Cajun vegan food? oxymoron? NO my friend! When you lay your lips on this cajun blackened tofu alfredo you will realize just how good this combination can be!
Honestly, there’s no back story to this recipe. Yes, I live in Texas and love cajun food but really I just wanted some cajun alfredo and the blackened tofu sounded awesome. So without further ado……
This recipe is very simple, especially if you have an Instapot. I LOVE mine, I mean really love. I cook almost everything in it. Did you know you can cook frozen beans in 8 minutes?! 8 minutes yall… from frozen to ready to eat. Everything comes out so darn tender and delicious as well. I made collard greens Easter weekend in 4 minutes from fresh and they were the best I’ve ever made, so tender. Anyways, you can see I love mine. Its the bee’s knees and it cuts cooking time down astronomically!
To get started you need to steam your head of cauliflower, either in the instapot for 4 minutes or by any other conventional means (microwave it with a little water in the bottom, steam it on the stove).
While your cauliflower is steaming go ahead and boil your gluten free pasta.
Once your cauliflower is tender you need to blend it until very smooth in a blender (I use this ninja). So I basically pulse it for about 10 seconds, add 1/4 cup of vegetable juice, and pulse again. Continuing until the mixture is thick and creamy, so don’t add too much broth (around 3/4 cup should do depending on the size of cauliflower you have).
Now that you have the base of your alfredo sauce, in a saucepan add 2 cloves garlic and 1 tbsp vegan butter. Heat this over medium-high heat until fragrant. Do not overcook or it will get a bitter taste. To the garlic add the sauce and turn the heat down to low-medium. Add salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 cup of Miyoko’s VeganMozz, or another vegan mozzarella that melts well. If you haven’t tried Miyoko’s mozz please go get it right now and make a pizza with it. It is so gooey, melty, and amazing! Continue to heat and stir the alfredo until the cheese is melted.
While your sauce is mingling, go ahead and slice 1 pkg tofu as thin as you can get it and dust it with cajun seasoning, or if you are like me, smother it. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a splash of oil, just enough to coast the bottom but not enough to cause the tofu to sit in it. Once your pan is nice and hot add in your tofu. Cook your tofu until blackened on each side, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel or drying rack so the oil gets away from the tofu so it doesn’t get mushy.
By now your cheese should be melted in your sauce, the noodles should be drained, and the tofu is probably halfway gone because you couldn’t stop eating it. Or was that just me? Assemble your dish, sprinkle some cayenne pepper on top, and add some sliced green onions. That’s it! In my opinion there’s no such things as too many green onions, my husband may disagree.
Gluten Free Blackened Tofu Alfredo
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Ingredients:
- 1 head cauliflower
- 8 oz gluten free pasta of your choice
- about 3/4 cup of vegetable juice (may need more or less depending on cauliflower actually size)
- 2 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter
- 1/4 cup Miyoko’s VeganMozz or another vegan mozzarella that melts well
- cajun seasoning
- oil for pan
- 1 pkg extra firm tofu
- cayenne pepper (optional but highly recommended)
- green onions (optional but highly recommended)
Directions:
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- Steam your cauliflower by placing it in an Instapot for 4 minutes, placing it in a microwavable dish with water at the bottom, or on the stovetop (I did mine in the instapot).
- While your cauliflower is steaming, boil your pasta until tender.
- Once your Cauliflower is very tender, to the point it falls apart when you try to transfer it, place it in a blender, discarding the leftover water. Pulse it for about 10 seconds, add 1/4 cup of vegetable juice, and pulse again. Continuing until the mixture is thick and creamy, so don’t add too much broth (around 3/4 cup should do depending on the size of cauliflower you have).
- In a saucepan saute 2 cloves garlic and 1 tbsp vegan butter until fragrant. To the garlic add the cauliflower sauce and turn the heat down to low-medium. Add salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 cup of Miyoko’s VeganMozz.
- Continue to stir the alfredo sauce while you make your blackened tofu.
- Slice extra firm tofu as thin as you can and coat with cajun seasoning.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add a splash of oil, just enough to coast the bottom but not enough to cause the tofu to sit in it. Once the skillet is hot add tofu and cook until blackened on each side. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel or drying rack so the oil gets away from the tofu and doesn’t get mushy.
- Your cheese should be melted in your sauce by now and you are ready to assemble. Start with the pasta, add sauce, tofu, top with a dusting of cayenne and chopped green onions. Enjoy!
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I hope you enjoy this cajun vegan recipe, contact me with any questions. Don’t forget to follow me to stay up to date on my posts and get new recipes!
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