Freezable Vegan Food

[catsofa]

Apologies for making two separate threads, but I wasn't sure meat eaters would look much at a vegan thread and vegans probably wouldn't look at a meat thread, and I need both and can't think how to condense that into a readable title!

I'm defrosting my small freezer. I've recently started calorie counting to try to lose some weight, and I need to use the freezer more effectively than I have. Been eating frozen prepared stuff but I'm sure I could be making lower calorie (and nicer!) stuff myself.

Looking for recipes for the protein part of a meal so I can easily boil potatoes, get salad out of a bag and combine with something defrosted so I have a load of easy, healthy meals to hand.

Veggie/vegan stuff tends to be lower calorie, plus I have vegan friends for casual meals every now and then so need at least some vegan options in there (NB this is feeding after a day out or whatever, they don't expect dinner party food, just something like I'd normally have).

Anyone got any good bean burger recipes, or anything else veggie/vegan that would freeze well?

Also can anyone tell me about freezing tofu - can I just cut it up, marinate it etc and then freeze it? I'm thinking how to be able to easily do a vegan stir fry from the freezer as currently it would need a special supermarket trip to find tofu (I would usually already have the veg).

Dhal freezes really well.
Lentil soup.

No idea re freezing tofu, sorry. Doesn't the texture go weird?

The texture may well go weird, that's why I'm asking. "Wrong" soya goes very wrong, doesn't it?

OF COURSE, I can make loads of vegan curry type things can't I, they'd freeze fine and there are loads I like. Thanks!

Chilli, pasta sauce, curry, shepherds pie made with soya mince and/or green lentils, bolognaise sauce likewise.

Yes you can freeze tofu. It's better in many ways as less waterlogged, spongier (you squeeze it out when you thaw and it's quite rubbery and porous) so takes up marinade better and the pieces don't disintegrate when stirred.

We just chuck packets of plain tofu in the freezer and marinade quickly on thawing, then fry gently in the marinade until brown, before adding to the stir fry near the end.

You can buy ready-marinaded too of course.

lottiegarbanzo - do you marinate tofu in soya sauce?

As lottiegarbanzo says re freezing tofu although I don't like silken tofu frozen when using in a dessert as it doesn't whip as smooth as non frozen.

I freeze a lot of vegan food, usually in the small chinese boxes. I always have a stash of chili, curry, dahl, pasta recipes and loads of soup. In our house if you stand long enough I'll freeze you!

Our standard marinade is soy sauce, wine or cider vinegar and/or lemon or lime juice, ginger, garlic and chilli. You can include oil in the marinade so it permeates and cooks in it's own juices, or use it separately in the pan.

I recently cooked the cajun spiced black bean and sweet potato burgers from the Tinned Tomatoes food blog.They were delicious and do freeze well.

www.tinnedtomatoes.com/2013/05/cajun-spiced-black-bean-and-sweet.html#.U1Jm9GanzMJ