Category: Tofu

3 Vegan Meal Ideas | What I’ve Been Eating Lately

On By VictoriaIn Low Spoon Recipes, Recipes, TofuLeave a comment

For awhile I was really unmotivated to cook. All I wanted was something quick to heat up in the microwave, or to order something from Doordash. Anything quick and easy that took no effort.

I think a lot of my lack of motivation was due to constantly being home and not leaving the house for the last 6 months. I lost a lot of interest in my own hobbies, too. 10lbs later, now I’m trying to eat healthier and get back in shape (while still rarely leaving the house). Here’s what I’ve been eating lately.

Fruit Salad

I know this doesn’t sound exciting, but I’ve been eating this for breakfast or lunch every day lately. This is one apple and one banana with a peanut butter “dressing”. I like to add granola and cinnamon on top too. Here’s how I make it:

  • 1 apple
  • 1 banana
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • granola
  • cinnamon

This is the granola we’ve been using. We found it at Target:

First, I dice up the banana and apple, and add it to a bowl. Then, I mix together the tablespoon of peanut butter and a splash of water to thin it out. I also add some cinnamon to the “dressing”. Then I just mix that in with the fruit, top it with the granola or whatever else you would like to add, and add some more cinnamon on top! This has been such a treat to have, especially for breakfast before work.

Air Fried Tofu Wraps

I air fry a lot of tofu when I’m trying to eat healthier. For lunch a few days ago I had some leftover tofu that I wrapped in tortillas with spinach, carrots, and dried cranberries. For a sauce I mixed together 2 tbsp of Sabra’s classic hummus and a packet of Taco Bell’s Diablo hot sauce (very fancy, I know).

To cook the tofu, cut it into cubes and mix it with cumin, paprika, black pepper, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and onion powder. Make sure the tofu is evenly coated with the spices. I cook it in the air fryer at 400° for 20 minutes, flipping it halfway through.

And… more air fried tofu

I just really like air frying tofu…

This is 1/4 of a block of tofu, cubed and air fried like in the last meal. I had it with spinach, white rice, and sriracha. For the spinach, we had frozen spinach that I sautéed in a pan with garlic and crushed red pepper. Really simple, but healthy, filling, and easy to make.

What have you been eating lately? Have your eating habits changed at all lately due to quarantine? Let me know in the comments!

Where I’ve Been // what I ate today + a cheap pad thai inspired recipe and pumpkin spice cookies

On By VictoriaIn Recipes, Tofu, Vegan baking, What I Ate Today3 Comments

I’ve been away for the past month, and a lot has changed. I needed a little break while adjusting to new things. I now have a new job where I can sit most of the day and have a regular sleep schedule and I’ve been feeling so much better mentally and physically.

I’m going to be posting regularly again, and to start it off here’s what I ate today.

Brunch:

We started out Labor Day with some vegan breakfast burritos and donut holes from one of our favorite breakfast places, OMG Donuts. Their burritos are really cheap, but they are so tasty and nice to pickup for a quick breakfast. We took these to the mall to eat (because it was way too hot to eat outside which was our original plan) and walked around the mall for a bit.

Dinner:

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I wanted pad thai for dinner, but I wanted something quick and easy to make and kinda healthy so this is what I came up with.

You will need:

  • noodles (rice noodles would probably be best, but we just used fettuccine noodles)
    • we made about half of the box
  • a block of extra firm tofu
  • spices for the tofu:
    • black pepper
    • paprika
    • onion powder
    • garlic powder
    • cumin
  • for the sauce:
    • 2 tbsp sesame oil
    • 1-2 tbsp soy sauce (we used low sodium soy sauce and added about 1 1/2 tbsp, but add more if you’d like it saltier)
    • 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
    • a splash of lime juice
    • 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • lots of veggies
    • we combined an asian stir fry and sugar snap pea stir fry mix from Winco. We used half a bag of each for this meal. These included: broccoli, carrots, onions, celery, red peppers, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and sugar snap peas.

First, I cubed the block of tofu and coated it with the spices. I put it in the air fryer and cooked it for about 20 minutes at 400ºF.

While the tofu cooked I boiled the pasta and defrosted the veggies in a pan. Then, I mixed together the sauce.

I moved the veggies to a separate bowl to add the sauce to the empty pan. Let the sauce heat up for a minute, then mix everything together (the sauce, veggies, noodles, and tofu) and let it fry in the pan for a minute or two, stirring it occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn.

This turned out so good. I’d also recommend adding peanuts on top if you have them to make this a little more like pad thai. Pad thai is one of my favorite comfort foods (honestly, anything with noodles is), and this was a cheap and easy way to satisfy the craving. Nothing beats actual pad thai, but this was really tasty.

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Dessert:

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Winco had some pumpkin spice cookie mix for pretty cheap, so we picked some up (even though it’s super hot out but it’s pretty much fall already, right? The Halloween Oreos are already out).

We used half of the cookie mix and mixed that with 1/2 of a flax egg, half of a stick of Earth Balance vegan butter, and 1/8 cup water (we just veganized the instructions on the back of the package). We also added dairy free dark chocolate chips and sprinkled the cookies with cinnamon, all spice, and brown sugar before we put them in the oven.

I really recommend picking this up and making these if you see it in store, they turned out SO moist and pumpkin-y.

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That’s what I ate today on this last day of a very lazy Labor Day weekend. We had a relaxing weekend filled with lots of yummy vegan food, video games, and movies. Hope everyone had a great weekend. ♡

tofu, veggies, + rice // how I make tofu

On By VictoriaIn Low Spoon Recipes, Recipes, Tofu2 Comments

This is how I’ve been making tofu for the past month. I usually put it in rice bowls, burritos, or pasta dishes when I get home from work, but today I made it with rice and a big bowl of veggies. It’s just a really quick and easy meal and I wanted to share it with you all.

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for the tofu:

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  • 1/4 block extra firm or medium firm tofu
  • paprika
  • cayenne pepper
  • black pepper
  • cumin
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder

First I cubed 1/4 of a block of tofu. Then I threw it into a bowl and mixed the tofu with the spices. I placed the pieces in my air fryer and baked them for 350º for about 15-20 minutes, flipping the cubes every 5-10 minutes.

the veggies:

  • carrots
  • red, green, and yellow peppers
  • white onion
  • frozen spinach

I steamed the carrots in a pan until they were soft, then added the frozen veggies. I used a frozen pepper stir fry mix that had all the peppers and onions in it to make it easier. I also added garlic powder and onion powder to season it. I just cooked everything over medium heat with the lid on for 10-15 minutes, at least until everything was soft.

and the rice:

I make the perfect white rice by boiling 1 3/4 cup of water for every 1 cup of rice I make. Once the water is boiling I add the rice, mix it once, then let it simmer for 18 minutes. Once that’s done I take it off the burner and let it sit for another 5minutes. After the 5 minutes I finally fluff it with a fork.

I plated everything once it was done, added a little bit of low sodium soy sauce, and topped everything with sriracha.

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It’s nothing fancy, but delicious low spoon meals are always a treat for me. Let me know how you guys like to make tofu in the comments!

Easy Rice Noodles + Peanut Sauce

On By VictoriaIn Low Spoon Recipes, Recipes, TofuLeave a comment

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Today was another low spoon day for me. I wanted something easy but hearty, so this is what I made for lunch. It turned out really delicious so I wanted to share!

This is what you’ll need:

  • 1 cup rice noodles
  • 1-2 cups frozen cauliflower
  • 1/4 block extra firm tofu
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • a few drops of low sodium soy sauce (this is all I had on hand, but liquid aminos would work too)
  • black pepper
  • cumin
  • nutritional yeast
  • garlic powder (I used garlic salt because that was all we had but I’d recommend garlic powder)
  • cayenne pepper
  • crushed red pepper flakes

First, I cut the tofu into cubes and measured out 2 cups of frozen cauliflower. I coated the cauliflower and tofu in the spices (nutritional yeast, black pepper, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper) and popped them in the air fryer for about 15 minutes at about 360ºF, mixed them around so they would cook evenly, then put them in for another 10 minutes.

I cooked the rice noodles when the tofu and cauliflower were almost done, then made the sauce.

For the sauce I mixed together 1 tbsp of peanut butter, a few drops of soy sauce, and enough water to thin it out. We also had some red pepper flakes from Papa John’s so I added in a bit of that too.

That was all it took to make this super savory, peanut-y noodle dish!

Make tofu scramble with me

On By VictoriaIn Breakfast recipes, Recipes, Tofu3 Comments

I took a hiatus from YouTube for a few months, but I just posted a new video! It’s about how I make my favorite breakfast.

We’re housesitting for the next few days, and with a much larger kitchen than our own I wanted to make a short cooking video. I was going to make some tofu scramble before work and thought the lighting was good, and just wanted to film it. So here’s the recipe video on how I’ve been making tofu scramble. What’s your favorite breakfast to make? Let me know what you think in the comments! ♡

what I eat in a day // hummus edition

On By VictoriaIn Breakfast recipes, Recipes, TofuLeave a comment

In this what I eat in a day post I wanted to highlight one of my favorite vegan foods to eat and cook with, and that is hummus. For these recipes I used Sabra’s classic hummus (not sponsored, but if someone from Sabra sees this, hello!)

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Breakfast: Tofu scramble, spinach, white rice, and a cheesy hummus sauce.

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First, I made the white rice. My recommendation for cooking white rice perfectly is for every 1 cup of rice simmer it in 1 3/4 cups of water. I let it simmer for 18 minutes covered, then move it to a cool burner for another 5. Once the 5 minutes is over I’ll fluff it with a fork.

While the rice was simmering I scrambled some tofu over medium heat. For spices I used turmeric, black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, and nutritional yeast.

For the spinach I sautéed it with just paprika and more nutritional yeast.

Finally, the sauce. I used 2tbsp of hummus with 1tbsp nutritional yeast, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and a little bit of water to thin it out. I also topped mine with sriracha for a little extra spice.

(My serving was 1/2 cup white rice, 1/3 of a package of tofu, and 1 cup of spinach.)

Lunch: dumplings and some more white rice.

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We buy these pre-made dumplings from Winco. I air fry mine so I don’t have to use oil, then I add them to a pan I preheated on medium high heat, add 1/4 cup of water, and quickly cover them for 1-2 minutes.

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For this hummus sauce I used another 2tbsp of hummus, a few drops of soy sauce, a splash of sesame oil, and sriracha.

Dinner: lentils and pasta with a hummus sauce

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I threw this together one morning for lunch before work, and now I’ve been eating it almost every day this week. This is some jumbo elbow pasta with green lentils and spinach. I mixed it all in a bowl with hummus, lots of nutritional yeast, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. I store the pasta and the lentils separately, and whenever I want to make lunch or dinner I’ll measure out the portions and heat it up. This one is so easy, even when you’re in a hurry.

(This serving was 1 cup of pasta, 1/2 cup lentils, and 1 cup of spinach.)

Basically, I’ll just put hummus in whatever I’m eating.

The best vegan breakfast sandwich

On By VictoriaIn Breakfast recipes, Recipes, TofuLeave a comment

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I made what I believe is the best breakfast sandwich yesterday morning, and I had to share it.

What you’ll need (for one serving):

  • 1/4 block of tofu (I cut mine in half, then cut those halves in half into skinnier patties)
  • Sourdough bread
  • Chao Creamy Original vegan cheese
  • Avocado (mashed)
  • Lightlife Deli Roast Turkey style slices (this is what we had and they’re really good, I also like the Tofurky deli slices)
  • Spices: black pepper, paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder

After I cut the tofu I lightly covered the sides with the spices. Then I cooked it in a pan on medium heat until it was cooked on the outside and still a little soft on the inside. I didn’t want to use oil, and my non-stick pan did it’s job pretty well but use oil if you need to prevent it from sticking. Once it was cooked I put a slice of the vegan cheese on top and covered it until it melted.

While that was melting I toasted the bread in the oven and mashed the avocado.

Finally, assemble it! This is what my finished sandwich looked like:

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I was going for a fast food style “egg” patty sandwich when I started making it, but it quickly turned into a decadent one! Plus it was also only 390 calories and so filling. What’s your favorite breakfast food? Let me know in the comments!

(We made some more the next day on english muffins.)

Easy tofu + veggies // vegan + RA

On By VictoriaIn Recipes, rheumatoid arthritis, Tofu1 Comment

Here is a really quick, low effort meal I made the other day that turned out delicious.

First, I cut up some tofu. I cut mine into cubes, but you could also scramble it or cut it up any other way you’d like. Then I sprayed a pan with a little bit of oil and cooked the tofu on medium high heat until all of the sides were golden brown. I did turn the heat down to medium about 3/4 of the way through cooking to prevent them from burning, so definitely keep and eye on them (I do that when I cook tofu scramble too to cook most of the water out). While they were cooking I added in:

  • black pepper
  • garlic powder
  • paprika
  • cayenne pepper
  • cumin

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After the tofu cubes were done cooking I dumped them onto a plate and cooked a bunch of veggies in the same pan. We had an assortment of frozen veggies so I used peppers (red, green, and yellow), onion, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and spinach.

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I put everything into a bowl and added some sriracha on top. Some extras I’d recommend adding in: rice, beans, or quinoa. I also added sriracha to mine, but a peanut sauce or soy sauce would also be delicious!

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I know this was a simple recipe, but everything turned out so well, plus I find that eating a TON of veggies and keeping my meals simple helps with my arthritis. I’ve also noticed that eating a lower carb diet helps with my inflammation personally. Let me know what meals help you feel your best in the comments, and if diet has helped with any inflammation or pain.

Vegan Quiche

On By VictoriaIn Breakfast recipes, Recipes, Tofu1 Comment

I have been sick with the flu the past week, so I haven’t been able to make much of anything. I ate a lot of comfort food during that time, and for the first few days I only wanted to eat white rice.

When I was finally up for doing more than sleeping and watching Netflix I attempted to make a vegan quiche. For me, quiche is the ultimate comfort food. My mom used to make it for brunch on weekends and it would always be a treat, so I wanted to veganize her version while I was still a bit sick.

For the “egg” filling, blend these ingredients in a food processor:

  • 1 package of silken tofu (Be sure to pat it dry before blending, the inside of the quiche won’t cook if there’s too much water.)
  • 1/3 cup garlic hummus
  • paprika
  • black pepper
  • turmeric
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • garlic powder
  • cayenne pepper
  • thyme

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Other ingredients we sautéed before adding to the pie crust:

  • zucchini
  • red onion
  • green onion
  • Tofurky smoked deli slices

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After sautéing the veggies and Tofurky slices, we filled the pie crust (we found an accidentally vegan crust at our local grocery store) with the tofu mixture, veggies, Daiya cheddar shreds, and Tofurky smoked deli slices, topped it with tomatoes, and put it in the oven at 375° for around 45 minutes. I would recommend checking how it’s doing after 25-30 minutes, and poking some holes to help the inside cook.

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This is the finished product: (we finally finished making dinner around 9pm that night, so the lighting wasn’t the best).

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I love veganizing my favorite dishes from childhood, especially when it’s this quick and easy to make. Most of the time it’s as simple as replacing non-vegan ingredients with vegan ones; in this case tofu instead of egg, vegan meat instead of sausage, and vegan cheese instead of regular cheese. Let me know if you try this recipe and what your favorite comfort food is in the comments below!

how we make tofu scramble

On By VictoriaIn Breakfast recipes, Tofu1 Comment

One of our go-to breakfasts on our days off is tofu scramble, either on sandwiches, tacos, bagels, or by itself. Sometimes we’ll cover it in vegetables and vegan cheese, and sometimes we’ll add hummus to give it a “cheesy” texture and consistency. Here’s what we did today:

We made the tofu like normal, scrambling it up to look like “eggs” and adding spinach.  Our go-to spices are garlic powder, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, and nutritional yeast. I personally don’t add salt when I cook because I’m sensitive to salt, but it would also be good with some added salt.

When I order a tofu scramble out it is usually watery, but when I make it at home I like to cook all of the water out (like you would with eggs). We added in a few handfuls of spinach since we’re still on our new, healthy year kick, and we had some leftover cauliflower “cheese” from a mac and cheese we made, so we coated it in that.

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My mom used to make eggs with waffles or pancakes, cover the eggs in cheese, and I would add maple syrup to both. It’s a strange combo, but I liked the sweetness combined with the savory flavors. This is what I tried recreating today with these vegan waffles we found at Kroger. I topped them with a tiny bit of earth balance butter and blue agave nectar.

Another way I like tofu scramble is to mix it with some mashed avocado to mimic an egg salad sandwich. I always try to add in spinach or any other vegetables we have in the fridge to get in some extra greens for the day.

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Pairing the tofu with a veggie sausage is also delicious. One of our favorites is the Field Roast smoked apple sage sausage. We’ll also use either Chao or Daiya cheese, depending on what we have on hand.

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That’s how we make our tofu scrambles. It’s a favorite of ours to make when we have the time, plus there are so many different ways to make it. Let me know in the comments what’s your favorite way to make tofu, or what your favorite breakfast is if you’re not a fan of tofu.