You guys know how much I love cheap, easy, yet tasty vegan recipes. I just so happen to be stuck at my house today (my car is kaput, a lady completely ran a stop sign and T-boned me. *sigh) so I decided to write a blog! :)

This is SO good, and its an awesome replacement for a classic (not to mention, fattening) lasagna recipe. There are a few different ways you can make this ‘yours’. I’ll make some optional side notes in here to get you started.

Ok, lets get this show on the road! (I feel like that was a bad pun…My poor car…)

Ingredients:

12 oz Ziti

3 1/2 cups Marinara Sauce

1 lb Extra Firm Tofu

3 tbl Nutritional Yeast (optional, but recommended)

3/4 cup Fresh parsley, minced

Dried Basil, Oregano, Salt, and Pepper

1. Ziti: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the Ziti over medium heat for about 10 minutes (until dente). Drain and return it to the pot. Add 2 cups of the marinara sauce and mix.

Optional: When boiling the Ziti add at least a 1/2 cup of vegetable broth to the water to amp up the flavor. Its a great addition (you can even go as far as cooking it entirely in broth instead of water). Also, when I salt my water (salting is unneeded if you’re using broth) I use garlic salt. yum :)

2. Tofu: Drain and crumble into a large bowl. Then mix in the yeast, parsley, basil (~1 1/2 tsp), oregano (~3/4 tsp), salt, and pepper (Add to taste).

-optional- Add a little minced garlic, if you’re into that

3. Mix and Bake: Spread a thin layer of the marinara on the bottom of a lightly oiled casserole pan. Add half of the pasta mixture, top with the tofu, and toss on the other half of the pasta. Add whatever you have left of the marinara on top.

Cover tightly with foil and bake until hot (~45 minutes). Serve hot.

When I did this I just mixed the tofu mixture with the first half of the pasta+marinara mixture. Its not quite as pretty, but its good :)

If you wanna splurge a little add some shredded vegan mozzarella on top. I would have but I can’t drive out to go get some at the moment… :(

So I’m guessing if you’re not vegan (or vegetarian) you’re pretty much writing this recipe off already. I think the majority of people who ‘don’t like’ tofu have never really tried it (or, if they have, whoever made it didn’t know what they were doing). If you’re one of those people I really hope you have the balls to try this, it is actually really good (and easy to make).

*Obviously you’ll need to like the taste of peanut butter to like this*

The shit you’ll need:

1 package tofu (firm or extra firm)

1/3 c orange juice

3 tbsp peanut butter

3 tbsp sesame oil

3 tbsp agave nectar (or maple syrup)

1 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of cayenne

Pinch of chili powder

What to do:

1. Press the tofu and lay it out in a pan

Now if you don’t know much about tofu…listen up. When you get tofu out of the pack its really watery. You’re going to need to dry it off really well, and we’ll do that by pressing it (the dryer it is the more flavor it’ll absorb). Lay out a kitchen towel and put some paper towels on top of that. Cut the tofu into thin slices (No bigger than 1/4 of an inch) and put it on one side of the towel. (http://i637.photobucket.com/albums/uu99/tofu-cube/IMGP3874.jpg) Fold the towel over and give the tofu a good press. You don’t want to smush it into oblivion, but make sure its nice and dry. Dont be afraid to switch out the paper towels and do it again.

2. Make the marinade…and marinate the tofu

This is easy enough….just wisk all the ingredients in a bowl.

and btw, Idk if its because of my polish blood or because I was raised in the south but ‘a pinch’ to me is a good shake or two…..don’t do that here. Trust me folks, all you’ll need is ‘a -little- pinch’ of that shit (unless you just want more)

That’s what it looked like before mixing. I know, I know…. not pretty.

But anyway, mix it together and pour it over the tofu. Let it sit. I’ve heard overnight is best but I usually leave it for 2 or 3 hours, more if I’m being lazy. Skimping on time isn’t recommended…but if you have to, don’t do it less than 20 minutes.

Turn it every once and a while spooning the sauce over the top.

3. Broil it

Cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil and give it a quick spray with non-stick spray. Lay your tofu slices on the sheet and Broil it for 5-6 minutes on the first side; flip it over, spoon on any left over marinade, and broil 3-5 minutes on the second side. You can add time on ether side as you see fit. Personally, I like the sauce to become nice and brown with a few darker spots.

**For God’s sake DON’T LEAVE the kitchen while broiling this shit. It will char in under 90 seconds if you’re not watching it

4. Let it cool and enjoy! :)

This is part of a meal, so you’ll want to have something to go with it. Wild rice (with a drizzle of this peanut sauce) and something green is a good option 8)

This is a really easy meal to make

and, being Polish, will have no problem filling your (and your friend’s) tummy(s) right up 8)

The Shit You’ll Need:
-Baguette/Soft French bread, or one of those long Cuban loafs

-Daiya cheese; Both mozzarella and cheddar (or any vegan cheese really)

-Mushrooms, Bell pepper, Onion, Vegan Bacon and Pepperoni, anything else you wanna toss in.

-Vegetable stock (if you have it)

-SPICES. CRP, Garlic salt & pepper, lil Basil and Oregano (and evoo) -It might be a good idea to put the seasonings into a little dish before you put it into your food. Easier to eyeball shit when your not hovering a hot ass pan. Just make sure to put the salt in a separate dish or save it on the side

(If you wanted to go for authentic you could put some ketchup on top I guess….only problem is that American ketchup and Polish ketchup just aren’t the same) Also, if you wanna add anything…er, add it. I know people who like jalapenos and all kinds of things in their zaps. This recipe is just the way I like it.

What to do:

1. Cut your bread in half or cut the top off lengthwise
*depends on how thick the loaf is, but ether way usually works
Use a spoon or fork (or spork?) to hollow out the middle a bit. It should look somewhat like a boat at this point. -don’t hollow it out too much!

2. Cut your mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, and vegan meats up.
This is really to taste but I would suggest even-ish amounts of each…With a good helping of the meats (It might be vegan, but this is still Polish after all)
You’ll just need enough stuff to fill your bread boat.

3. Toss that crap into a pan and saute it. There’s no real set time for this, just eyeball it. (If you have vegetable stock add it now. I’d say ~1/4 to 1/2 a cup depending on how much food you have in the pan)

4. Time to add a lil F-l-a-v-o-r~  Toss in a pretty good amount of CRP, [Garlic] Pepper, Basil, and Oregano; followed by some [Garlic] Salt. Make sure you save the salt till last…cause you don’t want the veggies to lose water….just yeah. trust me on this one.

5. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a minute or two (seriously, not long). Then add LA CHEESE. Toss in a few handfuls of the cheddar along with a handful of the mozzarella. Mix it around well but dont let the cheese melt too much.
Spoon that sucker into your bread boat and add mozzarella to the top.

6. Pop your delicious creation into the oven! You can ether broil it for a minute or turn the oven to ~450 and let the zaps sit in there for a few minutes. You’re not cooking anything, more like letting the cheesy goodness melt and toasting the bread a bit.

Take it out, let it cool,

ENJOY!

I wish I had thought to take a picture when I made this last time….but I didn’t. Sorry.But hey, this is the internet- I figure I’ll hijack one until I make it again.