Hello, you gorgeous being! I hope you’ve been well. I think it’s safe to say that things have been pretty crazy lately. Crazy for me, probably crazy for you too. Maybe for the same reasons, maybe for different reasons, but one thing is for certain, we are all in this together.
Kitchen Remodel
The Hubbs and I, over the course of the last few months have been keeping busy with the second kitchen remodel of our marriage, during a pandemic no less! There are some photos you can check out from Instagram here – I may even make a separate post here about it. You can also check out our first remodel.
Rehoboth Beach
After the remodel, and getting to know our new neighbors, we braved the outside world, and stayed with our generous neighbors at their Rehoboth beach house. We even saw the Atlantic Ocean for the first time!
That’s where the inspiration for this recipe actually came from. On our adventures at the beach, we came across this new restaurant called Seed Eatery. They had the most delightful bowls, and one of them included a tofu egg salad. It was incredible how much it tasted like egg. I knew it wasn’t relying on turmeric alone, as most tofu “egg” dishes do, so off to the internet I went.
The Secret Ingredient
It turns out that there is a specific salt, Black Himalayan Salt, called Kala Namak, that contains more sulfur than other salts. It’s generally used in Indian and Asian cuisines, and is heralded as having medicinal properties, though there aren’t many studies supporting this claim. Because of the higher sulfur content, it possesses a delightful eggy flavor and aroma. It’s not overpowering at all, but definitely gives that subtle hint of cooked egg. The vegan mayonnaise, and mustard powders add to the egg salad as a whole.
Cutting The Tofu
A detail about the egg salad that I took care to pay special attention to is the cutting of the tofu. Back when I did eat eggs, and hard-boiled them, I always liked to try to cut the whites as uniformly as possible. So, with the tofu, I cut it into 4 equal pieces first, then worked with one of those pieces at a time. With the quarter in front of you, carefully cut into 4-5 very thin planks while still keeping them together. I would slide my knife through while holding the tofu steady, and slide the knife out, so the tofu would stay in place. Once those first cuts are made, rotate to the side, and make 4-5 cuts again, so you’ve got 20-25 long, thin tofu sticks. Then cut as you would for a dice, keeping the pieces small, about 5mm thick, or half of a centimeter. Repeat with the remaining tofu blocks. It’s the most time consuming part, but it’s worth it when you mix it all together effortlessly! Plus it just looks cool.
Serving The Egg Salad
The almighty sandwich is an obvious choice, with a vine-ripened garden tomato and colorful, nutrition-packed sprouts. This egg salad would also be incredible as a protein in a healthy kale salad. But, I have a confession to make. When making the sandwich you see above, the bread I got to make them had really small slices, hence small sandwiches. That’s fine when paired with some veggie sticks and hummus, but that also leaves you with the dilemma of extra egg salad left over after 4 sandwiches. I’ve been finding that it’s been a great go-to snack with some tortilla chips. Protein packed, and mighty satisfying!
Tools Used
Tofu Egg Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Block Firm Tofu pressed
- 1/2 Cup Vegan Mayo
- 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- 1 Teaspoon Capers Chopped
- 2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice
- 1 Teaspoon Granulated Garlic
- 1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 Teaspoon Kala Namak Black Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Dill Fresh, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Chives Fresh, chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Yellow Mustard
- 1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast
Instructions
- Press the tofu using a tofu press, or line a plate with paper towels, top with tofu, then more paper towels, and set a plate on top to press out the excess water.
- While the tofu is pressing, prepare the other ingredients by adding all of them to a medium sized bowl. Stir until fully combined.
- Cut the tofu into 5mm square pieces by first cutting the block into 4 equal pieces, and working with one of those pieces at a time.
- Cut the piece length-wise into 4-5 planks. Then turn, and cut in the same way, length-wise so you end up with 20-25 long tofu sticks. Hold the sides of the tofu while you cut, and slide the knife out after making the cut, so the block stays together. It's easier to cut this way. Then cut as you would for a dice, keeping the pieces small, about 5mm thick, or half of a centimeter. Repeat with the remaining tofu blocks.
- Mix the diced tofu in the bowl with the other ingredients and mix well. Use in sandwiches, salads, or as a dip with chips or veggie sticks.
I would recommend this recipe to EVERYONE! As I am just starting my journey to a Vegan lifestyle, this is definitely the one that got me and reeled in!! The flavor is spectacular and if you weren’t told it was Vegan and/or Tofu that you were eating, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Trust me, I tricked my husband 100% (who is NOT eating Vegan). He ate the entire sandwich and even asked for more! Hands down, I give this 5 Stars!
My girl, thank you so much for the comment! I’ll always support my girl on her vegan journey. It’s truly a misconception that vegan food is gross. You know I don’t do gross! Haha Much love, my friend!