Vegan Spicy Tuna Snack Plate

This vegan spicy tuna snack plate is the perfect appetizer for your next party! A bed of vegan spicy tuna, made from shredded tofu and loaded with Asian-inspired flavor, topped with a medley of cucumbers, scallions, and sesame seeds. This recipe is satisfying, refreshing, and absolutely delicious. Pop this baby on the table with your favorite rice crackers and your guests will be crawling back for more!

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HOW TO MAKE VEGAN TUNA OUT OF TOFU

Now I’m sure the idea of making tuna out of tofu leaves you a bit skeptical. But trust me, tofu, if cooked and seasoned correctly, is an amazing substitute for tuna! It’s just about creating the right texture and flavor.

TEXTURE

First, let’s talk about texture. Tuna has a bit of a chew to it and is often served shredded or in small minced pieces. To recreate this aspect, you will shred the tofu. Simply use a cheese grater and shred the block of tofu as you would a block of cheese.

The second step in recreating the texture of tuna is done in a skillet. Add the tofu to a non-stick skillet with olive oil and soy sauce and simply sauté over medium heat for about 15 minutes. This will pull out the moisture and lightly brown the tuna, creating an amazing texture and mouth feel!

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SEAFOOD FLAVOR

Now that you have created the perfect textured tofu, the flavor is the other half of the equation. Recreating a seafood or tuna flavor is actually more simple than you would imagine. Simply add nori flakes, lemon, dijon mustard, and salt. Lemon and dijon add a bit of acidity and brightness to the tofu. Salt, of course adds salt to the dish, and seafood is always a touch salty. Nori flakes, which are seaweed flakes, is the absolute key to building seafood flavor. The addition of nori flakes gives the tofu that seafood, ocean flavor. You can find nori flakes online or often in the Asian isle at the grocery store.

ASIAN-INSPIRED FLAVOR

Now that you understand how to turn tofu into vegan tuna, it’s time to turn it into spicy tuna. Spicy tuna, often served at Asian establishments and making an appearance in sushi, is popular for a reason…it’s delicious! To create vegan spicy tuna simply combine vegan mayo, soy sauce, sriracha, and toasted sesame oil. That’s it!

Not spicy enough? Add more sriracha.

For this recipe, I used Follow Your Heart vegan mayo. This brand is absolutely delicious and is often my personal go-to.

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LIGHT AND REFRESHING

Tofu, although packed with protein and super satisfying, is already a pretty light ingredient. But to add flavor and lighten this dish a bit more, you will be topping the recipe with a refreshing mixture of diced cucumber, thinly sliced scallions, and sesame seeds. Delicious!

ADDING IN OMEGAS WITH HEMP SEEDS

A huge reason people love to include fish in their diet is due to the nutrition that fish has to offer. Among the most popular benefits of fish are its high levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. But the good news is you can skip the fish without skipping these health benefits with a simple addition of hemp seed.

HEMP SEED

Hemp seed is an incredible addition to any meal. But it is particularly great to add to vegan seafood dishes. Like seafood, it contains omega-3, omega-6 fatty acids, and high levels of antioxidants! This is great news for your overall health. These nutrients help lower blood pressure and reduce the rest of heart disease and stroke. They also help protect against free radicals, protecting you from chronic inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions. Fatty acids are also beneficial for your skin and hair health.

In addition to healthy fatty acids and high levels of antioxidants, hemp seed is also a great source of protein, offering around 10 grams of protein per serving.

LOADED WITH PROTEIN

As mentioned above, the addition of hemp brings a healthy dose of protein to this dish. Combine hemp with tofu, and now you are really in business!

TOFU

Tofu, which is made from bean curd, is an excellent source of plant based protein. Tofu offers over 8 grams of complete protein per serving! It provides all nine of the essential amino acids we need for growth, repair, and overall health and function.

In addition to being an excellent source of vegan protein, tofu provides protective plant compounds, may support hearth health and manage cholesterol!

USE PERSIAN CUCUMBERS

Persian Cucumbers, also known as mini seedless cucumbers are hands down always my cucumber of choice these days. Although I passed over them for years in the produce isle, once I tried them I never went back. Why? Because of their texture! Due to their smaller size, Persian cucumbers tend to have a much crisper bite than other cucumbers. Even when they are tossed in a dressing, these babies tend to keep their crunch for days.

Yes, you can substitute any cucumber for this recipe…but like I said above, Persian cucumbers are my fav.

RICE CRACKERS

This recipe would be excellent served with any cracker, sliced bread, or chip. But going with a rice cracker really drives home that Asian-inspired flavor. For this recipe I went with Asian Gourmet sesame rice crackers, but any rice cracker will do the trick!

VEGAN APPETIZER FOR A PARTY

This recipe was created to serve as a vegan appetizer for a party. We all love a good hummus dip, but wouldn’t it be nice to have more options for my plant-based eaters?! This is a perfect recipe to mix things up and satisfy vegans AND carnivores! You can plate this as shown, so your guests can scoop some onto their snack plates or you can top each cracker ahead of time with the vegan spicy tuna and cucumber medley.

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PERFECT LIGHT LUNCH PLATE

This vegan spicy tuna snack plate makes the perfect appetizer for a gathering or dinner party. But it is also a fantastic light lunch. Many of us work from a desk and love to nibble throughout our day. This recipe is the perfect candidate for just that! Pair with a nice serving of veggies, a bowl of miso soup, or toss over a bed of greens and you will have created the perfect light lunch plate!

PERFECT FOR MEAL PREP

This vegan spicy tuna snack plate is the perfect candidate for meal prep as well! Make a batch or two at the beginning of the week and you will be set up for a protein rich snack or light meal for days! You can toss the spicy vegan tuna and cucumber medley into a taco shell or tortilla with a bit of avocado and can make a whole new meal out of it! This recipe is also fantastic tossed over rice for a more filling lunch or dinner option. Sky is the limit!