Tag Archives: Morinutofu

Baked ‘Eggnog Custard’ Pie

15 Dec

When it comes to holiday pies, I’ve always expressed my dislike of pumpkin pie as the standard for the season. Don’t get me wrong, it smells amazing, but the texture is absolutely not in line with what texture I think it should be. Plus, I find most other pies to be much more enjoyable, especially creamy, custard style pies. There’s something nice about a baked fruit pie, and of course pecan pie has a very special place in my heart, but a custard pie can steal the show.

What would be a better combination than my favorite holiday drink and the texture of a custard pie? Probably nothing. In fact, I enjoyed this pie so much I made it twice, and ate it for breakfast for a week. Topped with coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg, this is like the solid version of eggnog.

In testing this recipe, I found a combination of starches wasn’t quite enough to set the custard, but then remembered my shelf stable Mori-Nu tofu in the pantry. Suddenly, I realized the combination of tofu, starch, and eggnog was going to be the answer. The creamy texture of Mori-Nu Silken Tofu makes this pie especially dreamy, and adds complete plant-based protein to the end product. Plus, the flavor of the tofu perfectly blends with eggnog without overpowering it. I’m always sure to drain my tofu before using, as added liquid in this recipe can make the pie not able to set properly.

Since this recipe relies on the heat from the oven to set the custard, prepping the pie includes pouring a liquid into a baked crust. Be VERY careful moving this to the oven, since the liquid can spill easily. Trust me, I made this mistake during recipe testing, and while my kitchen smelled of eggnog for a while, it was just not a fun mess to clean.

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Vegan Baked Brie

15 May

This recipe for vegan baked brie is so authentic, you could take it to your Francophile best friend’s house, serve it for book club, and not a soul would know the difference. We’re utilizing some uncommon ingredients to achieve this texture, similar to my recipe for mozzarella and cheddar. Since I wanted a milder flavor for this baked brie, I used my favorite tofu, Mori-Nu Silken Tofu Extra Firm, to balance out the strong cashew flavor.  I love that Mori-Nu is a complete protein, so you can still get protein without the dairy. I think you’ll find that the ease of using a shelf stable tofu like Mori-Nu for this recipe makes the several hour wait to eat worthwhile! And its velvety texture contributes to the creaminess of this delicious plant-based “cheese.” Now into the good stuff.

The first steps of this recipe tell you to blend all of the ingredients until completely smooth in a high speed blender. If you don’t have a high speed blender, you can soak the cashews ahead of time to make your blending easier. I’d like to make a note here that a high speed blender can get this mixture up to a temperature so that the tapioca starch and kappa carrageenan begin to do their starchy magic. Don’t be alarmed if this happens, it will get heated completely through in the saucepan anyway!

Since tapioca starch and kappa carrageenan have different activation heats, we will need to heat our mixture completely up to above boiling for it to properly set. I cook my cheese over medium heat in a non stick saucepan while constantly stirring to avoid the mixture breaking. The cheese will begin to curdle slowly, then as each starch gets activated, it will smooth out into a creamy, stretchy sauce.

After cooking, our cheese mixture needs to cool and solidify a bit. The coconut oil in this recipe will help it firm up upon refrigeration, so don’t be worried if the texture seems too loose when transferring to a lined bowl. It may take up to four hours for your cheese to fully “set”, but since we’re cooking it in a puff pastry, you can skip this step as soon as the cheese is firm enough to “plop”.

When cheese is fully set, just wrap in a vegan friendly puff pastry and bake until puff pastry is golden brown, and the cheese will simply melt inside of the crust. This is the part where your own creativity can come in, puff pastry can be shaped in a variety of ways, and its excellent topped with a sweet jam or fresh herbs. Change it up to your liking! Click below to go to the recipe.

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Menemen Inspired Tofu

21 Feb

A friend sent me this recipe from Serious Eats and I knew it was going to be breakfast today. Smoky, slightly spicy, and perfect for soaking up with a bit of bread. I might not ever eat anything else for breakfast ever again.

I had never had menemen before, but it’s reminiscent of shakshuka. Something about tomato dishes packed with flavor makes for such a nice savory breakfast. The fact that I can pull most of the ingredients for this out of my cupboard is super easy, but I can’t wait to be able to make this with fresh garden tomatoes over the summer.

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Tofu Ricotta Stuffed Shells

18 Dec

I’ve secretly decided that stuffed shells are the lazy person’s ravioli and I’m not upset by that. I honestly love all forms of carbohydrates with some form of delicious filling; dumplings, ravioli, pierogi, etc. Especially if that filling is as delicious as this tofu & spinach ricotta! This is another recipe that I am thrilled to have Mori-Nu Silken Tofu on hand for-the fact that it’s shelf stable means I can whip this up on a moments notice and have a protein filled meal on the table in less than an hour.

I used a jar of homemade marinara that I canned over the summer-I recommend a sauce with a touch of sweetness to contrast with the salty ricotta. We’re going to be adding a bunch of ingredients to the tofu to give it an authentic ricotta flavor. I’m using lactic acid, which I highly recommend over lemon juice, since its a little more authentic “dairy” flavor. If it’s not something in your pantry for plant based vegan cheeses, you can make the substitute for lemon juice.

Each shell is stuffed with this tofu ricotta mixture, then drizzled with more sauce, and topped with vegan cheese. While I love making my own cheeses, I used a store-bought cheese for this. I recommend Follow Your Heart or Violife products if you have access to them. My favorite tip is to drizzle the cheese you are using with a bit of oil and press into the sauce to enable it to melt better.

After baking, I served with a side salad. This dish can totally stand as a meal on its own, but a salad and garlic bread really pulls it together. It’s even better as leftovers! Click Read More if you’d like the recipe!

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Tofu Omelet

8 Aug

Every time I’m at a hotel, I wish there was a totally vegan breakfast buffet. Does this exist somewhere? My favorite thing is the folded omelets in the steamer trays. Something about the perfectly sized bits of yellow is so enticing. I’ve been spending a lot of time cooking up breakfasts on weekends and these omelets have become one of my favorites, since it’s so quick to throw together and very little clean up!

I’ve been obsessed with the recipe for tofu eggs from Post Punk Kitchen, which is what inspired this omelet recipe.  This is such an easy breakfast with some pantry ingredients-you can absolutely put anything you want in it. My favorite options include spinach, tomatoes, peppers, black beans, any variety of vegan cheeses, or zucchini.

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This recipe starts with blending all the “egg” ingredients in the blender. As I said in my previous post, I’m particular about how my pantry is stocked, but one thing I always have is a case of Mori-Nu Tofu. Not only is it shelf stable, I can use it in multiple dishes, like mapo tofu, baked tofu, or in place of the chickpeas in my popular chickwheat shreds. You first need to drain the Mori-Nu Silken Tofu Extra Firm.

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Add all the rest of the ingredients and blend until completely smooth. It will seem like a pale yellow, but it brightens up a lot once cooked!

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The next step is to preheat the oven and grease two pie pans. You could also use cast iron skillets or metal cake pans. Any shallow bakeware will work, but glass seems to let the omelets release the easiest.

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After they’re in the oven, prepare the inner ingredients. Since they won’t spend much time in the oven, they will need to be heated thoroughly beforehand. I chose chicken of the woods mushrooms for these, because I happened to come across them while foraging, but any store bought mushroom will do.

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You’ll be able to tell that the omelets are done after the tops firm up. The color will be much more yellow and vibrant.

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After topping with cheese, veggies, and whatever else you’d like, you should put it back in the oven to melt the cheese. I highly recommend serving these with everything you would find at a breakfast buffet-hashbrowns, waffles, toast, bagels, vegan sausages, and lots of orange juice.

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Chocolate Silken Tofu Thin Mint Pie

16 May

Are you like me and have held on to your last few boxes of Mori-Nu Silken Tofu and Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies in case of emergency? Well, I think we’ve hit that emergency threshold with the current state of events. 

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been craving lots of sweets, carbs, and creamy, comfort foods. I usually make this recipe for summer cookouts or potlucks, but with none of those on the horizon, I’m unfortunately going to have to polish off this whole pie plate by myself.


I’d like to think I’m up to that challenge.
If you’d like to join me, you can find the recipe by clicking more below. 


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