vegan (and baby) stuff

it's been awhile since i've posted a recipe. not because i've stopped cooking but because i've gotten blog lazy.

one thing i've noticed about pregnancy is that when i eat something good, i tend to want it and crave it all the time and not tire of it. usually, i may eat something once or twice and not want it again for while. but this baby is changing that to the tenth power!

for the past several days (maybe 5?), i've eaten generous helpings of Scrambled Tofu every single day, sometimes twice a day.

and i'm not sorry about it!!

good thing is, it's chock full of protein, which i SO need to get more of in my diet. plus it provides much-needed calcium, is very low in calories, and crammed full of yummy goodness.

so if you're feeling adventurous (the meat-eaters i mean) and want to try something new, or for those who are already veggie guys and gals, this is an easy, delicious meal, that can be prepared in 10-15 minutes tops (which is great for people like me who hate waiting a long time for good food).

and though non-vegans always laugh at me when i say things like this, i PROMISE you it tastes like the real thing, meaning scrambled eggs. to me scrambled tofu doesn't taste that different than if you were to scramble the egg whites and leave out the yolks. but maybe that's just because my taste buds have been veganly biased for almost 9 years :-)

i don't have a pic to post yet, but i'm all but certain that i'll be having scrambled tofu again for dinner tonight (LOL) so...if i remember, i'll take a pic and post it tomorrow. recipes always seem more fun when you have a visual.



Scrambled Tofu

Ingredients:

Extra Firm Tofu (16 oz package)
Smart Balance Non-dairy "butter"
Soy Cheddar Cheese (My personal fave is Follow Your Heart's Vegan Gourmet Cheddar Cheese Alternative, pictured above.)
Nutritional Yeast
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Olive Oil (optional)

*Note: Nutritional Yeast is NOT a leavening yeast like brewer's yeast or torula. Therefore it cannot be used in baking. But it's great for recipes like this (and many, many others) because it adds a cheesy flavor to the food. I always buy it from the bulk food bins (where the grains, nuts, beans, etc. are) of natural food/health food stores. I'm not sure if regular grocery chains carry nutritional yeast and if they do, i have no idea which section it would likely be in - perhaps near the baking yeast? (though i have no idea what section of the store that is in either LOL). Nutritional yeast is yellow in color and usually comes in tiny flakes or powder form. It is super packed with nutrients like protein and the B-vitamins, like riboflavin (which give it its color) and B-12 (which is often lacking or missing altogether in a vegan's diet).


Cooking Instructions:

1. Cut enough of the tofu from the tofu "block" to make enough for one or two servings (amount of tofu used just depends on how much you think you'll eat. This dish is better made fresh, so don't make more than you think you'll eat at one meal.) Lay large slices of tofu onto a paper towel and use another paper towel to blot out excess water. Don't worry about getting all the water out - tofu is packed in water and will naturally retain a lot of moisture. Just blot it enough that it's not drippy or soaking wet.

2. Use a non-stick pan (if you have one) and set the stove's flame/heat setting at medium-low (better to go too low than too high). Let the pan heat for about 1 minute.

3. Using your (clean) hands, crumble the tofu into the non-stick pan. You can crumble it into small or larger pieces, which ever you prefer. Stirring as you cook it will break the tofu into smaller pieces naturally, so don't worry too much if some of the pieces are bigger. If you are not using a non-stick pan, go ahead and add about 1 tsp of Smart Balance (SB) to the pan now to prevent sticking. If you are using a non-stick pan, i like to let the tofu begin to cook for about 2 minutes before adding SB. You may also lightly drizzle the tofu with olive oil instead of Smart Balance if you prefer. I prefer the extra flavor added by the SB, but if you don't have any (or simply don't like the way it tastes), olive oil works great.

4. It doesn't take tofu long to brown, so make sure your heat isn't up too high. Using a spatula, stir the tofu and SB or oil around. Keep turning so that the crumbled pieces can yellow/brown on both sides.

5. Add about 3-4 pinches of Nutritional Yeast and sprinkle evenly over tofu. Stir. ("Pinch" size may vary depending on your finger size. Not to worry - there's no exact measurement needed. Nutritional Yeast adds a cheezy flavor and also adds a lot of protein to the dish. So you can add more or less depending on your preference. Also, the amount you add will depend on how much tofu you decided to use in step 1. the more tofu you use, the more nutritional yeast you can use. A good place to start if it's your first time making it is to add about 3-4 decent sized pinches. You can always add more later if you prefer). Stir.

6. Add about 1-2 pinches of sea salt, according to your taste preferences. (You can certainly use regular table salt, but to me, sea salt is the queen of salts). Stir.

7. Sprinkle black pepper over the tofu mixture (again, how much depends on your personal preference). Stir.

8. The tofu should be starting to yellow from cooking but also should have a yellow color due to the nutritional yeast. If it looks a little dry to you, feel free to add a small dab of Smart Balance or another small drizzle of olive oil. Be careful with the olive oil because you don't want "greasy" tofu. Tip: I sometimes use a little of both Smart Balance and olive oil to further enhance flavor, but this recipe works perfectly well with either or. Again, a tiny bit of olive oil goes a long way with this recipe so be careful not to over do it.

9. Turn the heat/flame down just a little bit (on low) and let tofu mixture simmer for a minute.

10. Cut small pieces of cheddar soy cheese and add to the tofu mixture. Add as much or as little as you'd like. Tip: the Follow Your Heart soy cheddar tends to splatter a bit when it gets heated. Its main ingredients are filtered water and canola oil, so when the heat of the pan hits it, it will tend to get "bubbly" and may splatter like any other heated oil would. So after adding your pieces of soy cheese, constantly stir and turn over the tofu mixture to avoid splattering. This will also help the cheese to melt evenly throughout the tofu mixture. Soy cheese doesn't melt as quickly as dairy cheese so this will take a few minutes for it to blend in and melt thoroughly.


11. After all the soy cheese has melted, by this time the tofu should have gotten firmer and yellow (from the heat and from the nutritional yeast and soy cheese). The texture should be the same spongy texture of scrambled eggs. and if you didn't use too much olive oil, it should be nice and moist but not drippy or oily. Turn off the flame/heat and transfer tofu to a dish.


Enjoy by itself or with your other favorite foods. I like to eat mine with whole wheat toast and veggie "bacon".

Also, tofu is VERY versatile, so many people like to add chopped onions, green peppers, mushrooms, etc. to scrambled tofu to give it that omelet sorta feel. personally, i prefer the basic flavor of this recipe here without the extras. but if it's too plain for you, feel free to experiment with onions, etc. to find the right combo for your taste buds!

I know this sounds like a lot of steps, but I guarantee it all takes about 10-15 minutes.


Buen Provecha!!