Vegan Smoked Gouda Grilled Cheese
Servings: 2 grilled cheeses
Equipment
- knife and cutting board
- griddle pan
- non-stick pan
Ingredients
Crispy Pan-Fried Tofu
- 4 extra-firm tofu slices, ¼ of an inch thick (2 pieces per sandwich)
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
- 2 tablespoons almond flour
- ½ teaspoon garlic granules or powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt of choice (iodized, kosher, Himalayan, etc.)
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon black pepper
- drizzle of avocado oil for the griddle pan
Grilled Cheese
- 4 pieces of carbonaut seeded gluten-free bread
- 2 slices of vegan smoked gouda cheese (1 slice per sandwich)
- vegan pesto of choice (I used Seggiano's)
- beefsteak or campari tomato, thinly sliced
- red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- First, press tofu for 5 minutes if necessary (if tofu is packaged in excess water, it will need to be pressed lightly just to release excess water, we still want the tofu to be just slightly damp to the touch). After pressing, cut the tofu block in half. Place one half on it's side and cut into equal fourths (possibly thirds if the tofu is pre-pressed and is on the smaller side). Save the other half for later, or double the tofu batter ingredients and prepare the whole block. * click the link in the notes section for the full crispy tofu recipe if needed
- Next, add arrowroot, almond flour, garlic, salt, and pepper to a shallow bowl and whisk until combined. Add a piece of tofu to the bowl and coat both sides with the flour and spice mix. Repeat until all pieces are coated.
- Warm a griddle on medium-low heat. Once warm add a splash of avocado oil to the pan. Place tofu slices onto the griddle and leave undisturbed for 5 minutes, then flip and repeat. Remove from the griddle and set aside.
- Warm a non-stick skillet on medium-low heat and add two pieces of bread (for two grilled cheeses, if making one, just add one piece of bread). Add a slice of gouda cheese to each, then top each with two pieces of crispy tofu. Next add tomato slices and red onion as desired. For the last layer, add about a tablespoon of pesto to two other pieces of bread and top the sandwiches with such.
- Flip once the cheese is melted and the bread is golden. Let the other side cook until golden, remove from heat, and enjoy!
Notes
If you don't have a griddle for the crispy tofu, feel free to use a skillet. The taste is still delicious and it gets crisp (just a slightly different level of crisp occurs with the griddle).
Vegan & GF store-bought smoked gouda options;
- Follow Your Heart smoked gouda
- Violife smoked gouda round slices
- Seggiano's raw basil pesto (available at Whole Foods)
- Gotham Greens vegan pesto
- Trader Joe's vegan kale, cashew, and basil pesto
- Do Anything kale pesto and beet pesto (store locator here)