Mixed Veggie Tofu Scramble

Whenever cold weather sets in, I find myself trying to come up with good breakfast recipes that are either easy or can be made in bulk, so that I can have a nice, warm meal each morning after my run. Smoothies are great during the summer months, but the idea of coming in from a cold, brisk morning just to down a cold, delicious smoothie just doesn't sound quite as appealing, ya know? The great thing about this recipe is that it's pretty forgiving and really easy to plump up just by throwing in more veggies! I've included some recommendations for veggies, but the choice is 100% yours!

Also, yes, I know - I already have a tofu scramble recipe that I posted not too long ago. For anyone who has read the intro post to this blog, though, you may be aware that I actually made that recipe over a year ago. Since then, I've tried a lot of new techniques and, honestly, think that this recipe is miles better than the old one.

This recipe makes about 4 servings, and any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for about 5 days.

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Ingredients

• 1 container of medium tofu

• 0.25 cups water

• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

• 0.5 tsp garlic or onion powder

• 0.5 tsp salt

• 0.25 tsp turmeric

• 0.125 tsp black pepper (aka 1/8 tsp)

• 0.5 - 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 0.5 an onion (red, yellow, sweet, whatever you have on hand!)

• 2-3 cups mixed veggies+

• Kala namak or hiwa kai++ (optional)

Instructions

1. Start by patting the tofu dry. Place it on a paper towel-lined plate, and smush it up a bit with a fork, so it's got the look of chunky scrambled eggs. Leave the tofu to drain for at least 15 minutes (I recommend placing it in the sink so that the water drains off down the drain instead of all over your counter or floor or catfood bowl...).

2. Meanwhile, mix the water, nutritional yeast, garlic or onion powder, salt, turmeric, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside.

3. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and sautee the onions until they're beginning to turn translucent. Add in the other veggies as you see fit (see notes below for some considerations), and sautee to your liking.

4. When the veggies are where you want them to be, push them all off to the side of the pan, so there's a little well in the middle of the skillet. Add the tofu in, and carefully mix it around to incorporate all of the veggies. Do this until some of the tofu begins to brown a little bit, then pour in the water and spice mix, and stir so all the veggies and tofu are coated. Now you get to use some more judgment - keep cooking the tofu until it's to your liking. I went for about 10 minutes, but this is an "as you wish" sort of deal. Whatever makes the texture appeal most to you - just be careful not to burn it!

5. Portion into bowls and, if using, top with a little bit of kala namak or hiwa kai, to taste, and dig in!

This dish is great topped with some avocado and served with a side of toast. You can also wrap it up in a tortilla or wrap with some salsa and maybe some crispy potatoes for a wicked satisfying breakfast burrito. The possibilities are endless! Especially if you make it with the intention of reheating+++ leftovers, and decide to get crafty on days two, three, four, or beyond.

Notes

• +Use whatever veggies you have on hand or whatever appeals to you most. Bell peppers are pretty common mix-ins for this kind of dish. I prefer stuff like broccoli, okra, mushrooms, spinach, kale, diced carrots, sweet corn, etc. but it's entirely up to you. Bear in mind how different veggies cook, though. For example, in the photo, I used okra, broccoli, and spinach. Okra takes quite a bit longer to cook than broccoli, and definitely longer than spinach, so I added everything in separately, okra first until they were nice and crisp, then broccoli until it was tender, and then the spinach for about 30 seconds until it wilted.

• ++The heck are kala namak and hiwa kai? Two very different things, but both delicious! Kala namak, which goes by many names but most commonly Indian black salt or black Himalayan salt, is a great addition to vegan dishes that adds a bit of an eggy flavor to things such as tofu. Kala namak starts life as Himalayan pink salt (sodium chloride) and is then heated and mixed with spices and herbs, including harad fruit seeds, which contain sulfur. The sulfur gives it a very distinctive taste and smell, though the smell does turn a lot of people off. It also lingers, which can be unpleasant, and is why I decided to try out hiwa kai! Also called Black lava salt, hiwa kai is just sea salt that is blended with activated charcoal. It lacks the sulfuric scent of kala namak as well as some of the more unique flavors, but is beautifully earthy and brings a satisfying and unique depth to dishes - especially tofu-based ones. It's also just beautiful to look at, which makes it a great finishing salt.

• +++A note on reheating. This dish is easy enough to microwave. Just nuke it in 30-second bursts, mostly to make sure any extra water in the veggies doesn't begin to soak through the tofu. I like tossing whatever I'm planning to eat in a skillet and heating it up that way, though. Doesn't take much time, and keeps everything nice and crispy.