When I first went vegan, I remember it was challenging to learn an entirely new way of cooking. It seems simple enough to just eliminate dairy and meat – but where do you start? What recipes work beyond just roasting veggies and making smoothies and how the heck do you cook tofu???
It’s been a couple of years, so I forgot how challenging that can be until I had a few friends reach out for some ideas now that they were trying to be more #plantbased as well so here are a few tips that I wish I knew getting started. Luckily in 2021, there’s a movement around a plant-based diet so you aren’t just eating iceberg lettuce every day.
1. Grab a good reference book like One Meal A Day. This shows you how to get started with just that – one meal a day which is a lot more doable than just going all in. But – don’t be afraid of that. It’s how I did it – I cleaned out ALL meat and dairy and gave it to friends on day one and haven’t looked back.
2. Try a meal planner. I love Rich Roll’s PlantPower Meal Planner because it gives you a ton of ideas for all meals AND you can put your ingredients directly into your Amazon Prime Grocery Cart. This makes it SO easy. And a lot of his recipes are delicious – it will help you learn how to cook without meat or dairy. Plus, he’s running a special of $20 off for the new year…
3. Learn how to love (and cook!) tofu! It’s cheap and easy to keep as a staple in your fridge for meals. Invest in a simple tofu press, too, that will help you when you are cooking it down the road. But the easiest is to start out with is tofu scrambles. You don’t have to worry about it breaking apart or being too wet. Nasoya is one of our favorite brands and you can pick them up in most retailers. They even offer items outside of tofu, like eggroll wraps and vegan dumplings. Nasoya’s Organic Super Firm Tofu is a versatile ingredient and can be used in a range of recipes—from desserts to snacks to main courses.
A little more on tofu and protein.
It’s the age-old question – how do vegans get their protein? Tofu is a great option for vegans, vegetarians, or anyone looking for a healthy source of plant-based protein. Nasoya’s Organic Super Firm Tofu is a great source of plant-based protein, 14 grams of protein per serving.
While tofu may seem intimidating to some, it’s actually a convenient and healthy protein option that easily takes on flavor and can be incorporated into a wide variety of simple meals, from soups and salads to stir-frys and noodle dishes. By quickly marinating and seasoning tofu using your favorite sauces or spices, it becomes a flavorful, tasty addition to any meal.
Here is one of the easiest (and tastiest) recipes to get you started – tofu egg rolls! Plus, this makes a BOUNTY of them that you can keep in the fridge for the week as meal prep, or even freeze and pop in the oven when you want a snack – which is my fave thing to do!
Vegan Tofu Egg Rolls
Ingredients:
*chef note – you can stuff your eggrolls with whatever you like and I recommend you get creative to stray from the below and make your own versions. I am a big fan of using whatever is in the fridge!
- 1 block of Nasoya’s Organic Super Firm Tofu
- 1 pack of Nasoya’s Vegan Egg Roll Wraps
- 2 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 2 cups purple cabbage, chopped (we used Kale – you can really pop in any green or items in your fridge!)
- 1 cup red onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tbsp ginger, chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic, chopped
Directions:
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.
1. Start by sauteeing the onion, green onion, garlic, and ginger in sesame oil for about 2-3 minutes in the sesame oil.
2. Spread out on a sheet and pop the 2 tbsp of sesame seeds in the oven once it’s heated. Keep an eye on them not to burn – they toast fast! Maybe 2 minutes max. You’ll see them turn a darker brown.
3. Add the carrots, kale and crumbled tofu. You can crumble the tofu with your hands. Once stirred, add the soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds. You may need to add a little more soy sauce here to coat/flavor to your liking but don’t overdo it.
4. Continue to sautee till the carrots become softer (about 6-10 minutes).
5. Remove from heat and let sit/cool for about 10 minutes while you set up your egg roll station.
6. Lay one wrap flat on a plate as a triangle (see above) and add the “stuffing” to the middle – do not over stuff. Fold in the corners and continue to wrap it up. Lay on a cookie plate. You can pack these egg rolls close on the tray they won’t expand in the oven. I fit about 13 on one tray.
7. Bake for about 20-25 min or until crispy on the outside. Keep an eye on them not to burn. Let cool and eat! dip in more soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce to serve.
And remember you can freeze and reheat the extras!
Welcome to your new favorite #plantbased lifestyle of cooking!
Where to Purchase
Nasoya’s Organic Super Firm Tofu can be purchased for your readers – Shop Rite, Price Rite, Stop & Shop, and SuperValu Redner’s — use the store locator on Nasoya’s website here.
This is a sponsored post by Nasoya but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting Football Food and Motherhood!
