Ah, Booger!

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!