Tofu garden vegetable salad

This is a versatile recipe, in that it can be serves on its own, as a side salad, as a sandwich filling, or as a stuffing for tomatoes.

I found the amount of mustard  in the original recipe to be a bit too much, so I have reduced it. Feel free to double it if you want it stronger.

This recipe comes from “30-Minute vegan” by Mark Reinfield and Jennifer Murray.

What you will need:

450g extra firm tofu, crumbled (this is the stuff that is solid as a brick, NOT the silken firm variety, which is softer)

½ cup diced celery

½ cup seeded and diced red bell capsicum (optional)

2 tbsp diced kalamata olives

½ cup vegan mayonnaise ( You can find this in some health food shops or the health food section of some supermarkets. PAWS also stock it. I prefer the Plamil brand.)

1 tbsp fresh minced parsley or dill

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar

½ tsp minced garlic (optional)

1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce

Dash sea salt and pepper

½ cup grated carrot

1 tsp turmeric powder

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix gently.

Refrigerates well and tastes just as good the next day.

Sunny Summer Salad

This recipe is from the book “Quinoa 365” by Patricia Green. It is not a vegan or even vegetarian cookbook but there are quite a lot of vegan recipes in there, many that I have tried and quite a few that have become favourites.

This gluten free salad can be made and eaten straight away or can be prepared the night before. I have left out the use of bell capsicums because they just don’t agree with me, but feel free to use them, as they would add a nice colour to this salad. There is a strong contrast between the sweetness of the currants and the sour of the lemon juice. I found the use of a 1/3 of a cup of lemon juice to be a bit too strong, so I suggest taking it down to a ¼.

What you will need

1 1/2 cups water

¾ cup quinoa

3 cups finely diced zucchini

1 cup finely diced red bell capsicum

1 cup finely diced yellow bell capsicum

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/3 cup dried currants

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp minced fresh garlic (optional)

½ tsp salt

Pinch each of cayenne pepper, ground cumin and ground turmeric

Method

Bring water to boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit with cover on, for about 5 minutes. Remove lid, fluff with fork and let cool.

Place zucchini, capsicums, sunflower seeds, currants, parsley and coriander in a large bowl. Add cooled quinoa.

Whisk lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and spices in a small bowl. Pour over the salad and gently toss.