Holiday Appetizers: Breaded Tofu and Zucchini with Cheesy Sauce

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Try these tasty vegan party foods for your next holiday gathering! Watch the video for the details or find the recipes below:

If you need a sweet treat to go along with it, try some of these whole food plant-based desserts!

Breaded Tofu and Zucchini

plate with tofu bites, breaded zucchini, cheesy sauce and date syrup sweetened mustard

Ingredients

  • 1 package extra firm or super firm tofu
  • 2 or 3 small zucchinis
  • Optional: tamari, soy sauce, Bragg liquid aminos, or a flavored balsamic vinegar

Breading Ingredients

  • ⅓ cup breadcrumbs (2 or 3 pieces of Ezekiel toast blended)
  • ⅓ cup cornmeal
  • ⅓ cup ground flaxseed
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon granulated onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt substitute (I used Selacious from Local Spicery)
  • Black pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Pat the tofu dry with a clean tea towel or paper towel. Cut into half inch cubes. Optional: marinate the cubes in tamari, soy sauce, Bragg liquid aminos, or a flavored balsamic vinegar for extra flavor. I leave mine plain.
  2. Slice the zucchini in quarter inch slices. Drizzle with balsamic or other flavored vinegar and mix to coat each piece.
  3. For the breading: Combine all breading ingredients in a shallow dish wide enough for easy dipping.
  4. Add a couple pieces of tofu or zucchini at a time to the breading, flipping and stirring it around to fully coat each piece. I like to press the breading onto each piece to help it stick.
  5. Lay the breaded pieces out evenly on a parchment- or silicone-lined baking sheet, leaving space between pieces.
  6. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes, flip each piece and bake another 15 to 20 minutes or until the breading is golden all over and the pieces are crispy on the outside.

“Honey” Mustard

Ingredients

  • Stone ground or dijon mustard
  • Date syrup (or maple syrup if you prefer)

Directions

  1. Mix together as much mustard and syrup as you like. I recommend a 2 to 1 ratio of mustard to syrup, but you could do half and half if you like it even sweeter. Adjust to your taste!

Cheesy Sauce

Three 2 cup pyrex dishes filled with cheesy sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 can no salt added great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup cooked sweet potato or other variety of potato (steamed or boiled)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tablespoon stone ground or dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • Optional: small handful cashews, soaked; or 1 to 2 tablespoons of PB2 cashew powder
  • 1 cup water (more or less as needed to achieve your desired thickness)
  • 1 teaspoon salt substitute (I used Stardust by Well Your World)

Directions

  1. Add everything to your blender container or food processor. Blend until smooth. It will take about 1 minute in a high powered blender, but may take a couple minutes in a food processor.
  2. For a warm cheesy sauce, either blend a few minutes more in the Vitamix or heat in the microwave or on the stovetop.