Tofu egg salad

As plant-based eating becomes mainstream, it’s good to appreciate the versatility of humble old tofu. Aside from being a nutritional powerhouse, tofu may be the most practical of all soy products, because of its neutral flavour and meaty texture. When transitioning to a plant-based diet, replacing animal protein with a similar amount of plant-based protein in meals and recipes can make life easy. This recipe for tofu egg salad is an example – I promise you’ll never know the difference!

Nutrition

Once associated with hard-core hippies, tofu is now mainstream and available in most grocery stores. One the best things about it is that it can be used as a meat, egg or dairy substitute in just about any type of dish.

This tofu egg salad is a great source of protein, B vitamins, iron, zinc, and calcium. Tofu is nutritionally similar to chicken but doesn’t have the saturated fat, hormones, or cholesterol. Of all plant foods, soy is the closest to animal protein because of its excellent digestibility, ideal amino acid ratios (i.e. like meat), and nutrition content.

Tips for a “cracking” tofu egg salad

As with any meat substitute the slightly textures, flavours and chemistry of plant based foods are not identical to animal foods. The seasonings used are extremely important if you want them to closely mimic the original.

• Use sulfur-rich “black salt” in your tofu egg salad gives it an “egg-ish” aroma. This is optional -especially if you don’t like the smell of eggs – but it makes the egg-sperience more authentic.
• Use a good quality vegan mayonnaise to help hold everything together.
• Process the tofu more finely if you’re making sandwiches – it’ll hold better.
• Use your imagination and try experimenting with some other herbs and spices.

I suggest making this recipe as meal prep (as it’s provides 3 serves) and storing in an airtight container for weekday lunches.

I hope you enjoy!