Southwestern Style Scrambled Tofu

One of the things I missed the most when I first went vegan was scrambled eggs. Although, my heart definitely isn't missing the cholesterol! But they were a good flavor...luckily, tofu came to the rescue :) I never used to like tofu, but that was just because I didn't know how to make it right. Cooking with tofu gets easier and easier, and now I love cooking with tofu since it can serve as a base for a breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert--how versatile! Replacing the eggs with tofu works really well as long as you add in some other flavors and make a scrambled omelette, so to speak. You may know very well that tofu is quite bland on it's own, but does an amazing job of absorbing other flavors, which is the key in its versatility. (In all fairness, plain eggs aren't bursting in flavor either, it's the add-ins that make them tasty). Anyhow, here's a tasty tofu breakfast recipe for two!

Ingredients:

1 block Mori-nu extra firm silken style tofu

Scant 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Salsa of your choosing, mild or hot as you would like

Veggies from below that you want to taste--make it YOUR meal :) But, I'd definitely add at least 3 veggies.

     Chopped yellow onion
     Chopped celery
     Chopped red, green, yellow, and orange bell peppers
     Chopped spinach
     Chopped mushrooms
     Sliced olives
     Minced garlic
     Chopped green chiles
     Chopped chives

Spices and herbs from below that you want--again, it's your own taste, but I strongly recommend not skipping out on the salt and pepper.

     Black pepper
     Dash of crushed red pepper
     Salt
     Garlic powder
     Onion powder
     Dash of chili powder
     Cilantro

Directions:

First, sautee your veggies (except spinach, if you're using it) in a medium-sized pan lightly coated with a cooking spray. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, flipping a the veggies a couple times.

Drain the tofu and pat dry with a paper towel. Crumble tofu slightly with a fork, being careful not to over-mash. Add crumbled tofu to the pan with the veggies. Lightly sprinkle the turmeric as evenly as possible over all the tofu.

Continue to cook over medium heat for another 8-10 minutes, flipping occasionally with a spatula, adding in the spices during the last couple of minutes.

Divide evenly into two bowls, top with your salsa, and enjoy your Southwestern-style breakfast for two!

Notes:

This will also keep in the fridge if you want to save the second bowl for lunch, just be sure to cover it when you go to reheat it in the microwave--tofu tends to explode a little bit in the micro!

The entire thing has about 320 calories, so 160 per serving: wowza! :)

    

French Silk Chocolate Pies

Happy Monday everybody! It’s a rainy, rainy day in central Iowa: a good day to stay inside…And guess what that gives me an excuse to do? Baking day! Time to create a brand new recipe, or two ;)

This past weekend, my cousin got married—yay! So, I was thinking to create a recipe in honor of the last couple days. Hmmmm, a recipe inspired by romance and sweetness. Sounds like something chocolate…chocolate and strawberries. Okay, there is something undeniably sexy about chocolate and red berries, don’t you agree? (If not, you may be on the wrong blog…) Here’s what I came up with: a chocolate French silk pie topped with homemade strawberry drizzle. A pie worthy of being served at a wedding. Wedding cake? Nah, I’ll have wedding pie :) It’s yummy, yummy, yummy! You wouldn’t believe it’s vegan: non-vegan approved, all people are suckers for this pie. Your recipe:

Ingredients:

6 mini pre-made graham cracker pie crusts (Keebler brand has good and tasty ones)

1 package Mori-nu firm silken tofu

1 cup dark chocolate chips (Ghirardelli brand are vegan)

1 tablespoon almond butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over the stovetop, stirring frequently, being very careful not to burn.

Put the tofu in the blender and blend until it forms a thick batter. Add almond butter, vanilla, and maple syrup, blend until combined.

Pour melted chocolate into the blender, and blend very well until the pie filling is a consistent pudding texture.

Spoon the mixture from the blender into each of the pie shells and smooth out the tops, refrigerate for at least an hour (if you can wait!) before serving.

Top with strawberry drizzle (recipe below), vegan whipped cream, chopped strawberries, raspberries, extra melted chocolate, crumbled graham crackers...the options are endless!



Strawberry Drizzle Ingredients:

1.5 cups whole strawberries

2 tablespoons strawberry jam (I used sugar-free)

1/2 cup Splenda or sugar

Directions:

Puree the strawberries in a blender.

Add in strawberry jam and blend until combined.

Pour pureed strawberries and jam into a small saucepan, and stir in Splenda over low-medium heat, cooking for 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly so as not to burn.

The mix, obviously, will be very hot! Pour into a glass container and refrigerate until cool. Drizzle over your French Silk Chocolate Pies, and enjoy and indulge :)

Power Protein Bowl

Here is another relatively new favorite of mine: the Power Protein Bowl. Perfect as a meal on its own, also great for pre/post-workout.

A long time ago, I tried cooking with quinoa. I really tried. I did just like the box said, 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water, cover and put it in the microwave and cook for....NO. For me, trying to cook quinoa in the microwave results in spending the next half-hour scraping baked quinoa off of the microwave plate. Quinoa and I didn't get along very well. That is, until a couple weeks ago, when I broke down and decided to try it again. You see, quinoa is such a good source of protein, a complete protein, that I just couldn't give up on it quite yet. And I'm so glad I didn't.

I learned something: quinoa boils over to hell in the microwave, but it cooks up quite nicely on the stovetop :) It only takes a little more patience (I know, not my strong suit either when I'm hungry, but worth the wait). So, that's my recommendation--go stovetop. The rest of this recipe is super simple and easy to cook. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup dry quinoa (fluffs up to about 1 cup when cooked)

1 can of black beans (15oz can)

1 package extra firm cubed tofu (or just extra firm and cube it yourself)


Now what's tofu without a marinade? Well, it's cardboard. For the marinade:

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Scant 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1.5 teaspoons black pepper

If you have some finely chopped herbs lying around, you can totally should add some in, a little cilantro went very nicely with mine.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350.

Get the quinoa started first, as it takes the longest--just follow the directions on the box, but go stovetop!

Next, you'll want to grab an 8 x 8 pan and whip up the marinade for the tofu, just pour all the ingredients into the pan and mix them evenly with a fork or spoon, making sure the whole bottom of the pan is covered.

Drain your tofu and pat it dry with a paper towel, then pour the cubed tofu (or slice it up if it isn't already, in little half-inch chunks) over the marinade. Flip the tofu a couple times with a spatula, try to get a coating of the marinade on all the sides if you can. Set the pan in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, then take it out and flip the tofu, and cook for 5-7 more minutes.

Drain the black beans and rinse very well with hot water, drain again and pour into a sealable container. Add in your quinoa and tofu, stir to combine, and enjoy!

Notes:

Makes 4 servings at 200 calories each, this recipe REALLY packs in the protein and fiber. It's awesome fuel for the body--this is a godsend on those long and exhausting days we all run into now and then. Stores in the fridge for 3 days, but it never lasts that long at my house!


Question of the day: What's your favorite non-animal-based protein source?