Dara's Sandwich no. 6: BBQ crispy tofu & seweed with pineapple relish

There was some questionably old tofu in the fridge. It smelled pretty funky, so I wanted to cook the hell out of it. I fried it up in small pieces with some garlic and onion and a bit of bouillon. Inspired by my mother's love of using local Atlantic dilisk seaweed in sandwiches, I added some of that. And a tasty new pineapple relish, topped with some barbeque sauce. It was quite something!

- Dara

Lemon Pesto Dressed Broccoli with Olive Tofu

Now then, this won’t do much for debunking the myth that vegetarians only eat greens and tofu, but it happens to be one of my favourite light meals.

When I want to get my broccoli on, I steam a whole head – including the peeled stems – and add lemon juice and salt to it. In my opinion, good quality broccoli needs little more, but I am a broccoli head. Sometimes I have to be careful not to steam my own head. *Titter* This version is a little more elaborate – the lemon juice had hemp oil and veggie pesto added to make a tangy dressing, and just before the broccoli was cooked, I threw some cubes of olive tofu into the steamer to heat them up. Man, I love this olive tofu: it really makes giving up cheese a lot easier. I thoroughly recommend you explore this savoury soya delight: http://www.veggiestuff.com/acatalog/taifun-organic-olive-tofu.html

High in protein, low in carbs and fat. Which means you get to have cake for pudding. Score!

Spinach, Watercress, Tofu and Avocado No-Quesa-dilla

First I thinly sliced some tofu and marinated it in balsamic vinegar and salt.

Next I wilted some spinach and put it to one side.

I diced the tofu and fried it in just a bit of sunflower oil for quite a while so it was really crispy.

Then I placed a tortilla (seeded, yeah!) into a flat based frying pan, and spread the spinach over it. I sprinkled the watercress and tofu over it, then added slices of avocado.

A fair bit of salt, some ground black pepper and a bit of balsamic vinegar all over it, then it's ready for another tortilla on top. First, though, take a step back and look how pretty it is. Admire the food.

If you use cheese (as in a quesadilla) then press the edges it seals nicely. This doesn't happen with the greens and browns of vegan food, but with a bit of vegan super-powers it is possible to turn the whole thing over and cook both sides so that the tortilla crisps up and chars slightly.

This one I cut into quarters, but if I was being true to the Mexican idea then I would do it like a pancake and fold the tortilla in half like a half moon. Tomorrow I might try this- watch this space...

Tofu, Mushroom and Olive Scramble

This was an experiment well worth undertaking.

I mashed a block of plain tofu with a fork and sprinkled about a teaspoon each of bouillon and inactive yeast. Next I fried some diced mushrooms in a very small amount of oil, leaving a lid on them to keep the moisture in. When they started to brown I added the tofu mixture and a few halved olives. That's it!

This time I ate it with boiled potatoes, salad and a healthy dollop of hummous. Tomorrow I will have the other half in a pitta bread for my lunch.