Greetings ya'll! Remember my stating on several occasions "to think outside the culinary box"?
Well, wouldn't you just know it... I got the opportunity to practice what I preach yesterday. I was so looking forward to making my absolute favorite vegan dish, Mock Cheese Spread. But, as Chucky's luck would have it I found myself void of tofu.
"What?" "You were completely out of tofu???" "Say it ain't so Chucky."
It was Sunday, later in the afternoon and I just didn't feel like running down to the neighborhood Albertson's or Publix supermarket for a brick of tofu. Besides, I like my regular frugal tofu shopping spot. Phuoc Loc Tho Oriental Market has extra firm tofu for only $1.59 per 16-oz block.
What is a 2-foot plastic doll to do? Yes, I could have simply pulled out my dagger and stabbed a sofa pillow endlessly to vent my frustration. But Tiffany would have been peeved at me and I just needed "to think outside the culinary box".
Sidebar: I'm not the least bit scared of Tiffany (when she's not around)!
So, being a recipe gambler I asked myself, "Okay, Charles. Whaddya gonna do now? What's available? What in this kitchen has tofu potential?"
A candle went off in the inside that plastic bubble head of mine and I envisioned garbanzo beans (chickpeas). I have plenty of cans residing in my cupboard just awaiting to be released from their cans. I simply substituted one 15-ounce can (drained and rinsed) for the 1/2 pound of tofu called by the recipe.
I found myself having to add 1-1/2 tablespoon filtered water to acquire the desired consistency but it worked. By no means as good as the original tofu recipe, but quite the doable alternative! Guesstimating 40-servings per batch, the garbanzo modification added 1-calorie per serving (8-calories versus 7-calories).
Not bad and I was able to enjoy my mock cheese spread with some crackers as I sipped my pineapple-coconut-rooibos tea.
Hi-dee hi-dee practice-what-you-preach-ho my fine readers!
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