Posts Tagged Tofu

My Favorite Vegan Breakfast

The title of this post is misleading.  This is my favorite *savory* breakfast. By far.  However, oatmeal is really high on the list of favorite breakfasts list too.  Anyway.

Tofu Scramble

Scrambled tofu is delicious. Think of it as the vegans answer to scrambled eggs.  Only most of the time vegetables are added and it’s seasoned with more than just the salt and pepper your dad used when he made Sunday morning breakfasts*.

Also, you can save leftover scrambled tofu and warm it up in the microwave and it tastes awesome.  Perfect for busy mornings during the week!

Try doing that with scrambled eggs.

It’s as quick as you want it to be, as nutritious as you want it to be, and as cheap as you want it to be.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s versatile.

Yup.  That’s the word I was looking for.

Tofu Scramble

You can make a simple scrambled tofu by crumbling some tofu (always the water packed kind, never the shelf-stable cartons, please) into a skillet with some earth balance, adding some salt and pepper, a splash of soymilk for creaminess, and maybe some nutritional yeast.

But my favorite scrambled tofu usually is seasoned well and filled with vegetables.

To make it, I usually start by heating a pan over medium heat with a bit of oil in it.  Next I add some onion, and if I’m feeling into it, some minced garlic.  Then add some diced carrots.  I saute it for just a minute or two, not long enough for it to brown.

Next, I add in any softer vegetables I’m in the mood for (read: whatever is in the fridge).  Here I used some zucchini.  Along with the soft vegetables I add firm (or extra firm) tofu, either cut into small cubes or just crumbled by hand.

Then, I crank the heat a bit, and season the whole pan.  I usually go with some oregano, basil, cayenne, and a splash of soy sauce**.  Saute for a few more minutes until everything has cooked through, then plate it up!

I love to serve my scramble topped with a deliciously buttery avocado and a soy sausage on the side.

Oh, and I cover the whole thing with hot sauce before eating.

Always.

You can squirt some ketchup over it if that’s your thing.  Just don’t tell me you did it.  My sister always ate her scrambled eggs with ketchup and it still grosses me out to this day.

But you can put ketchup on pretty much anything else and I’ll eat it.

Notes:

* Salt and pepper aren’t enough if you’re my dad, though.  I went to stay with him for an evening over the summer and in the morning he made me scrambled eggs with NUTMEG in them.  I was skeptical to say the least.

They were amazing.

You might want to give them a shot.

Just sayin.

** Soy sauce is often used to flavor tofu dishes.  Even non-Asian dishes.  That’s because it adds salt and depth of flavor to an otherwise bland product. Flava is goooood.

Just a few splashes won’t make your tofu scramble taste like stir-fry.

I promise.

Unless you want to go with an Asian flavor combination.  Which I think would taste awesome.

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Things I’ve Been Cooking

I wanted to do a bit of an overview of the types of things I cook normally.  As you will see, my style of cooking is pretty varied, and I like to try new things.  All of these meals were made during the week as well, so they were pretty quick and didn’t require much advanced preparation.

Here we go!

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

These are tofu lettuce wraps.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

I got the idea for the tofu + almond butter sauce + soba noodles from this post on Serious Eats.

Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Instead of just making a noodle and tofu dish, I decided to use up some leaf lettuce with the tofu and soba noodle filling.  I added raw edamame, onions, and carrots before rolling them up.  Yum.

Next up we have “Not Chicken Riggies.” Chicken Riggies is a really popular dish in the Utica area of NY and people there go nuts over it.  It’s a pasta dish with chicken, peppers and onions, and a creamy spicy tomato sauce.

Vegetarian Chicken Riggies

I don’t know why I started thinking of this dish, but I couldn’t get it out of my head so I decided to make my own version.  The people in Utica will probably shoot me for even comparing this to the original.  I’m sorry Uticans.  I couldn’t help myself.

Here’s how I made it:  First I boiled the bowtie pasta (again, I’m sorry Uticans!).  Next, I cooked 2 Gardein Chick’n scallopini pieces in a bit of olive oil and removed them from the pan.  Then I sauteed onions and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet, seasoned with salt, pepper, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes (a lot of them).  Next I added some chopped asparagus (again, I apologize) and some defrosted chopped spinach.  Then I added crushed tomatoes and a bit of soy creamer.  I added the chick’n back to the pan with the cooked pasta and let it simmer for a few minutes.

This was amazingly good.  I ate way too much and then wanted more.  Best thing I’ve made in a while.

Vegetarian Chili with AvocadoHere’s some pretty standard vegetarian chili.  I make this a lot when I want to use up ingredients.  The base is almost always onions, garlic, carrots, tomatoes, and beans.  This one used up a bit of creamy tomato soup I had in the fridge so it had a creamy texture to it that was really nice.  I added avocado and cilantro to the top and served it with nearly stale bread to dip.  It was tasty!

Stuffed Mexican Refried Bean Portobello BurgerThis last meal was a totally crazy thought that worked out so well!  Stuffed Mexican Portobello Burgers.  I roasted a portobello mushroom in the toaster oven (would have been better on a grill).  Then stuffed it with a mixture of refried beans, salsa, minced onion, lime juice, hot sauce, and cilantro.  I popped that back in the oven so the filling would get hot, then topped it with vegan diaya cheddar style cheese (aka the only vegan cheese worth buying) and broiled it until it melted.  I finished it off with diced avocado, chopped tomatoes, and cilantro.  Served with corn tortilla chips, this was a winner of a meal if I do say so myself.

So there you go!  4 really easy, delicious, and inexpensive meals made during the week.  No more excuses not to cook!

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Happy Spring! Vegan Quiche Recipe

I’ve been away from the blog for a while now.  I have made some pretty huge life decisions that have taken some time to sort out and plan for, but I have still been cooking and have some posts lined up for you.


Here is my recipe for Vegan Quiche, which was inspired by my sister-in-law.  She made this delicious spinach quiche when I was visiting a few weeks ago, and I’ve been thinking of making it ever since.  Easter Sunday seemed like the right time to get on it.

Before Baking

Vegan Mushroom and Asparagus Quiche

  • 1 lb. firm or extra-firm tofu
  • 1/3 cup soymilk
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tsp. water
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced yellow onion
  • 1 cup chopped asparagus, tips reserved for garnish if desired
  • 1 cup sliced button mushrooms
  • 3 strips cooked vegan bacon, crumbled (optional)
  • 1/4 cup vegan cheddar cheese (optional)
  • Salt, pepper
  • Oregano
  • Rosemary
  • 1 pie crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large skillet over medium low heat.  Add a few tsp of olive oil and add the onions.  Season with a bit of salt then put a lid on them and let them cook very slowly, for about 15 minutes.  They should not be “frying” but rather “caramelizing.”

Meanwhile, squeeze the tofu to drain the water.  Crumble it into a large mixing bowl.  Add the nutritional yeast, soymilk, lemon juice, and flax mixture. Mash really well with a wooden spoon until there are no large pieces of tofu.  At this point it will look a bit like ricotta cheese.  Season with salt, pepper, dried oregano and dried rosemary.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Add the asparagus and mushrooms to the pan with the onions, adding additional oil if necessary.  Season with additional salt and pepper.  Saute until the mushrooms release their liquid and the asparagus is tender.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.  Drain off any excess liquid.  Combine the vegetable mixture and the tofu mixture.

To Assemble:

Add the crumbled bacon to the bottom of the pie crust and top with the vegan cheese, if using.  Then fill the crust with the tofu mixture.  Press it down a bit with a spoon and smooth out the top.  Arrange the asparagus tips on the top in a starburst pattern if you like.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the edges are a bit brown and the tofu is set.    Let cool for 30 minutes or so before slicing.

After Baking

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Weekend Breakfast Sandwich

Breakfast sandwiches are easily one of my favorite foods.   Maybe it’s because my parents would always make my sister and I egg sandwiches on italian bread when dinner that night was a bit too grown-up for our tastes.  Maybe it’s because I can’t get enough bread in my life.  Whatever the case may be, I love breakfast sandwiches and have them at least once a week.

In an effort to eat a mostly plant based diet, I have had little difficulty skipping meat, milk and cheese, but I love eggs.  I’m no where near perfect in my food choices, but I do my best.  I try to limit myself to organic, local, cage free and hormone free eggs.  Vegans, don’t leave!  I often make this sandwich completely animal free with slices of baked tofu (ala this post on vegweb) sprinkled with black salt (which gives the tofu an eggy taste) in place of the egg.  It’s still really delicious that way.

My breakfast sandwiches are usually quite basic and not worthy of a photo, let along a blog post, but my sandwich this morning was too good not to photograph.

First, heat a non-stick or better yet cast iron skillet with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.  Once it’s hot, place a thick slice of tomato in the skillet and let it sear on both sides.  It will just take a couple of minutes per side.  At the same time, put a few slices of faux bacon, soy sausage, or in this case some homemade seitan (don’t be scared, it’s really tasty) in the pan to get crispy.

Next, toast a bagel or english muffin (note: I am not a fan of regular bread for breakfast sandwiches- it gets too soggy!).  Smear it with some  hummus.  Yes, hummus on a breakfast sandwich.  It’s delicious!

Then fry up your egg or reheat some baked tofu.  I like my eggs mostly set but still a bit liquid in the center (nommmmm).  Place everything on the bagel, along with some salad greens and a thick slice of red onion, which gives your sandwich great color.  Voila!  A really simple breakfast that tastes like a million bucks.  Add a homemade soy peppermint mocha and call it Sunday morning :)   Enjoy!

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Wheat Berry Salad

Silly me forgot to get photos of most of the things I made for the 4th of July!  To be fair, I think most of it was gone before I could snap a picture anyway!  I’ll get a post up of what photos I did manage to get, as well as a recipe for what my friends and I have called “crack salsa”!

After the long holiday weekend I found myself with a few leftover ingredients to use up for my lunch today.  This salad is one of my favorite make-ahead meals, and I’ve fed it to some picky people that love it!  I hope you try it out!

Italian Wheat Berry Salad with Summer Vegetables and Tofu

This summer salad is so easy to prepare.  Sure the wheat berries take an overnight soak and an hour to cook, but it’s all hands-off prep, which is great.  I’ve even heard that you can freeze cooked wheat berries!

If you use store-bought pesto and pre-baked tofu, this meal is ready in a matter of minutes.

I also love the versatility of this recipe.  It’s really easy to sub in whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand.  You can also sub the tofu with some chickpeas or cannellini beans.  It’s a great make-ahead meal for lunches as well.

  • 1 cup uncooked wheat berries
  • 3 ½ cups water

Soak wheat berries overnight in the water, then bring to boil and simmer (or put in rice cooker) for 1 hour or until done.

  • ½ package extra firm tofu, sliced into “steaks”
  • ¼ cup Italian dressing or homemade vinaigrette (or just some splashes of balsamic, soy sauce, and herbs)

Soak the tofu in your marinade, then bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes per side.  Let cool and cut into small strips.

  • ¼ cup pesto
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • ½ zucchini, thinly sliced into circles, then into small strips
  • ½ red bell pepper, diced
  • ¼ cup kalamata olives, sliced
  • Cubed fresh mozzarella cheese or vegan mozzarella cheese (optional)

Prepare the wheat berries and bake the tofu.  Then combine all ingredients in a bowl and chill overnight.  Serve at whatever temperature you like!

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