Tofu Scramble

Back in my pre-vegan days, I didn't like eggs very much. Kind of a carry-over from my pregnancies when I had huge food issues. I couldn't stand the sight or smell of meat or eggs and I craved strange things like powdered sugar donuts and BBQ potato chips. (Yeah, I gained a LOT of weight with both my babies….) The disdain for meat and eggs persisted after my babies were born, so becoming vegan wasn't a huge stretch for me. It was no surprise that the thought of a tofu scramble was never particularly appealing to me. Nonetheless, I have tried several different approaches to this scrambled egg substitute technique, with limited success.

Thursday night's dinner was very different! For some strange reason I was craving breakfast when I got home from work. I mean, the full eggs, sausage, home fries kind of southern breakfast. So, tofu scramble it was. I guess breakfast doesn't usually include roasted broccoli, but I did want to serve a balanced meal. This ended up being so good I just had to post on it. The sauce is really simple but quite tasty, and makes enough to use later for something else. The whole thing qualifies as a pantry challenge, too, since it was thrown together from leftovers and things that have been in the pantry / fridge for awhile. Unfortunately, I didn't remember to take pictures until I was eating the leftovers for lunch on Friday.

TOFU SCRAMBLE

For the cheezy sauce:

1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp garlic granules
1/2 tsp onion granules
2 cups water
1-1 1/2 tsp prepared mustard
2-3 tbs Earth Balance

Combine the dry ingredients in a saucepan and mix them well. Add the water. Heat slowly over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mix is thick and bubbly. Don't leave this or you will end up with a mess on your hands! When the sauce reaches the desired thickness, stir in the mustard and Earth Balance and set the pan aside.

For the scramble:

2 tbs olive oil
1 cup of chopped green pepper
1 vegan sausage, chopped into small pieces
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tub extra firm tofu, drained well, and crumbled
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp smoked paprika (you can use regular)

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Add the pepper, onion, and sausage pieces. Cook for several minutes, until onion is translucent and sausage is well-browned.

Move the sausage-vegetable mixture away from the center towards the edges of the skillet, leaving a round empty space in the middle.

Add the tofu to the skillet and sprinkle the turmeric and paprika over it. Cook until the tofu absorbs the spices and begins to brown just a little. Incorporate the sausage-vegetable mixture with the tofu and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Spoon 2/3 to 3/4 cup (more or less to taste) of the cheezy sauce over the scramble and stir to incorporate. Use some of what's left for pouring over the broccoli.

ROASTED POTATOES

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut as many potatoes as you want into 1-inch cubes. In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, 2-3 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp garlic granules, 1 tsp onion granules, and 2 tsp salt. Stir to combine. Pour the potatoes out onto a cookie sheet in a single layer and spray them with non-stick spray. Roast for 30-35 minutes, checking periodically, to prevent burning.