Thursday, July 16, 2009

Vegan Deviled Eggs ... Yes, I Did!

When I first opened the black salt I'd purchased to make the Tofu Omelet from Vegan Brunch, I was knocked out by the intense smell of deviled eggs. The salt even tastes exactly like those cold yolk-stuffed eggs of Thanksgiving dinners and family reunions gone by. I knew at that moment that I had a mission — to create a vegan deviled egg.

And without further ado, I give you Tofu Deviled "Eggy" Bites:

Yes, I know eggs are egg-shaped, and these cuties are square, but shaping tofu into eggs seems like a waste of good tofu. Who cares what shape they're in if they taste awesome?

The base is plain ole' extra firm tofu, which shares a very similar texture and tastelessness with boiled eggs. The topping is made from silk tofu, black salt, turmeric, pickle relish, red onion, and love. I swear to god, these bites taste just like the real thing — or at least from what I remember. To be honest, I haven't had a deviled egg in over four years, but this is how I remember them tasting.

The recipe is most definitely going in my cookbook's appetizer section, but I'm so proud of this one that I need to share it with the world right now. Here goes ...

Tofu Deviled “Eggy” Bites

Black salt, commonly found at most Indian food markets, is the magical ingredient in these babies. It tastes EXACTLY like eggs, so don't skimp on it. Order it off the Internet if you cannot find any, but don't make these guys without it. I promise it will not be the same.

1 pound extra firm tofu
Half 12.3-ounce package of firm silk tofu (about 1 cup)
1 cup cooked white beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp. vegan mayonnaise (like Vegenaise)
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. black salt (plus about 1 Tbsp. more for spreading on “egg whites”)
1 Tbsp. dill pickle relish
1/2 Tbsp. red onion, very finely minced
Black pepper, to taste
Paprika, for garnish
Fresh chives (optional, for garnish)

Drain water from the extra firm tofu. Wrap in several layers of paper towels and place on a plate. Put something heavy on top, like a jar or book, and allow to press in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

After extra firm tofu is pressed, cut it in half. Then cut each half into four quadrants or squares. Slide a knife on the side of each quadrant to cut three squares from each. In the end, you should have about 24 little squares. If these instructions are too confusing, just cut into bite-sized squares and aim to get about 20 to 24. Set aside.

Place the silk tofu, beans, mayonnaise, mustard, turmeric, and one teaspoon black salt into a food processor. Process for about a minute or until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in relish, onion, and black pepper. Set aside.

Pour the other tablespoon of black salt into a small bowl. Using your fingertip, rub a touch of black salt on each white firm tofu square. Top each square with a dollop (about one teaspoon) of the yellow silk tofu mixture.

Sprinkle with paprika and top with chives.

Makes about 24 bites.

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80 comments:

Laura said...

Bianca those look crazy good! I have actually thought about veganizing deviled eggs before...I am glad you did all the hard work for me :) These will be a big hit a my next family gathering, I am certain!!

Jenni (aka Vegyogini) said...

Bianca, I already knew you were one rockin' vegan, but I just raised your pedestal up another zillion feet. I've been waiting so long for someone to veganize deviled eggs! I don't think I've had one for, oh, 15+ years. I need to get some of that black salt!

Jan Scholl said...

I can taste these at 2AM. If only I could find the black salt locally. Whole Foods wanted over $20 for what looked like a tablespoon. Is there a place to get it with free shipping online? I would buy more spices etc if I could find a good source. Living in boring town is no fun for veggies.

nora said...

How adorable! I like that they're square. It's the vegan spin on it!

Sal - AlienOnToast said...

those look great, i just ordered some black salt as well!! thanks for posting the recipe.

Mary said...

So cute! I love plain, raw tofu. I totally eat it straight out of the container.

jessy said...

BIANCA!!!!!

imagine me hugging you right now! it's a big squeeze and i'm telling you that you're the absolute best! ever! i have been so sadfaced, missing deviled eggs - something my mom made and i guess i just assumed they really weren't veganizable. i guessed wrong! you are too awesome and i puffy heart you the most for sharing the recipe with us! i need to find black salt and you better believe that i'm running out today after work on a black salt mission! you just made my friday all that more glorious! thank you + one million! superw00t!

Lisa said...

Bianca, this is brilliant! And cute! I've got to get some black salt now.

Anonymous said...

That is AWESOME Bianca!!!

Tara said...

Now I HAVE to find black salt. This is absolutely brilliant! I am so impressed, and thank you for this recipe!

Mihl said...

Those look amazing! I need to start experimenting with my jar of black salt, too.

T said...

Not only are those adorable, but they aren't going to give you food poisoning if they sit in the sun too long! :P

I know a lot of picnic-goers who are going to be thrilled by this one!

Leslie Richman said...

Oh my gosh! I am super excited about this!

Anonymous said...

Am I the only one trying to figure out how to make these for Veganstock? You are a genius!

Anonymous said...

You are a genious! I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am about this recipe. I used to love deviled eggs. I am definitely getting some black salt ASAP and making these!

Jenny said...

This looks amazing and sounds amazing! wonderful job! I will be making these for sure sometime soon :) thank u!

Anonymous said...

these are brilliant!

Jenn said...

Yum! I adore deviled "tofu." Black salt rules!

Unknown said...

OMG I cannot wait. I want to try these. I guess I need to find black salt. These look yummy!!

Rose said...

Cool recipe, very creative...I never liked deviled eggs even in my pregan days...it wasn't the taste that I didn't like, but rather the idea of them. But I think I'm gonna give these a try. Thanks for sharing your creative talents.

Anonymous said...

this is a great appetizer. I always disliked eggs but I think I would just make the filling of this and spread it on bread or something even if it is tofu it would be disguised so I can eat it:) Will have to order some black salt online as I have given up searching here.

vegan.in.brighton said...

Awesome! I'm loving black salt at the mo' , I've been using it in a tofu egg mayo recipe and it makes it so much better.

For the Love of Guava said...

Popped over from Shellyfish! OMG! Vegan Deviled Eggs?! Seriously a gift to the world! Your cookbook's going to be awesome!

thedalyn said...

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I love deviled eggs and I've been thinking about tackling a vegan version. With baby and dissertation and everything else, it's nice to have it done for me...Can't wait to try this!

Theresa said...

Almost everyone I know has had a negative experience with devilled eggs, where they ate far too many and got vurry sick. Somehow I expect you could eat loads of your tofu devils and not have the same effect. These look so great!

Jenna said...

OH Fabulous! Thank you for this! I loved the taste of deviled eggs- one of the few egg dishes I actually liked and kinda miss. I'm sure this will be EVEN BETTER!

Tofu Mom (AKA Tofu-n-Sprouts) said...

Ohmygosh - This is SO FUNNY!!! I did exactly the same thing when I first discovered "Black Salt" four or five years ago!! (long before I had a blog or thought to write these things down.) My "yolks" also use a little bit of garbanzo puree to add more of the mealy "yolk" texture. But yeah, perfect use for the stuff. YUM-O!!
(I LOVE LOVE LOVE black salt! It works in so MANY different dishes really - Makes tofu into AWESOME and very authentic "egg-salad" too by the way)

The Voracious Vegan said...

You will be forever hailed as a vegan hero for this one, my dear! I can't wait to try this great idea! Now I just have to track down that black salt...

Gina said...

Sounds like I need to get my grubby little mits on some black salt!! I was just thinking yesterday about how much I used to LOVE deviled eggs.

miss v said...

judging by all the comments, you are some sort of vegan superwoman. i knew this, of course. can i add to your praises? YOU ROCK my little vegan world! i soooo cannot wait to make these.

Anonymous said...

They look amazing!!! I still haven't tried to make any egg creations with tofu. I guess you could say I'm a little scared! You've inspired me though.

Peanut Butter Swirl said...

wow this sounds amazing!!
I loved that you used tofu!

dreaminitvegan said...

Wow, I need to try this out on my husband because he LOVES deviles eggs. hmmmmmm.

Cyn said...

Whoa. You are out of control, lady. I am totally making these.

Mike K said...

Wow, this is a fabulous idea! I loved deviled eggs as a kid - I'm finally buying that black salt next time I go to the local Asian market - can't wait to try these!

Sheridan said...

YAY!!! You did it! I can't wait to try them!

April said...

So exciting! I will try them very soon.

The Vegan Snorkeler said...

THANK YOU, Bianca! I've weirdly missed the taste of deviled eggs, even though I haven't eaten them since forever. I'm totally going to try to make these as soon as I get my hands on some black salt.

The Vegan Snorkeler said...

THANK YOU, Bianca! I've weirdly missed the taste of deviled eggs, even though I haven't eaten them since forever. I'm totally going to try to make these as soon as I get my hands on some black salt.

Vegan In The VI said...

This is a truly epic post in the world of vegan blogging. Right up there with Vegan Yum Yum's cupcakes and Don't Eat Off The Sidewalk's Tempeh Wingz.

MeloMeals said...

Yum! Black salt is really amazing..

Jen Treehugger said...

I'm another one who's recently discovered the magic of Black Salt. This recipe looks soo soo good.
You're a star.
:)

Erin said...

You went and did what I've been wanting to do for a long, long time. Very nice! Can't wait to try it.

James said...

If you live in Japan, you can order a very generous bag of black salt for about 150円 from Indojin.com

This recipe looks great, Ima try it tonight.

Virginia said...

thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!!!!!!!!!

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Awesome! I think you should note that black salt isn't actually black, it's pink! There's a fancy finishing salt called black salt that costs a ton & isn't the same!

Jenny said...

Fun! Gonna try these!

Susan G said...

That is brilliant - one of the things I have missed!

Bethany said...

now I'm in trouble. I just sent this link to my husband, who was a deviled egg freak before we went vegan. you just made his day :)

Leandra said...

Omg thank you so much for posting this!! Before going vegan I used to looooove deviled eggs. They were one of my favorite foods, and one that I miss the most. I guess it's time for me to finally go track down some black salt!

Julia said...

You can get free shipping until the end of August on black salt from here: http://www.saltworks.us/shop/product.asp?idProduct=207

I mashed tofu and added diced celery to the recipe to make egg salad instead. As a sandwich, it was fantastic.

Jenn said...

You are SO smart. Bring these babies to Nashville!

-Hello Veggie

Anonymous said...

I made these with a few modifications. I didn't have silk tofu or relish. Instead I used extra vegenaise and some horseradish. I've always thought horseradish was eggy and they turned out great! next time i'll try them with the relish and silk tofu to compare.

Lisa said...

I am SO excited to make these! Seriously, just last week my company had a potluck, and I looked at the deviled eggs, sighed because I used to adore them, and thought to myself, "That is one thing that just can't be veganized." Thank you for making me eat my words! I live right near a Penzeys (for the black salt), and once I have some people to serve these to, it's ON. If you were making these to bring somewhere, would you transport the squares and topping separately, then assemble on site?

Again, THANK YOU. I've been sending this link to everyone and their brother. :)

Anonymous said...

Creative. Beautiful. Simply awesome!

Bravo!

Faith

Veg-In-Training said...

You are now my hero! This month for MOFO I'm veganizing family favorites. My friend just DOUBLE DOG DARED me to veganize her late hubby's recipe. I'm going to use yours as a base (his is a tad different) I'll make sure to give you the plug on my bloggy.

Thanks!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Bianca, I'm def trying these! Hey. I have a new recipe for 'vegan sunny side up eggs'. I'd like to collaborate with you on the final recipe. This black salt might be a necc ingredient. Please email me.
rocky@shepheardillustration.com
Thanks and thanks for the great recipe.
Rocky Shepheard

Anonymous said...

Amazing! I thought deviled eggs were just something you can't vegenize.. guess I was wrong. =D

Anonymous said...

We were trying to think of how to make devilled eggs, too. We got most of the ingredients but we didn't know black salt. My mom wanted to find black salt for an Indian chat. We're going to make this for our (vegan) staff potluck with a HOT theme. I suggested "Hell" and my mom told me about devilled eggs (i've always been vegan so I didnlt know). - Ian, just turned 8.

lauren said...

it's easter. i made your deviled egg recipe thinking it might turn out ok, but they turned out amazing! you are awesome. this is the first recipe i've tried from your site, and now i'm looking forward to trying more!

Tea Rex said...

Oh my gosh these look amazing. I have wanted to make vegan deviled eggs for the LONGEST time and now you have saved me the trouble!

And by the way . . . I love the Vegan Brunch book :)

Meg said...

Thank you for this amazing recipe! My husband and I just went vegan last fall and so I can attest that these do taste and feel AMAZINGLY like the "real" thing -- but better :D They've been a real hit with non-vegan friends, too!

The chives are good for garnish, but I prefer green olives and pimientos (along with the paprika). Reminds me of so many family holiday meals where we had deviled eggs except these are yummier, healthier, and cruelty-free -- and no eggs to peel!!!

Meg said...

I always end up with WAAAAAAAAY more of the "yolk" than I need. Is this normal? It still tastes great, but I hate to see it go to waste.

Is it possible to freeze the yolk mix?

Talula said...

These look so yummy! Brilliant! Can't wait to bring them to a cookout!

Delcianna said...

great recipe, thanks! I made them today for a potluck. I used garbanzo beans though b/c I saw another recipe with those and they struck me a more egg-y for some reason.

Unknown said...

Oh. my. god. Ever since going vegan, deviled eggs has been one of the dairy foods I've missed most. Thank you thank you thank you for posting this recipe!

Anonymous said...

Canned white beans or freshley cooked?

Button Soup said...

Very interesting, although extra firm tofu sounds a bit too firm for imitating boiled egg, maybe just firm would be closer?

MamaJolley said...

I have a way better recipe than silly ole tofu!!:

Deby’s Vegan Deviled “Eggs” (Potatoes)

7 new potatoes (egg size-ish)
2 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped sweet pickle
Salt and Pepper
*a dash turmeric is optional for yellow color
Paprika for dusting at the end

Boil eggs until fork tender. Cut 6 of them in half; peel the 7th. Use a melon-baller to scoop out the centers of the 12 potato halves. Mash the scooped out bits along with the 7th potato and mix in all remaining ingredients except paprika. Fill each half with a scoop of the yellow mixture. Dust with paprika, and enjoy!!

Obviously you can use your favorite family recipe for deviled eggs, using the same technique. You can peel the potato halves if you want to, but it’s not necessary. The taste and texture are extremely satisfying to a vegan who has been craving this holiday staple.

Pic is at: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3456/3817772083_06584e90df.jpg

Anonymous said...

I make something similar to this. I use a firm tofu base but instead of silken tofu middle, I used mashed avocado with veganaise, nutritional yeast, mustard, and a little bid of crumbled firm tofu (because I liked a chunky center). It was very delicious. Maybe it's just me, but when you mix avocado and veganaise, it taste just like a yolk.

Anonymous said...

I wish these were as good as they look. For me it just didn't do anything. I followed the recipe exact and it just tasted odd, like turmeric and mustard. The consistency of the middle was too slimy not that pastey feel like real deviled eggs I think I'll try using potato recipe next time.

Corinne said...

Oh. My. GODDESS these are amazing!!! I just made them, with only one substitution- I used onion powder instead of minced red onion, simply because that's how I used to make them in my pre-vegan days. :) But OH are they delicious! I used a piping bag to pipe the mixture on top of the tofu squares, and added a dash of extra paprika on top. SOOO good! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have been craving deviled eggs for YEARS and now I can finally enjoy them compassionately. <3

TroyW said...

Lol. You should just use my cage free vegan-fed happy chicken eggs.

Jami said...

You are too awesome! I am 19 and I've been a vegetarian for about 5 years and wanted to go vegan. I WAS waiting until the holidays were over because I wanted to do it right and I thought starting out around holiday time when there were so many yummy things to eat would be so hard. Now I will be switching to vegan this week.

Can't wait to try these.
Jami

Jenn said...

Bianca, I'm only now coming across your page & I'm so excited to make some of your recipes (and am looking forward to your cookbook!). I just bought some black salt myself - it does taste exactly like deviled eggs, it's insane. Thanks for this recipe!

Erin said...

Bianca, these are SO AWESOME. Thank you so much for posting the recipe - they're going to our Easter celebration today!

One question though - in the recipe ingredients 1/2t of black salt is specified, but in the directions it's 1t that's placed in the food processor.

I did 1/2t, and thought it was plenty eggy for my tastes, but just curious what you decided.

Thanks again!

Bianca said...

Hey Erin! The other 1/2 teaspoon is spread on the white tofu eggs, just to give it a super eggy flavor. But sounds like they were fine without it. I may have made a typo on the recipe here though. I'll check it out! Thanks for letting me know.

Sherri - PDX Yogini said...

These are awesome! I'd totally missed them on your site. Using a cookie/food cutter would be awesome, like the little plum blossom one I've been using for shaped daikon (the dog and I just eat the bits or I make stock with it). You could make a little tofu salad up with the bits cut off.

Mike said...

I agree who cares what there shaped like as long as they taste awesome. I like how you show people that you can eat tasty food as a vegan and your not as limited as peolpe think.

Anonymous said...

Here is a place to get your black salt that is owned by a caring company!

http://www.frontiercoop.com/products.php?ct=spicesaz&cn=Kala+Namak+Sea+Salt