Tofu Scramble

I have learned that I love tofu scrambles. There's very few that I don't like. Given that I keep adding potential scrambles to this page, I should probably break them out into individual ones, but the thing about tofu scrambles is you can do a little of this and a little of that. You never have to follow exactly any given recipe. 

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion or 3 scallions, finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, orange, or green), finely diced
One 16-ounce package extra-firm tofu (previously frozen and thawed), drained and rinsed
1 cup loosely packed spinach leaves, rinsed and patted dry
2 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in the saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until the onion and peppers are tender and turning a little brown.
2. Meanwhile, using your hands, crumble the tofu into a bowl to create the consistency of coarse bread crumbs. Add to the saute pan and stir to combine.
3. Add the spinach, brown rice, turmeric, cumin, paprika, and nutritional yeast, and saute for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tofu is a bright yellow color (from the turmeric) and thoroughly heated.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:

• Yields 2-4 servings
• Great use for leftover rice
• You can add mushrooms (crimini)
• Adapted from the book the 30 Day Vegan Challenge (book).
• Make Mexican Scramble by adding 1 cup of salsa after the tofu is cooked, and allowing it to heat through. Put into a breakfast burrito by wrapping the scramble in a tortilla and serving with tortilla chips, avocado.
• For an Italian twist, add fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, rosemary, and/or parsley.
• Adapted from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor, you can also do a Kale Scramble (shown right): 7.5 oz extra-firm tofu, 1/2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 0.5 tsp garlic powder, 0.5 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp ground cumin, pinch turmeric, handful of kale. Follow directions above starting at step 2, adding everything except kale. Add in kale at the end, and cook down. Serves 1.
• Adapted from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor, you can do another Italian Scramble (shown below): 1-4 garlic cloves minced, 1 diced roma tomato, 15-oz extra firm tofu (drained), 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric. Saute garlic and tomato until mostly dry, add in tofu and all the seasonings, cooking over medium until warm and well combined. Serves 2. 

Decadent Chocolate Shake with a Hint of Peanut Butter

Wanted a shake. I didn't have exactly what was listed on the other recipe, here's how I made it.


Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate So Delicious ice cream,
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Trader Joe's brand)
1 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup ice (~5 ice cubes from fridge ice maker)
2 tsp peanut butter 
2 Tbsp unsweetened (Dutch) cocoa
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

1. Slightly soften the ice cream.
2. Add 3/4 cup milk to blender or Vitamix.
3. Add 3/4 of the total amount of ice cream.
4. Add 2 ice cubes.
5. Add the 2 tsp of peanut butter.
6. Blend on med-high. Use stick, if necessary to facilitate blending. With Vitamix or blend off, push down ice cream with stick.
7. Continue blending until the ingredients get smooth and creamy.
8. Add in the remaining almond milk, cinnamon, cocoa, chocolate chips, salt and ice.
9. Blend on high until smooth.
10. Add in the remaining ice cream (should be about 2 Tbsp)
11. Blend on low for a nice thickness to occur.
12. If shake is too thick, add a tad more milk.
13. For a thicker shake add more ice cream.
14. Add more ice if you want an icier shake.

1. Pour into a frosted shake glass and add a straw or long spoon.
2. Garnish with cocoa powder and cinnamon.

Notes:

• vegan 
• serves 2
• Original Recipe 

Sweet and Sour Sauce

11 year old son made this.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cup sugar
• dash of Salt
• dash of MSG
• dash of Tabasco
• 
  
• 1 tablespoon Cornstarch combined with 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• dash of White Pepper

2 Tbsp. ketchup

Instructions:

1. Cook first six ingredients over medium heat, then add cornstarch in water, Worcestershire sauce, and white pepper until it is bubbly and thick. Remove from stove and add ketchup.This will stay good in the refrigerator for about a week.

Notes:

• Original Recipe

Baked Potato Soup

One of my favorite meals was Baked Potato Soup. I've adapted that recipe to make Baked Potato Soup I can and will eat. It doesn't taste quite the same, but it's within the limits of thickness of the previous soup, and it's still very good.

Onions and Butter

Onions, Butter, and Flour

Water, Stock, Flakes, and Spices

Stock Added to Onion Mixture

Potato-Loving Dog

All Together and Simmered

 Ingredients:

1 ½ lb baking potatoes (more if you have a potato loving dog, as I do)

1/2 cup Earth Balance (or other vegan butter)

1 yellow onion, diced

1/3 cups flour

5 cups water

¼ cup vegetable stock

1 cup instant potato flakes

¾ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 cup soy cream

1 cup almond milk

1 can whole kernal corn, drained

salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bake baking potatoes. Allow to fully cool. Remove skin & cut potatoes into 1/2” cubes. Set aside. (The baking can be done a day in advance to reduce total cook time on the day.)
2. Melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onions & sauté over medium-low heat for 10 min or until onions are translucent. Don’t allow onions to burn. 
3. Add flour to onions & butter and cook 4-5 min, stirring well until flour is absorbed. 
4. In a separate container, combine water, vegetable stock, potato flakes & seasonings. Stir or whisk thoroughly to eliminate lumps. 
5. Add stock mixture slowly to onion mixture, stirring constantly so no lumps form. 
6. Increase to medium heat & continue cooking until the soup begins to gently simmer. Add milk & cream, stirring until smooth & lightly thickened. 
7. Simmer for 15 minutes. Do not boil. Soup should just simmer lightly. 
8. Add cubed baked potatoes & corn, and stir to combine.
9. Remove from heat & serve with sliced scallions.

 Notes:

Do not use coconut cream instead of soy cream, it will add too strong of a flavor. I used Silk soy cream, original.
 Some potato flakes have milk, so find a brand that does not have any animal products.
If you want this to be as similar to the non-vegan version, add cheddar style shreds and bac'un bits  (all vegan) to your bowl of soup.
Makes somewhere around 10 cups. Each 2-cup serving is about 350 calories, according to My Fitness Pal.