Nothing could be quicker to make than this dip, and it is great party fare. Serve it with raw vegetables, crackers, or tortilla chips.
| IMPERIAL/METRIC | AMERICAN | |
| 2 tins (about 14 oz | tomatoes | 2 cans (14–16 oz |
| [440g] each) | each) | |
| juice of 1 small | lemon | juice of 1 small |
| or ½ large | or ½ large | |
| 2 tsp | ground cumin | 2 tsp |
| 1 tsp | chilli (chili) powder | 1 tsp |
| 3–4 | spring onions (scallions), chopped | 3–4 |
| ½ lb (225g) | medium tofu | 1 cup |
| 2 tbs | olive oil | 2 tbs |
| 2 tsp | dried oregano | 2 tsp |
| ½ tsp | garlic salt | ½ tsp |
1 Drain the beans, removing some of the liquid.
2 Put all the ingredients into a liquidizer and blend, adding enough of the bean liquid to obtain the desired consistency. Chill.
Tofu guacamole 1
There are many versions of this Mexican classic, but the idea of adding tofu instead of high-fat, calorie-laden soured cream is comparatively new. The recipe below is simpler while the second one is spicy and has a more interesting texture.
| IMPERIAL/METRIC | AMERICAN | |
| 1 | ripe avocado | 1 |
| 1 clove | garlic | 1 clove |
| ½ lb (225g) | medium or soft tofu | 1 cup |
| juice of ½ | lemon | juice of ½ |
| 2 tbs | vegetable oil | 2 tbs |
| 2 tsp | soy sauce | 2 tsp |
| 4 tbs | water | 4 tbs |
1 Peel and dice the avocado. Crush the garlic.
2 Either mash all the ingredients together or place in a liquidizer and blend. Serve immediately.
Tofu guacamole 2
This recipe is simpler and makes a smaller quantity.
| IMPERIAL/METRIC | AMERICAN | |
| ½ lb (225g) | soft or medium tofu | 1 cup |
| 2 large | tomatoes | 2 large |
| 1 small | onion | 1 small |
| 2 cloves | garlic | 2 cloves |
| 2 fresh | chillies (chilies) | 2 fresh |
| 3 | ripe avocados | 3 |
| juice of ½ | lemon | juice of ½ |
| as required | sea salt | as required |
1 Place the tofu in a liquidizer and blend. Set aside.
2 Peel and dice the tomatoes. Chop the onion, garlic and chillies (chilies) very finely.
3 Peel and mash the avocados. Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.
Valencia salad
A salad with a Mediterranean flavour. If fresh asparagus is in season it would make the dish even nicer.
| IMPERIAL/METRIC | AMERICAN | |
| ¾ lb (340g) | brown rice | 2 cups |
| 1 small tin (about | pimentos | 1 small can |
| 7 oz [200g]) | (6–7 oz) | |
| 2–3 slices | onion | 2–3 slices |
| 1 tbs | chopped parsley | 1 tbs |
| as required | sea salt | as required |
| ⅓ pint (200ml) | virgin olive oil | ¾ cup |
| 4 tbs | cider vinegar or wine vinegar | 4 tbs |
| 1 tin (about 14 oz [400g]) | artichoke hearts | 1 can (14–16 oz) |
| ½ lb (225g) | firm tofu | 1 cup |
| 1 tin (about 14 oz [400g]) | asparagus | 1 can (14–16 oz) |
1 Cook the rice in salted boiling water until tender. Chop the pimentos and add to the rice.
2 Mix the onion slices, parsley and salt with the olive oil. Leave to stand for half an hour. Remove the onion slices and mix in the vinegar.
3 Stir half this vinaigrette into the rice and pimentos.
4 Chop the artichoke hearts coarsely. Marinate in the remaining vinaigrette.
5 Cut the tofu into cubes.
6 When ready to serve add the chopped artichoke hearts with their dressing to the rice, along with the cubes of tofu. Decorate with the asparagus.
Hijiki salad with tofu dressing
Hijiki (also spelled hiziki) is one of the nicest Japanese sea vegetables, and its tang is well complemented by a tofu dressing.
| IMPERIAL/METRIC | AMERICAN | |
| 1½–2 oz (45–55g) | hijiki | 1½–2 oz |
| 4–6 | spring onions (scallions) | 4–6 |
| 1 lb (455g) | soft or medium tofu | 2 cups |
| 4 tbs | vegetable oil | 4 tbs |
| 1 tbs | cider vinegar or wine vinegar | 1 tbs |
| 1 tbs | tahini | 1 tbs |
| 3 tsp | soy sauce | 3 tsp |
1 Chop the hijiki with cold water and leave to soak for about 20 minutes. Drain, rinse, and cover with fresh water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, cover the pan, then lower the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.
2 Chop the hijiki coarsely. Chop the spring onions (scallions) finely and put them in a bowl with the hijiki.
3 Put the tofu, oil, vinegar, tahini and soy sauce in a liquidizer and blend.
4 Add this tofu dressing to the hijiki and mix thoroughly before serving.
Shredded vegetable and brown rice salad with miso dressing
The list of ingredients may be long but this is a substantial dish, perfect for a summer’s day when there are hearty appetites to satisfy but a hot meal has no appeal. Vegans who do not eat honey could use raw cane sugar or omit the sweet taste altogether.
| IMPERIAL/METRIC | AMERICAN | |
| 4 oz (115g) | medium or firm tofu | ½ cup |
| as required | vegetable oil for deep-frying | as required |
| ¾ lb (340g) | brown rice | 2 cups |
| 2 small or 1 large | potato | 2 small or 1 large |
| 2 large or 4 small | spring onions (scallions) | 2 large or 4 small |
| 1–2 cloves | garlic | 1–2 cloves |
| 2 tbs | chopped parsley | 2 tbs |
| ½ tsp | mustard powder | ½ tsp |
| juice of ½ | lemon | juice of ½ |
| 8 tbs | vegetable oil | 8 tbs |
| 3 tbs | cider vinegar or wine vinegar | 3 tbs |
| 1 tbs | miso | 1 tbs |
| 2 tbs | honey | 2 tbs |
| 3 tbs | water | 3 tbs |
| 2 small or 1 large | tomato | 2 small or 1 large |
| 1 stick | celery | 1 stick |
| 3 oz (85g) | white cabbage | ⅓ cup |
| 4 oz (115g) | raw beetroot (beet) | ½ cup |
| 3 oz (85g) | alfalfa sprouts | ⅓ cup |
1 Dice the tofu, deep-fry the cubes in the oil and set aside. Cook the brown rice and the potato, cool and set aside. (These preparations can be done in advance.)
2 Chop the spring onions (scallions) and garlic finely. Combine them with the parsley, mustard powder, lemon juice, and half the oil and vinegar; mix well with the rice. Leave to marinate in a cool place or the refrigerator for at least an hour.
3 Combine the remaining