup

Juice of half of a lemon (About 2 Tablespoons)

1/4 cup finely diced red onion or shallot

1/4 cup diced celery

1/4 cup garlic dilled pickle, although sweet gherkins could also be good.

1.5 teaspoons capers, drained and coarsely chopped

2 Tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro or flat-leafed parsley

1 Tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon rind that has been lightly rinsed of excess salt

1/4 teaspoon ground sumac

1 Tablespoon pan-roasted unsalted sunflower seeds

kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Chickpea Sandwich Smush

Directions

Place the drained, rinsed chickpeas, with skins removed in a mixing bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, smush most but not all chickpeas. (You want some texture, but you also want to be able to spread this on bread.)

Add all of the remaining ingredients and mix through. Then spread it on bread and add your favorite toppings. We like it with baby spinach or other greens and some beet chips, lightly crunched on top. Let me know how you like to eat this in the comments below!