Tofu Steaks in a Holiday Marinade

Yesterday I shared a bright and seasonal kale pomegranate salad with a creamy sunflower seed, mustard, and avocado dressing. Here is another beautiful vegan dish featuring fresh satsuma oranges and rosemary, from the same Whole Foods pamphlet. The two recipes together cost me just over $20, though I had several of the ingredients already. The flavors in this one taste very appropriate for a holiday meal! Here is a printable version:

from Whole Foods, love that it's vegan!

Prepping the marinade, trying not to drink up the fresh satsuma juice.

The dates, cinnamon, and cayenne really gave this a unique sweet and spiciness. The marinade gave me an excuse to use a sprig of fresh rosemary from our garden!

Tofu steaks marinating, and smelling delicious already!

I only had time to marinate for 1/2 an hour, and that seemed to work fine, but they can be done overnight too for more flavor.

Warming the oranges in the steak pan after turning the heat off

The satsumas really brighten the plate, in taste and in looks!

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As of today I have a short holiday off work, which means more kitchen time. Lots more holiday recipes coming right up!

Kale & Pomegranate Holiday Salad

I was thrilled to see my Whole Foods put out a little booklet of vegan holiday recipes that are under $20! So far I have made 2 and they are cheap, easy, and delicious. The first was this beautiful salad with an AMAZING dressing. This can be made all year round by substituting the pomegranates for seasonal fruit.

More pictures on my Instagram: @veganlifeisgood

Instead of typing their recipe, I thought I'd take a picture, so those of you with a printer could just print it and head for the store! Here it is:

Free recipe from Whole Foods

Don't forget to toast the sunflower seeds! It really brings out the flavor. I used whole, raw ones.

I substituted stone-ground mustard for Dijon 

This one is worthy of the holiday table. Enjoy!

Walnut Pesto

I love making pesto because it is so versatile. If I have a jar of it, I can reach for it for pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and veggie dip. Here's how I make mine:

More pictures on my Instagram: @veganlifeisgood

Vegan Walnut Pesto:
-1 or 2 cups raw walnuts, soaked in fresh water a few hours or overnight, then rinsed
-1 med. bunch of basil (2- 3 cups packed)
-1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
-3 garlic cloves
-juice of 1 lemon
-salt, to taste
*optional: vegan Parmesan
-tools: a food processor

Pesto is always an experiment that involves me hovering over my food processor with my taster spoon. I start with some of the walnuts and some of the basil and oil and build from there. I wouldn't even say these are the exact measurements because I add a little here, another there. Flavorwise, I tend to be light on the basil and toss in extra garlic. Oil goes in til the perfect mix of chunkiness and spread-ability happens.

When I dip my spoon in and it finally comes back with a Halleluiah chorus singing on my taste buds, I throw it in a mason jar and enjoy it for up to 5 days. I don't know if that's the shelf life, I've just never had a batch last longer than that before being devoured! If you have extra you can also freeze it.

Tip: You can substitute pine nuts for walnuts to make a more traditional pesto, or sub parsley for basil in a pinch.