Tofu Egg Salad
When I was 15, I went vegetarian but it would be about a dozen years before the internet and influences helped me to understand the connection of the egg industry to horrific animal cruelty. As a teenager who’d never heard the word “vegan,” let alone the concept, in the 1980s, I thought not eating meat was the end of the road for ending my support of industries that harm other animals. Needless to say, it was a rude but necessary awakening when the various dots were connected for me but until that happened, I depended on New Trier High School’s cafeteria for my lunch and I ate an egg salad sandwich on white bread pretty much every day junior and senior years.
What was it about that sandwich? At that point in my life, my palate was pretty unaccustomed to adventure, so I guess it tasted familiar and predictable. I liked the simplicity of getting the same lunch every day, and I liked the mayo and little bits of herbs and crunchy celery. It was not anything revelatory but is egg salad ever that? In any case, I have been craving a vegan egg salad sandwich lately. Not sure why. I wanted one that tasted a little more like a Jewish deli version and less like a basic cafeteria version so I added a little more flavor elements but this hit the spot. On toasted bread with a dill pickle on the side and some lettuce, maybe this will satisfy any egg salad cravings of your own. It is so simple and quick to make, too. Enjoy!
1 lb. firm tofu, patted dry and cut into small cubes
½ cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh dill, minced (two teaspoons dried dill)
2 teaspoons Dijon or yellow mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, thinly diced
½ teaspoon turmeric
1/2 tablespoon tamari
Kala namak, a.k.a., black salt, pinch (optional but good for a sulfurous smell reminiscent of eggs)
Salt and pepper to taste
Smoked paprika, on top
Place the cubed tofu in a medium bowl.
In a medium bowl or large mixing cup, stir together the rest of the ingredients with a spoon, up to the salt and pepper.
Pour the mayo mix over the tofu and gently stir to coat. Taste for salt and pepper. Ideally, let this sit for an hour or two in a covered container in the refrigerator for the flavors to meld. Serve as you like.
When I was 15, I went vegetarian but it would be about a dozen years before the internet and influences helped me to understand the connection of the egg industry to horrific animal cruelty. As a teenager who’d never heard the word “vegan,” let alone the concept, in the 1980s, I thought not eating meat was the end of the road for ending my support of industries that harm other animals. Needless to say, it was a rude but necessary awakening when the various dots were connected for me but until that happened, I depended on New Trier High School’s cafeteria for my lunch and I ate an egg salad sandwich on white bread pretty much every day junior and senior years.
What was it about that sandwich? At that point in my life, my palate was pretty unaccustomed to adventure, so I guess it tasted familiar and predictable. I liked the simplicity of getting the same lunch every day, and I liked the mayo and little bits of herbs and crunchy celery. It was not anything revelatory but is egg salad ever that? In any case, I have been craving a vegan egg salad sandwich lately. Not sure why. I wanted one that tasted a little more like a Jewish deli version and less like a basic cafeteria version so I added a little more flavor elements but this hit the spot. On toasted bread with a dill pickle on the side and some lettuce, maybe this will satisfy any egg salad cravings of your own. It is so simple and quick to make, too. Enjoy!
1 lb. firm tofu, patted dry and cut into small cubes
½ cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh dill, minced (two teaspoons dried dill)
2 teaspoons Dijon or yellow mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 celery ribs, thinly diced
½ teaspoon turmeric
1/2 tablespoon tamari
Kala namak, a.k.a., black salt, pinch (optional but good for a sulfurous smell reminiscent of eggs)
Salt and pepper to taste
Smoked paprika, on top
Place the cubed tofu in a medium bowl.
In a medium bowl or large mixing cup, stir together the rest of the ingredients with a spoon, up to the salt and pepper.
Pour the mayo mix over the tofu and gently stir to coat. Taste for salt and pepper. Ideally, let this sit for an hour or two in a covered container in the refrigerator for the flavors to meld. Serve as you like.
Vegan, Recipe, Egg Salad,Vegan Egg Salad,Tofu, Tofu Egg Salad, Sandwich, Snack