Somehow, without intending, I’ve started working my way through the process of veganizing all of the restaurant dishes I served people while I was in college. Maybe not all of them. I’ve yet to figure out how to veganize prime rib, and yes, I served lots of prime rib back then, even though I was a vegetarian. The idea behind scampi is pretty simple: garlic, butter, lemon and white wine sauce. Of course I’d want to eat that without the shrimp! This version skips the butter too, using olive oil instead. You could probably use vegan butter in place of olive oil if you wanted. I bet it’d be delicious. Quick confession before you make this: I have no idea what shrimp tastes like. I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten one, but artichoke hearts have a seafoody feel to me, so I decided to go with them. My husband tells me they don’t taste like shrimp, but definitely satisfy whatever quality shrimp gives the original version of this dish, and that’s good enough for me.
The tofu is in there for protein, and also just because I love the taste and texture of pan-fried tofu with a squeeze of lemon. If you’re not feeling the tofu thing, go ahead and use extra artichoke hearts, or throw in your favorite green veggie instead. Broccoli or asparagus would be delicious in this. This dish comes together pretty easily, but you’ll need to cook your ingredients in stages. First pan-fry the tofu. Next, out with the tofu and in with the artichoke hearts. Then the artichoke hearts come out and you simmer your sauce ingredients: garlic, white wine and lemon juice.
Back in with the tofu and artichoke hearts, and in with some pasta and seasonings. Toss everything together.
And that’s it! Dig in.
Tips for Making Delicious Vegan Scampi
Check Barnivore to ensure your white wine is vegan. For extra seafoody flavor, try adding some dulse flakes. Watch out, because something crazy happend last time I made this: my garlic turned blue! (You can even see this in the pics and video if you look close enough.) Apparently this is totally normal. For extra texture, try freezing your tofu before cooking it.
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