As an Italian, one thing I cannot live without is Italian Parmigiana (chicken Parmesan). The delicious golden-brown breading, with the velvety inside, is topped with the perfect ratio of marinara and cheese. I mean, who wouldn’t love that?

It took me a while to create the perfect recipe and even longer to finally step away from traditional processed cheese alternatives. Because let’s face it, cheese is delicious, but it’s also detrimental to your health.

Personally, I prefer to be able to customize my food to my specific dietary needs. I like to know exactly what is in my food, and I find comfort in knowing my meals are organically made; that’s why I created the perfect Cashew-Based Mozzarella Cheese to pair perfectly with this recipe.

So without further ado, I introduce my plant-based and vegan-friendly take on Italian-style pumfu Parmesan. This recipe can be made free from coconut, dairy, gluten, grain, nuts, and soy, and with a few minor tweaks, it can even be whole-food plant-based (see recipe notes for details). It takes 15 minutes to prepare, with an additional 25 minutes for cook time, making four servings.

INGREDIENTS

• Oil of choice (I use cold-pressed avocado oil)
• 8 oz. of Pumfu (I make homemade pumpkin seed tofu alternative)
• 1/4 cup pancake mix or all-purpose flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour)
• 1/2 cup of filtered water
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs (I like Just About Foods’ Organic Chickpea Bread Crumbs)
• 3 tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder (I useAnthony’s Arrowroot Flour)
• 4 tsp. Italian seasoning (divided)
• 2 tsp. grilling chicken seasoning (divided; I use Watkin’s Organic Grilling Chicken Seasoning)
• 1 1/2 tsp. black pepper (divided)
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt (divided)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder (divided)
• 1 tsp. onion powder (divided)
• 1/2 cup of marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup of plant-based mozzarella cheese (I make homemade cashew-based mozzarella cheese)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. As the oven is preheating, prepare the Pumfu by cutting it in half by the block’s width and again by its height, creating four rectangular pieces.
2. Prepare a wet and dry batter in two separate bowls. In the wet batter bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch or arrowroot flour, water, and half of the seasonings (Italian, grilling chicken seasoning, black pepper, salt, garlic, and onion). In the dry bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and the other half of the seasonings.
3. Now, it’s time to bread the pumfu. For this step, I like to set up an assembly line starting with the pumfu, wet batter, dry batter, and a clean plate or pan (I like to cook everything at once). When you’re ready, dip the pumfu into the wet batter (ensure all sides are coated evenly and allow excess batter to drip off), then into the dry batter, shaking off excess breadcrumbs, before placing it on the clean plate or pan.
4. Add oil to the base of a frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is ready, fry the breaded pumfu for roughly 3-5 minutes per side, ensuring a beautiful golden-brown color.
5. When that’s done frying, place the pumfu in a baking dish or pan. Add about two tablespoons of marinara sauce and one ounce of cheese per piece of pumfu before baking for 15 minutes.
6. Serve as a sandwich or on top of your favorite pasta with a beautiful garnish of fresh Italian parsley.

NOTES

• To make whole-food plant-based, make your own marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese (try making my cashew-based mozzarella cheese).
• If you wish to omit the oil, you can make the pumfu using an air fryer or oven. Although I haven’t tried this method, I’d recommend cooking at 400ºF for 10 minutes and then 5 minutes increments until the desired golden color is achieved.

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Italian-Style Pumfu Parmesan

A plant-based and vegan-friendly take on Italian-style pumfu Parmesan. It can be made free from coconut, dairy, gluten, grain, nuts, and soy, and with a few minor tweaks, it can even be whole-food plant-based. It takes 15 minutes to prepare, with an additional 25 minutes for cooking time, and it makes four servings.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Servings 4

Recipe by: Sarena-Rae Santos (The Holistic Hipppie)

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• Oil of choice (I use cold-pressed avocado oil)
• 8 oz. of Pumfu (I make homemade pumpkin seed tofu alternative)
• 1/4 cup pancake mix or all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour)
• 1/2 cup of filtered water
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs (I like Just About Foods’ Organic Chickpea Bread Crumbs)
• 3 tsp. cornstarch or arrowroot powder (I use Anthony’s Arrowroot Flour)
• 4 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp. grilling chicken seasoning (I use Watkin’s Organic Grilling Chicken Seasoning)
• 1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 cup of marinara sauce
• 1/2 cup of plant-based mozzarella cheese (I make homemade cashew-based mozzarella cheese)

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. As the oven is preheating, prepare the Pumfu by cutting it in half by the block’s width and again by its height, creating four rectangular pieces.
• Prepare a wet and dry batter in two separate bowls. In the wet batter bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch or arrowroot flour, water, and half of the seasonings (Italian, grilling chicken seasoning, black pepper, salt, garlic, and onion). In the dry bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and the other half of the seasonings.
• Now, it’s time to bread the pumfu. For this step, I like to set up an assembly line starting with the pumfu, wet batter, dry batter, and a clean plate or pan (I like to cook everything at once). When you’re ready, dip the pumfu into the wet batter (ensure all sides are coated evenly and allow excess batter to drip off), then into the dry batter, shaking off excess breadcrumbs, before placing it on the clean plate or pan.
• Add oil to the base of a frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is ready, fry the breaded pumfu for roughly 3-5 minutes per side, ensuring a beautiful golden-brown color.
• When that’s done frying, place the pumfu in a baking dish or pan. Add about two tablespoons of marinara sauce and one ounce of cheese per piece of pumfu before baking for 15 minutes.
• Serve as a sandwich or on top of your favorite pasta with a beautiful garnish of fresh Italian parsley.

Notes

• To make whole-food plant-based, make your own marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese (try making my cashew-based mozzarella cheese).
• If you wish to omit the oil, you can make the pumfu using an air fryer or oven. Although I haven’t tried this method, I’d recommend cooking at 400ºF for 10 minutes and then 5 minutes increments until the desired golden color is achieved.

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