The Perfect Tofu Scramble

It's safe to say that tofu is the king of the vegan food pyramid--and rightly so!  I've loved tofu ever since I first became a vegetarian at 13.  When I made the transition from vegetarianism to veganism at age 16, I was worried I would miss eggs, especially scrambled eggs at breakfast time.  I obsessed over perfecting my tofu scramble to satisfy my craving.  Now, four years down the road, I think I may have finally done it--simplicity of spices is the key here, so if you're going to get fancy, make sure you have a good flavor going first!  This recipe is great for breakfast, but it's also versatile enough to serve at lunch or dinner time.

The Perfect Tofu Scramble

1 block organic tofu (extra firm-non GMO!)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (a.k.a. "nooch")
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp pepper (use white pepper if you have it)
1/4 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp allspice (trust me.)
a pinch of salt (use black salt if you can get your hands on it--its mildly sulfurous odor compliments the "eggy" flavor)
(optional: herbs like thyme or rosemary, sautéed mushrooms, fresh spinach, diced tomatoes, etc.)

First thing's first--drain your tofu!  If you're a tofu novice, here are the steps:  cut open the package and tip the water into the sink.  Place your block between two plates with something heavy (like a phone book, if those still exist) on top.  Leave your tofu to press for 15-20 minutes and tip the water into the sink.  Bam!  You're ready to make some scramble!

Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium.  Crumble your tofu with your fingers and drop it into the pan.  Add half of the nutritional yeast and all of your spices (except salt)--sauté for 5-10 minutes, until it's starting to get golden.  It should develop a little bit of a spice coating--if you'd prefer it to be a little more "saucy", you can turn down the heat and add a couple tablespoons of water.  Add the rest of the nutritional yeast and the salt.  Cook for another two minutes or so.  Add your "optionals" if you're using, and serve hot!

Vegan Apple Sage Glazed Roast

I just moved home from my first year of college a few days ago-I was excited for many reunions, but none moreso than...

The kitchen!

Don't worry I missed my family too.  But it is so nice to have a place to cook again!  All the space spurred me to attempt an ambitious project...making my own wheat meat!

My specialty is chickpea cutlets (à la Veganomicon) with mushroom gravy.

Mmmmm.

I've never attempted to move beyond that recipe into more involved territory.  I'm not much for the super-processed soy based meats, but there is a company that makes grain meats that John and I both love...Field Roast!  Their sausages in particular are to die for.  Their approach of using whole food ingredients like brown rice, eggplant, mushrooms, and spices is what inspired me to have a go at it myself.  The results are below!

Vegan Apple Sage Glazed Roast

1/2 can chickpeas or white beans

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 cup water

1 cube Not Chick'n Bouillon

3 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 tsp ground thyme

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp pepper 

1/4 tsp allspice

1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten

1 apple (try golden delicious) peeled, cored, and finely diced

2 tbsp agave nectar

1 tbsp olive oil 

1/4 cup water

Blend dem ingredientz.

Start by mashing your chickpeas or beans in a food processor (or by hand).  Add olive oil and bouillon, blending until smooth and paste like.

If using a food processor, transfer to a large bowl.  Add yeast and other spices, whisking till blended.  Then, slowly add the water.  Once you've done that, add your vital wheat gluten, either all at once or in little batches.  Mix with a spoon or by hand until everything starts to clump together-then, turn out the dough onto a surface and work it into a wide loaf shape.  Phew!  Tired yet?  

Next, boil about half a pot's worth of water on the stove-if you have a setup similar to this, you have an easy road ahead of you.  If not, things are going to be a little tougher.  Wrap your loaf in aluminum foil, making sure the ends are sealed.  Now, if you're like me, you'll need to do something a little weird to make this work-I layered two sheets of aluminum foil together and poked little vents all over the makeshift colander.  Then, I curled up the edges to be a little sturdier and plopped the thing on top of my pot.

Jank setup at work!

It would probably be best to do this before your water boils, unless you're some kind of kitchen ninja.  Seeing as I am most certainly not, I burned myself with steam like five times.  No joke.  Anyhow, I bet you can guess what to do next-place your loaf (carefully) on top of your little MacGyvered setup.  If you're brave, cover it with a lid that fits the pot, or some more foil.  The loaf needs to steam for 45 minutes.  In your spare time, preheat the oven to 425.  Place your diced apples on a baking sheet or a sheet of aluminum foil.  Bake them for about 20 minutes, or until they turn gold.

Apple-y goodness.

Place the baked apples, agave, olive oil, and water in your blender/food processor, and puree until smooth.  Strain out the pulp if you want a super-smooth glaze.  

Now, to assemble everything, remove your loaf from the pot.  Carefully open the foil and brush the top of the loaf with glaze.  Recover and place in a loaf pan or on a baking sheet-bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for 15 more, brushing with more glaze if desired. The result?

Glazed loveliness.

It wound up more seitan-y than I anticipated.  But, it's a great consistency to stand on its own and to pair with roasted veggies!

Till next time!  :)

Vegan Blueberry-Stained French Toast with Fresh Blueberry Syrup

Dear Internet,

After lots of "likes" on Facebook pics of my kitchen forays and many requests for recipes, I decided to start this blog!  This will be a place for recipes, pretty pictures of food, and musings about veganism and good-for-you things.  And, where better to start than with one of the greatest gifts to mankind: brunch.

brunch [brʌntʃ]

n

a meal eaten late in the morning, combining breakfast with lunch

Brunch is perhaps the chillest meal of all meals.  Stress-free.  It allows you to wake up late on a Sunday and say "Hey.  You know what I want?  Pancakes.  Or some waffles.  And French toast.  Smothered in strawberries.  Raspberries.  Blueberries."  It's culturally sanctioned, cropping up on many a hip restaurant menu.  Feeding our desire for breakfast-y goodness at an otherwise inappropriate hour.

My earliest memories of brunch are of going to Bob Evans following an hour long church service (which, for a kid, seemed like an eternity.)  After listening to the preacher for the first few minutes and checking out people's fancy Sunday digs for the rest of the hour, brunch was my karmic reward.  Now, as a college-kid, I feel the same urge to brunch it up on Sundays.  Maybe it's a good preparation for the hectic week ahead, or maybe it's just nice to do something kind for yourself every so often.

Cut to 10 AM today.  Barely after I had rubbed the sleep from my eyes, John said the magic words.

"French toast?"

And thus the saga began.  We already had the necessaries, but we were missing the magic ingredient...non-dairy yogurt!

When I went vegan three years ago, one of the first things I tried to veganize was French toast.  It was a favorite of mine growing up, and a go-to comfort food.  All the recipes I tried left something to be desired-I fiddled around with mixing egg substitutes (Ener-G, anyone?) and soy milk until I was blue in the face, but my French toast always wound up soggy.  After some experimentation, I discovered that combining the binding magic of flaxseeds and the thickness of non dairy yogurt made for the perfect consistency and that homestyle crispness I was looking for.

After a quick walk to Giant Eagle and a tea/coffee stop, John and I hiked it over to his dorm, which is blessed with a small, albeit functional kitchen.  About an hour from our idea, we were chowing down!

Vegan Blueberry-Stained French Toast with Fresh Blueberry Syrup

makes six slices 

6 pieces vegan whole wheat bread (or whatever you have)

5 oz non-dairy yogurt (I used almond milk yogurt)

1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used soy, but flax milk is my favorite!)

3 tbsp ground flaxseed

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt (optional)

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (fresh work best!)

1 tsp Earth Balance (or any other vegan margarine)

2 tbsp coconut sugar (a.k.a. the nectar of the gods)

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (try Ghiradelli!)

+ margarine for fryin'
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In a shallow bowl (or a deep plate), whisk your yogurt of choice, non-dairy milk, ground flax, cinnamon, vanilla, and pinch (or not) of salt.  Let it stand for about five minutes.

In the meantime, toss the blueberries with coconut sugar in a small bowl.  Heat a small skillet on medium heat and add your earth balance.  Once it has melted, add the blueberry mixture.  Stir regularly. After 5-10 minutes, deep purple juice should start seeping from the heated berries.  And, voila!  Fresh, beautiful syrup is born!

Preheat another skillet on medium heat with about a teaspoon of Earth Balance.  For the French toast, take a piece of bread and coat it evenly in the batter.  Use your fingers or a fork to scrape off the excess.  Toss your masterpiece into your preheated skillet-cook until golden brown on both sides.  If desired, use a spoon (or a pastry brush if you're fancy) to drizzle/paint blueberry juice onto your French toast as it cooks.  The result is beautiful indigo streaks of blueberry magic.  Continue the same process until you're out of bread!

To serve, scatter chocolate chips between slices of French toast and smother with blueberry goodness.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, and you're ready to eat!