Creamy Pea and Smoky 'Bacon' Penne

First, prepare the tofu bacon lardons. Press the tofu in a tofu press - the drier the tofu, the better. Put the cornflour (25 g), smoked paprika (2 tbsp), garlic powder (1 tsp) and smoked salt (1 tsp) into a mixing bowl and mix together with a fork. Add the smoked firm tofu (450 g) cubes to the bowl and roll in the dry mix, making sure they’re well covered. Transfer the tofu lardons to a plate. Drizzle the maple syrup (2 tbsp) and soy sauce (2 tbsp) over the prepared tofu cubes and set to one side.

Time to cook. Cook the penne (400 g) according to packet instructions (approx 9 minutes in salted boiling water). Warm the olive oil (1 tbsp) in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the tofu cubes to the pan and gently stir for 8-9 minutes until the tofu has warmed through and the coating is developing a crunchy crust. Start 9m timer

Make the sauce. Add the vegan cream (200 ml) and vegan cream cheese (3 tbsp) to the pan, stir and bring to a very gentle simmer. Add the garden peas (200 g) and the pasta to the pan and fold them into the pan to combine (add a little pasta water to loosen the sauce if needs be). Taste the sauce and season to perfection with [salt and pepper] (lots of pepper!).

Time to serve. Spoon the Creamy Pea and Smokey Bacon Penne into bowls. Garnish with parsley (10 g), nutritional yeast (10 g), black pepper and serve immediately with a simple mixed leaf salad.