Creamy vegan dishes. (Vegan Cooking Tips).

The secret to a creamy, fast, and delicious dinner is the combination of silken-style tofu and a good blender. Want to make creamy' soups or sauces? No problem. When you use tofu, you won't have the problems associated with dairy cooking, such as the milk curdling or flour clumping in the sauce.

SOUP'S ON

To make fast creamy vegan soups, you'll need silken tofu, condensed canned soup, a blender, and a stove. Place the can of soup in the blender. Use tofu for half the amount of water or milk called for on the can. Use water or soymilk for the other half of the liquid. Blend until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into a pot, heat gently, stirring, until hot and bubbly. If you can't locate vegan condensed canned soup, you can use any vegan canned soup (such as those from IMAGINE FOODS, WESTBRAE, HAIN FOODS, etc.) and instead of using tofu for half the amount of water or milk called for on the can, use tofu for 1/4 of the amount of water or milk.

If you don't want to use canned soup, or if you have leftover cooked vegetables, you can make your own "signature" soup. Puree 1 cup of cooked vegetables, such as frozen mixed vegetables or cooked carrots, celery, and onions. Add 1/2 cup silken tofu and 1/2 cup water. Blend until combined. Add mixture to a pot, heat, and stir. Add seasonings, such as pepper, dried garlic, dried onion, sage, tarragon, or basil for flavor.

Creamy corn chowder is easy. Puree 1 cup of drained, canned or cooked frozen cut corn with 1 cup of tofu. Saute 1/4 cup chopped onions and 1 clove of garlic. Combine and heat, adding white pepper, 1/4 cup chopped celery, and some diced cooked potatoes. You can add some more cooked, not pureed corn, if you would like more "chew" to your soup.

GET SAUCY ...

To make a creamy tomato sauce, use tomato puree, tofu, and tomato juice or vegetable juice cocktail. Puree and heat. Cover firm tofu with creamy tomato sauce and bake for a fast entree. Add chopped tomatoes and cooked beans to creamy tomato sauce and you have an entree sauce that you can serve over pasta, potatoes, or even toasted French bread.

THE REST IS JUST GRAVY

To make a creamy mushroom gravy, use vegan canned mushroom soup, tofu, and water. Prepare as described above. While heating the gravy, add canned or fresh sliced mushrooms. Serve over baked potatoes, baked or steamed tofu (you can heat tofu in the microwave for a fast dish), rice, or pasta.

DON'T LEAVE THOSE LEFTOVERS

Leftover baby food veggies? Blend pureed spinach with tofu and a bit of water. While heating and stirring, add garlic, chopped basil, and diced pine nuts, and you'll have a fast pesto. Don't make a face; it's good! Pureed carrots and tofu make a golden sauce that can be spiced up with ginger, cloves, and pineapple and served over sweet potatoes, couscous, or jasmine rice.