Eggless Vegan “Egg" Salad and Kala Namak

I have a client who is very fond of egg salad.  He recently turned toward a vegan diet, so I have been dreaming up different recipes for him. I’m not the first or last person to create an eggless“egg” salad out of tofu,  but I think I’ve found the key ingredient for making it taste like an egg salad. I’ve sampled a few versions at some natural food markets and have found them to be bland and not at all eggy.  The key ingredient to eggy success is a salt called “Kala Namak” or “Indian Black Salt” (not to be confused with Hawaiian Black Salt).

I first read about Kala Namak when I stumbled on a blog post by two vegans who had crafted the perfect vegan deviled “egg”.  They talked about this particular salt and how it has a unique sulfuric quality that puts the egg back into“egg” salad-vegan style.  I’ve been meaning to make their deviled eggs; but I haven’t had the time. My recipe can be made in 5 minutes (after pressing the tofu for 10 minutes to release any excessive amount of water.
Make sure that you buy organic and/or non-GMO tofu.  Soy is one of the BIG BAD four on the list of genetically modified crops.  There is a lot of debate in the vegan world about eating or abstaining from soy.  I eat a conservative amount, and always organic.   I don’t recommend eating excessive amounts.   Lunch today is a scoop of this egg salad over a ginormous mountain of greens and vegetables-moderate soy amount and lotsa tasty, good-for-you raw veggies!
You can vary ingredients according to your personal taste. I added a couple of teaspoons of raw agave nectar and some extra mustard to mimic that sweet and sour flavor that you might get from adding pickle relish.  Tumeric adds a pretty pale yellow color.  If you want less of an eggy flavor, substitute a little sea salt for some of the Kala Namak.  This salad is particularly good topped with a dusting of smoked paprika!


Ingredients

• 1 each 12-14 ounce package of Extra Firm Organic Tofu
• 1/3-1/2 cup of Vegenaise  (vegan mayonnaise-buy the organic if it is available)
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp Dijon Mustartd
• 2 tsp Raw Agave Nectar
• ½ tsp ground Tumeric
• ¾ tsp Kala Namak (Indian Black Salt)
• ¼ tsp. Ground Pepper
• ¼ cup finely chopped Celery
• 1 Green Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped Parsley

Optional Ingredients

• Chopped Red Onion
• Shredded Carrots
• Organic Pickle Relish
• Chopped Dill
• Smoked Paprika

Method

• Line a plate with a paper towel. Place tofu on top and cover with another paper towel.  Place something heavy such as a heavy-bottomed pan or grill press on top for 10 minutes to bleed out excess water
• In bowl, combine the Vegenaise, Dijon Mustard, Agave Nectar, Tumeric, Kala Namak and Pepper.
• Crumble in Tofu and mix well.
• Add Celery, Green Onion and Parsley
• You can adjust creaminess by adding more Vegenaise.  I like to sprinkle my egg salad with a little smoked paprika and parsley

And triathlon training today–trying to hone (read “develop”) my bike skills so I will be out on the roads.  Next up is the Olympic distance ITU race held right in San Diego–exciting!!