the vegan spoon

Healthy Home Cookin’

So the dish I made tonight is similar to my usual style of cooking - sauteing some vegan stuff in a skillet, oven roasting some other vegan stuff, and concocting a tasty sauce out of even more vegan stuff. All this stuff sure did a satisfied tummy make!

I’ve been gaining more and more confidence in the art of sauce making. It seems as long as you have a vinegar or citrus, some form of fat, some form of other liquid, and some herbs and spices, it’s easy to come up with unique dippin’ goodness. The sauce I made tonight is a vegan version of honey mustard dressing and is quite possibly my favorite sauce I’ve made to date…it has a creamy, mustardy texture with enough sweetness to cut the tang in the mustard - one of those ‘close your eyes in savory pleasure with every bite’ sauces. Yum. I also love me some eggplant, and it’s fabulous when roasted. Add to all this a simple tofu, garlic, and kale mix sauteed in an iron skillet, and you’ve got the definition of simple, scrumptious fare.

Vegan Honey Mustard Dressing
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup hemp seeds
2 T. agave nectar
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup water
salt, pepper, and sriracha to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until creamy and smooth. Then savor.

Roasted Eggplant
1 large eggplant, cut lengthwise in 1/2” slices
1 T. canola oil
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried basil for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 450. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Spread eggplant slices in single layer and drizzle with oil - using your hands, rub oil into both sides of each slice. Sprinkle both sides of each eggplant slice with seasonings and bake for 25 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes, until both sides are nicely browned. Be sure to dip in the mustard sauce!

Garlicky Tofu Kale Mix
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
10 oz. pkg Wildwood extra firm tofu, cut in small cubes
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bunches lacinato kale, stems removed and chopped
salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried basil to taste

Heat large iron skillet to medium. Add red pepper flakes and tofu and cook 5 to 8 min, until tofu starts to brown on bottom. Flip tofu and cook a few minutes more. Add garlic, kale, and seasonings and cover. Let cook another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until kale is nicely wilted. Add a little water during cooking if the tofu starts to stick to the bottom of the pan. Serve with mustard sauce!

Mustard sauce! You simply must try it.