Gastography

I was craving a creamy, luxurious meatless chicken pasta, and I think this fits the bill.

vegetarian, vegan

Tuscan “Chicken”

Extra firm tofu

1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 tsp. poultry-ish seasoning (I used the kelp seasoning from Bragg’s)

Salt & pepper

1/3 cup or so flour

Spritz oil

1 cup raw cashews

1 + 3/4 cup veggie broth, divided

2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

6 cloves garlic

1 cup sun dried tomatoes

3 cups fresh baby spinach

Bow tie or other pasta

Add the cashews to a saucepan with water; simmer 15 minutes or until soft. Alternately, soak them overnight in water to soften – but I never remember to do this.

While the cashews are doing their thing, make the “chicken”.

Slice the tofu into batons or chunks, cover with paper towels, press to release as much water as possible.

Lay out a dredging station with 1 dish full of soy sauce and 1 of panko mixed with the poultry seasoning, salt, pepper and flour.

Dip the tofu in the soy sauce, coat in the breading, and lay on a prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Spritz with some oil if desired. Bake at 400F/220C for around 25 minutes or until browned and crispy.

While the “chicken” is chicken-ing, make the sauce by blending the (mostly drained) cashews, broth (starting with 1 cup and drizzling in more as needed), nutritional yeast, garlic, and a little salt and pepper.

When done, add to a large pan with the sun dried tomatoes (chopped). Add the spinach and stir gently to wilt. Add a little more stock if you’ve got it or water if you don’t if the sauce thickens too much. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.

Serve with pasta or rice.

Serves 4 for dinner