Vegetarian Journal's Foodservice Update
Healthy Tips and Recipes for Institutions
Volume X, Number 4     Autumn 2002

Food Service Hotline

Question: Let’s say I’ve got the tempeh chops and the Tofurky Roasts all ready to serve my vegan customers. They tell me that they really crave “creamy” sauces to go with their grilled vegetable brochettes or their mushroom “steaks.” How can I make a healthy “creamy” sauce for my dishes?

Answer: Make soft or silken tofu your friend! You can create “creamy” sauces by blending (in a blender or food processor) soft or silken tofu with the flavorings you desire. For example, blend tofu with prepared tomato sauce for a creamy pasta sauce. Purée sautéed or steamed mushrooms and sautéed onions with tofu for a creamy mushroom sauce. Add lemon, garlic, and cracked black pepper for a “piccata” sauce, or chopped cucumber, tomato, and onion for a “gazpacho” sauce.

Creamy dessert sauces can be made by blending tofu with orange juice concentrate and vanilla extract, or strawberries, orange juice concentrate, and ginger, or blueberries along with a hint of banana and orange zest. These sauces will keep up to three days in the refrigerator. They may need a brief, vigorous whisk to get them creamy after reheating. If you have a little more time, you can use cornstarch to make a thin, but creamy-looking sauce. Mix cornstarch with a small amount of cold water and then add to warm stock or juice. For example, a cornstarch slurry can be added to simmering tomato juice. As it cooks (and you stir) your “creamy” tomato sauce will become thick and opaque. You can do the same thing with orange or pineapple juice and a cornstarch slurry.

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Excerpts from the Autumn 2002 Issue:

Making Non-Vegetarian Dishes Vegan-Friendly

by Nancy Berkoff, EdD, RD, CCE

Food Service Hotline

Many Shades of Tofu

Vegetarian Quantity Recipes

Miso Tofu Brochettes with Pineapple

Three-Berry Frozen Tofu Custard

Tofu Sour Cream

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Thanks to volunteer Stephanie Schueler for converting this article to HTML.

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