general tso's tofu

Serves: 2 or 4 small servings

Preparation time: 30 Minutes

This is so good, better as leftovers!
It's best to serve over white rice with steamed broccoli

Ingredients

1 box of extra firm tofu
cornstarch to coat tofu + 2 Tbsps for sauce (more or less, depens on if you want the sauce thicker or thinner
vegetable oil for frying
3 chopped green onions
1 Tablespoon minced ginger
1 1/2 tsp (or to taste) of that asian chili garlic sauce, the one with the rooster
1 cup vegetable stock
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
about 1/4 c sugar (or to taste), but I like it sweet
1 Tablespoon saki
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
Cooking Instructions
drain and cut tofu into cubes and shake it in a zipper bag with some cornstarch. Use as much as you'd like, lately I've been using a lot and whatever doesn't stick just stays in the bag. Fry in a oiled wok or nonstick/cast iron skillet. Fry until golden brown and crispy, if it's not fried long enough it's got a mushy texture. Make sure the oil isn't too shallow and also that it isn't too deep. Coat the bottom of the pan and then some.
Heat about 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil in pan on medium heat. Add green onions, & ginger cook for a few minutes. Add vegetable stock (or for a poultry flavor I have used no chicken vegetable base, it's a different taste but good), soy sauce, sugar, chili sauce, saki, and vinegar. Wisk together 2 Tablespoons water with 2 Tablespoon cornstarch and pour into mixture stirring well. Add fried tofu and coat evenly.

Strawberry Shortcake

Servings: 8

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted margarine cut into small peices

1/3 cups sugar (plus more for dusting)

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup rice milk

strawberries

about 1 1/2 lbs strawberries

1/4 cup sugar

Cooking Instructions

preheat oven to 425 degree F
put everything but the rice milk in a food processer and mix until it resembles coarse meal (this can also be done with a pastery cutter, two knives, and I have even done it with a fork)

add milk and pulse 5 or 6 times, just until moistened.

Turn out dough onto a floured surface, and with floured hands (expect the dough to be sticky) shape into a 4 in by 8 in rectangle. With a floured knife cut into 8 equal peices and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and dust with sugar.

Bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until golden.

for the strawberries~ quarter them and mix with sugar, let it sit for at least 20 minutes or up to one day.

to serve split the shortcake in half and do it up like a sandwich. For whipped cream I know you can buy it but I made my own from the recipe in 'La Dolce Vegan'

vegan chocolate glazed doughnuts

Servings: quite a few but Nessy and Mr Nessy finished them all in one night

Preparation Time: 3 hour3

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour2 teaspoons baking powder1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt2/3 cup rice milk1/4 cup unsalted margarine, melted
1/2 cup smushed up soft tofu
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
shortening or oil for frying
chocolate glaze
1 cup vegan chocolate chips
2/3 cups margarine
Wisk together 2 cups of flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
In another bowl combine margarine and rice milk
In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together tofu, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed. Slowly add the milk and flour mixtures alternating until just combined. Stir in remaining cup of flour. Cover dough and chill for about two hours.
You can roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut with a doughnut cutter, whatever that is. Or you can flour your hands (put a little bowl of flour nearby so you can easily keep your hands floured) and roll little balls, poke a hole in the middle then flatten out the sides (doughnuts puff up as they cook). Then place them in the oil using a slotted spoon or I used tongs.
Fry 2 or three at a time in deep, hot (375 degree) fat for about 1 minute on each side them place on paper towels to drain.
for the glaze you can use a double boiler but I don't have one so I set a tin bowl on top of a small sauce pan of warm~hot water. Melt the margarine and chocolate chips until they are all melty and stir it really good. Once everything is cooled (or don't wait and burn your fingers like I did) dip the doughnuts in the glaze. You can also do powdered but wait till they are cooled so that the powdered sugar doesn't melt. If you want cinnamon sugar then place hot~ish doughnuts in a cinnamon sugar filled bag and shake like crazy.

Baked Penne

Servings: 6 really hungry people
Preparation Time: 1 hour

Ingredients
Italian Tomato Sauce

1/2 lb penne
1/2 package 'gimme lean' sausage style or about 7 oz faux ground beef or crumbled garden burgers
1 small white onion, roughly chopped
3/4 cups fresh spinach
1/2 lb firm tofu
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cups vegan rella or other vegan mozzerella style faux cheese

Cooking Instructions
preheat oven to 350 degree F

cook penne according to package directions, drain, set aside.

in a food processer combine onion, spinach, tofu, lemon juice, basil, salt and pepper and process until smooth, set aside.

In a frying pan brown the faux sausage with a little sauce, set aside.

to assemble spread a little sauce on the bottom of a deep 8 by 8 in glass baking pan, I use pyrex. Layer 1/2 the cooked penne, than the tofu mixture, than the sausage, 1/2 the sauce, the remaining penne, the faux cheese, then the rest of the sauce. Bake for about thirty minutes.

Italian Tomato Sauce

Servings: makes about 5 1/2 cups

Preparation Time: 2 hours

Ingredients
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 finely chopped red onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 28 oz cans of tomatoes (might I recommend cento italian style with basil leaf)
3 Tbsp dry red wine (optional)
2 medium portabello mushroom caps, cubed
1 1/2 tsp dry basil
scant 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed dried red chilli peppers

Cooking Instructions
Warm olive oil in a large sauce pan or dutch oven. Add onions and garlic and saute, stirring frequently for about 5 to 10 minutes until the onion is translucent.

Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add them to the pot, juice and all. Add the remaining ingredients.

Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours, ocassionally stirring sauce so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

do not cook tomatoes in an aluminum pan, they react to the metal. Stainless is fine.