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I can attest to how tangy and delicious this tasted, but the best way to discover how this recipe was dreamed up is to read it straight from the creator, Victoria:
“I know, I know. You’re thinking: ‘Great, vegan food that’s made to taste like dairy-rich dishes, like that’ll work.’
But this pasta salad, which was kind of a culinary whim, seemed to. I give credit to the hummus, really. It makes the tomato-heavy element rich, almost like an aurora sauce, without being too rich, like an alfredo.
Heck, it even passed the carnivores’ taste-test — approval at a Superbowl party.
So here’s the recipe for a vegan pasta salad. The best part is that a lot of the ingredients are premade. Enjoy!”
Utensils required: Large bowl, pot for cooking pasta, strainer, spoon, oven, frying pan, stove top
Ingredients:
– 8 oz hummus (if you can track down some roasted red pepper hummus, do it!)
– 8 oz salsa
– 16 oz-bag of frozen broccolli
– 6 tablespoons dijon mustard
– box of multi-colored spiral pasta (I used quinoa pasta, but any regular pasta will do the trick)
– soy sauce
– salt
– pepper
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
– 1 package extra-firm tofu
Time commitment: 15-20 minutes
Steps (serves 8-10):
1. First off, boil the water and take the broccoli out of the freezer.
2. While the broccoli is thawing and the water’s boiling, mix about half the tub of hummus and half of the salsa in a bowl. Add about 6 tablespoons of dijon mustard and a splash of soy sauce. Feel free to stick your finger in this blend and taste. It’s a very flexible recipe — it’s what you want it to taste like, really.
3. As the water bubbles and hisses, follow the directions on the bag of broccoli to bring the frozen sprigs back to life.
4. When the broccoli is done, mix it with the sauce. Add black pepper and salt to taste.
5. Next, cut the tofu length-wise and saute it in a frying pan on medium heat with the olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Once the tofu is firm, add it to the broccoli and sauce mixture.
6. When the water is at a steady, rolling boil, add the pasta. Wait for the pasta to soften (depending upon what kind, the exact length of time should be on the box).
7. With the pasta fully cooked, drain water and strain pasta. Do not rinse.
8. Add pasta to bowl of broccoli-sauce mix. Stir contents.
9. Test it! Add salt, pepper or soy sauce to taste.
10. Put your pasta salad in the fridge and let it cool. You can serve it hot or cold.