In Canada, we’re now entering the coldest and most dreary time of the year. The holidays are now behind us. Personally, I would love to fast-forward to spring, as I’m not the most cold-adapted person!
This weekend, I was craving comfort foods. Comfort foods to me are warm foods but also foods that have some nostalgia to them. What do comfort foods mean to you?
I don’t eat chicken anymore so I’m making tofu nuggets in the air fryer with sweet potato fries, a lasagna soup and some quesadillas! Let me know if you end up trying these recipes 🙂
Air Fryer Tofu Bites and Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
- 14 oz Extra-firm Tofu
- 1 tbsp chickpea flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs/ oats
- 3/4 cup plant-based milk
- 2-3 tbsp whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 2 sweet potatoes, sliced into fries
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- celery for serving
Directions
1. Press tofu for about 30 minutes.
2. While tofu is pressing, prepare the coating and batter. In a small bowl whisk together the plant milk, whole wheat flour and sweet paprika until smooth and creamy. Set aside. In a separate bowl combine the panko bread crumbs and nutritional yeast.
3. Dip each nugget in the batter until coated then toss in the bread crumb mixture. Shake any excess and place them on a parchment lined air fryer tray without touching each other. Repeat with all the nuggets.
Air fry the tofu nuggets at 375 F for 15 minutes until golden and crispy flipping them half way. Serve hot with your choice of dipping sauces.
Sweet Potato Fries
1. Place the fries in a large bowl, then toss well with the arrowroot starch, avocado oil, garlic and paprika.
2. Preheat the air fryer to 360ºF. Arrange half of the fries into a single layer, then cook them at 360ºF for 10 minutes. When the fries are golden on the outside and feel tender on the inside, they are ready to serve. Set the cooked fries aside, and cook the remaining batch as directed above.
Lasagna Soup
Adapted from recipe on TheBeet.com
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 28 oz canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 28 Oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups Veggie Broth
- 8-10 legume lasagna sheets
- ½ – 1 cup of non-dairy milk
Directions
- In a large pot, heat up your avocado oil over medium heat. Add your onions and garlic and saute until onions start to slightly brown. Add your chickpeas and cook for 5 minutes.
- Stir in your oregano, parsley and smoked paprika. Cook for 1 minute until herbs and spices are evenly mixed in. Add your tomato paste and stir it in until evenly mixed.
- Add your crushed tomatoes and veggie broth, stir it in until it’s combined. Bring to a boil. Carefully break your lasagna sheets into rough pieces and add them into the pot. Cook your lasagna sheets for 7-9 minutes or until al dente. Follow the directions on the lasagna sheet package if needed.
- Once cooked, stir in your vegan milk. Serve right away and garnish with extra vegan parmesan and freshly chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Vegetarian Mexican Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 4 large whole wheat tortillas
- 14 oz can black beans
- 1 cup corn
- 1 large bell pepper diced
- 1/3 cup red onion minced
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 cups vegan cheese
- guacamole
- salsa/yogurt for dipping
Directions
- Mix together black beans, corn and cumin in one bowl. In another, mix together bell pepper and onion.
- Next, divide your tortilla into four quarters. Add your vegan cheese in quarter one, the black bean and corn mixture in quarter two, the quac in quarter three and bell pepper and onion in quarter 4.
- Cut a slit between quarter 1 and 4 with a knife.Fold each quarter over the next, working clockwise around the tortilla.Continue to fold the tortilla until you have a small quesadilla-sized triangle and all of the fillings are inside.
- Once you have the tortilla all folded up, place it in a hot pan, griddle or panini press. I cooked mine in a pan, so I used a spatula to slightly flatten and flip the quesadilla. Cook until browned on both sides and enjoy with whatever toppings you want. Enjoy!