Quick, Cool and Comforting, it’s Hold the Egg Creamy Tofu Salad

If you’ve got 10 minutes and a desire for no-cook recipe that’s easy to make without heating up the kitchen and uses ingredients that have a low impact on the environment –Hold the Egg Creamy Tofu Salad, made with firm tofu is just what you need in your life. It’s what I needed in mine the week my stove died.

Eggs symbolize renewal — but not for chickens. Try something new with my Hold the Egg Creamy Tofu Salad. It’s quick and easy, high in protein, but with a low impact on you and on the planet. It’s got all the creamy kid-friendly comfort of egg salad, minus the eggs, cholesterol and cruelty.

Commercial vegan egg substitutes abound, but they can’t beat out tofu, one of the lowest of the low carbon foods.

Even my husband, not a tofu fan, goes for this salad. It makes a dream of a sandwich or wrap filling. Make it upscale and app-y as a crostini topping, or make it the main event and heap it on greens.   

How to Make Creamy Tofu Salad

1. In a medium bowl, mash firm tofu. Use a fork or squish tofu with your hands — good for getting out aggression. Be gentle, though.  Tofu should be crumbly rather than perfectly smooth. A little texture is desirable.
2. Add the diced celery and chopped scallion. 
3. Stir in vegan mayonnaise, nutritional yeast, turmeric, mustard, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
4. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Tofu Secrets and Swaps

• Start firm. The secret to stellar creamy tofu salad is to start with firm or extra-firm tofu. Soft and silken tofu, highest in water content, whizz up great for sauces, but firm and dry work best here.
• Get firmer. Make your firm tofu even firmer by pressing it to get rid of any excess water, so it’s not juicy or jiggly.  Wrap the block of tofu in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel, place it in a large bowl or a clean kitchen sink, and weight it down with a plate 
• Want firmer quicker? Press wrapped tofu between the palms of your hands, squeeze gently and press out excess water. Blot dry. 
• Mash tofu firmly.  Season generously.
• Nutritional yeast adds an umami, cheesy flavor. Bonus — many brands are fortified with Vitamin B-12, a vegan must-have for wellness.  Nutritional yeast tastes great and is great for you — a total win-win.
• Turmeric gives the tofu a golden glow, a slightly eggy but egg-free funk, and offers anti-inflammatory benefits.
• Tofu is versatile. Its blandness is its beauty. Customize it any which way. Some favorite additions:
  • diced or thinly sliced celery
  • thinly sliced chives, thinly sliced
  • chopped dill
  • chopped olives 
  • minced jalapeno
  • pickle relish
  • capers 
  • curry powder
  • smoked paprika
  • kala namak — black Himalayan sea salt with a pronounced eggy/sulfury flavor
  • vegan bacon bits 
  • a splash of hot sauce
• Give your tofu a totally different treatment with mint leaves, chili, lemon and olive oil. Just use tofu in place of eggs in this ethereal recipe from my culinary guide and inspiration Paula Wolfert.
• Soy sensitive?  Tofuphobic?  Try swapping crushed chickpeas for tofu.

This Hold the Egg Creamy Tofu Salad recipe conjures the memory of the egg salad my grandmother made for me when I was little — pale, golden, creamy, and comforting.  But it goes further — it’s no-cook and eggless. It’s quick, easy, and satisfyingly cool — for you and for the planet.

Hold the Egg Salad aka Creamy Tofu Salad

Creamy, comforting and so basic, it’s barely a recipe. Firm tofu stands in for hard-boiled eggs, offering all of the protein and none of the cholesterol or cruelty. Mustard, turmeric and nutritional yeast add a depth of flavor and echo the sunny color in egg yolks. Feel free to customize with your favorite egg salad add-ins such as sweet pickle relish, chopped olives, a dash of paprika or curry powder or a tablespoon or two of your favorite fresh herbs, finely chopped. It will taste like your childhood favorite and won’t come from a kit.

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Course Salad

Ingredients

  

• 8 ounces 1/2 block firm organic tofu, pressed to release excess water and blotted dry
• 1 stalk celery diced
• 1 tablespoon scallion finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon nutritional yeast*
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• In a medium bowl, mash tofu with a fork as you would with hard boiled eggs, until the tofu is crumbly but still has some texture.
• Add the diced celery and chopped scallion. Stir in vegan mayonnaise, nutritional yeast, turmeric, mustard, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
• Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Notes

* A fabulous dairy-free cheesy-tasting golden powder. Vegan bonus — several brands are B-12 fortified.

Keyword egg salad, eggless salad, tofu eggs

Fifty Shades of Tofu (okay, five)

• You cannot beat a good tofu scramble. And mine is pretty damn good.
• Bun (Viet noodles with tofu and vegetables)
• Give tofu and vegetables the tandoori treatment without the tandoor 
• Two more great, global recipes from culinary friends:
  • Jerk tofu wrapped in collards from the incomparable Bryant Terry.
• Thai curry from Nancie McDermott.

Thank you for reading my vegan stories and plant-based recipes. I sincerely love to connect with listeners and would like to hear your feedback, takeaways, “ah-ha!” moments, etc in the comments.

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