Maybe you don’t like eggs, have an allergy, or are vegan….well, this recipe is for you!
1 pkg firm or extra firm tofu, drained
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 dill pickle, chopped
1/2C – 3/4C vegan mayo
Dried yellow mustard
Turmeric
French’s yellow mustard
salt
Directions:
Drain tofu. I do this by putting it in a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl and, using paper towels press out all the excess liquid. (You don’t want watery “egg” salad. Then I toss the excess liquid and use the same bowl to mix the ingredients together. You can also buy one of those tofu presses. Actually, I might buy one of those as I think I’d get a lot of use out of it.
Mash up tofu with fork, add the rest of the ingredients. Add the vegan mayo a little bit at a time; you don’t want soupy egg salad. Trust your instincts when it comes to adding ingredients. I also added a couple teaspoons of pickle juice. (Some recipes I saw online had you adding vinegar. Why? Vegan mayo already has apple cider vinegar). I like the tang from the pickle juice.
This makes a LOT. Probably will last a week.
You’re done! I like to eat the egg salad on crackers or on a toasted bagel. Now that I figured out how to make this I won’t have to buy it pre-packaged from the store any more! Woo!
This salad has everything: raw cauliflower, jarred artichoke hearts, pepperoncini, grape tomatoes, kalamata olives, vegan mozzarella, and raw pumpkin seeds!
But, perhaps you’re not a fan of cauliflower. That’s ok. Not everyone likes cruciferous vegetables. If that’s the case, you can just be polite, nod your head and say, ‘No thank you’ like (hopefully) your parents or grandparents taught you. This recipe makes a LOT. Serves 4-6 easily as a side dish. Though, I’ve eaten it as a main dish with a slice of bread and a glass of wine for dinner when I don’t feel like cooking.
1 head of cauliflower, washed, trimmed, and cut into bit size pieces
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2C pepperoncini peppers
1/2C kalamata olives, diced, or whole if you prefer!
1/4C raw pumpkin seeds
1/2C vegan mozz
handful of grape tomatoes (optional)
Dressing:
For the dressing I just used some of the liquid from the jar of pepperoncini and a little bit of olive oil. I’ve also used white wine vinegar and oil in another version. You can also omit the oil altogether. I like the punch that the juice from the jarred peppers gives this salad.
Assemble!
Add all ingredients in a large bowl then add the dressing. This is such a nice and crunchy salad to have for lunch or even dinner. It makes a LOT. Enjoy!
Did I need to make another post about potato salad? Yes, I did because I changed up the dressing! I am now a HUGE fan of Bitchin Sauce. Primarily the Chipotle flavor, which I used here in this iteration of potato salad. I mean, this stuff is dangerous, in that I could eat the entire 8oz tub of sauce. (okay, that would probably be a terrible idea). This recipe is basically the same except for a few minor adjustments. Enjoy!
Salad:
2 medium russet potatoes, washed, skin on
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
2-3 dill pickle spears, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
Dressing:
(you can eyeball this. I estimated measurements):
1/4C of mayo (or, as I “measured” it, several squirts from the bottle)
4TB Bitching Chipotle Sauce
1 glug of canola oil
Directions:
Wash/scrub potatoes and dice them into bite size pieces, add to large, glass bowl and cover them with water. Cover the bowl with a piece of wax paper and cook in microwave for about 10 min. My microwave has a “potato” setting, so I used that and selected “2 potatoes” which was about 8 minutes. I added a couple extra minutes to that. You can figure out the done-ness of the potatoes by piercing with a knife.
Once cooked, drain potatoes in a colander and run under cold water for a brief moment. Let them cool. Once cooled, add the chopped red pepper, pickles, and celery to the same bowl. Now, let’s make the dressing.
In a small bowl, add mayo, Bitchin’ Sauce and oil, mix with a fork or a tiny whisk. Throw in some crushed red pepper too. Taste it to see if the measurements are okay, if not, adjust according to your tastes. Add dressing to the vegetables. Stir it up so everything is coated. Do you need more dressing? Well, make a little more! I don’t like “soupy” potato salad. I like everything just coated.
What says Summer more than potato salad? I decided to try something different and cook the diced potatoes in a bowl with water in the microwave, which is now my new way of cooking them because it’s faster than the stovetop. I also don’t peel my potatoes because I like the skin. I was so happy that I had just enough mayo (whew!) in the fridge to make the dressing. This salad is not vegan but could be tweaked if you used Veganaise. This comes together semi quickly but the prep time is a bit longer because you have to let the potatoes cool completely (otherwise it soaks up all the dressing). So, cook the potatoes, and go about your business and let them cool. For the dressing, I didn’t write down actual measurements because that’s not how I cook. Add a little at a time until you arrive at the right taste for you. Right? Right. You can add more potatoes or eggs or pickles. I will leave that up to your discretion because hey, you’re an adult and can make these decisions. This recipe will serve 3-4 people. Or, one person over the course of several meals.
Salad:
2 medium russet potatoes, washed, skin on
2 hardboiled eggs, chopped
2-3 dill pickle spears, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
Dressing (you can eyeball this. I estimated measurements):
4TB of mayo (or, as I “measured” it, several squirts from the bottle)
2TB yellow mustard
1 glug of canola oil
dash of mustard powder
dash of chives
salt/pepper to taste
Directions:
Wash/scrub potatoes and dice them into bite size pieces, add to large, glass bowl and cover them with water. Cover the bowl with a piece of wax paper and cook in microwave for about 10 min. My microwave has a “potato” setting, so I used that and selected “2 potatoes” which was about 8 minutes. I added a couple extra minutes to that. You can figure out the done-ness of the potatoes by piercing with a knife.
Once cooked, drain potatoes in a colander and run under cold water for a brief moment. Let them cool. Once cooled, add the chopped egg, pickles, and celery to the same bowl. Now, let’s make the dressing.
In a small bowl, add mayo, mustard and oil, mix with a fork or a tiny whisk. Add mustard powder, dill and hey, if you have onion powder, add that too. Taste it to see if the measurements are okay, if not, adjust according to your tastes. Add dressing to the vegetables. Stir it up so everything is coated. Do you need more dressing? Well, make a little more! I don’t like “soupy” potato salad. I like everything just coated.
I was so happy I took the initiative and made this as part of my dinner this past week. Yay for leftovers! I had this salad with a veggie “chicken” patty, slices of tomatoes on a pretzel roll. And yes, I put yellow mustard on my chicken patty because yellow mustard beats that spicy brown crap any day. That’s the hill I choose to die on.
You know when you have almost enough of a grain or a pasta to make a recipe? Well, I didn’t have enough farro, so, I used barely (not pearled barley like one would find in soups) because I figured, ‘why not?’ They actually have similar cooking times so it all worked out. Also, lately I’m a huge fan of frozen spinach. You know, the solid green block enclosed in plastic? I love spinach but can’t be bothered to wash all the dirt out of fresh spinach and one bunch is disappointing because it cooks down so much. For this recipe you could kick it up by using jarred artichoke hearts but I used canned. I also added some toasted pecans for crunch. This came together pretty quickly and I have leftovers. So, win-win!
1 C farro-barely mixture
1 veg bouillon cube
1 pkg. frozen spinach, nuked
1/2 C chopped toasted pecans
Almost a full can of artichoke hearts, chopped
A spot of canola oil (or, if you used jarred artichoke hearts, use that oil as it’s seasoned!)
Directions
Cook the farro-barley with the bouillon cube. (The good thing about cooking these grains is you add them together with the water at the same time–no waiting for the water to boil!).
Add the cooked spinach, chopped artichokes and a little bit of oil to a large bowl. Separate the spinach with a fork because it’s going to be in large clumps.
Add the cooked grains to the bowl, mix together and then add the toasted pecans. Adjust seasonings according to your taste. I also added a dash of basil and a little bit of salt and black pepper. I think this salad would also work with a dash of fresh lemon juice and either vegan or real feta cheese too. It can be served hot or cold.
This will serve 4 as a side dish, or even as a main. Enjoy!
Also, I realize that the salad looks like it’s a floating mass. It’s not, it was in a bowl and I failed to capture the edges of the bowl. I need to get better at photography!
