vegan cooking

scrambled tofu is a beautiful thing. at least, it can be. i can’t say that i’ve had any that rivals mine. it’s so easy to make, and yet i find that most of my vegan cookbooks don’t have a recipe. it’s so basic! it seems complicated, but it’s really not at all. one of my favorite things to do with it is add it to some soyrizo, because i grew up on the (non-vegan) stuff. this is not one of my healthier recipes, so be warned. but it does make a lot of really tasty food. when i was told (not asked) that i’d be making a vegan meal for my culinary arts class last year, this was the dish that i served. all of my classmates were a bit unenthused to try vegan eats, and i heard some whispers about it probably being gross and such. by the end of the class, they had eaten every last speck of it and several of them asked me for the recipe. it’s my secret weapon when it comes to feeding carnivores.

for a basic tofu scramble, you’ll need:

1 brick of extra-firm tofu (tj’s high protein is my favorite ever. it’s so thick and has the most amazing texture and taste. that’s what she said.)
2-3 tbs high-heat cooking oil - canola, grapeseed, etc.
about 1 small or 1/2 of one large red bell pepper
1/2 medium onion
3-4 cloves garlic
turmeric (a ton)
cayenne, paprika, cumin - a dash of each, maybe 1/2 a teaspoon

in a large bowl, mash the crap out of the tofu. i like to slice a bit of it up randomly into manageable pieces. this tofu is really, really firm so it takes some work. i usually use a potato masher to get the job done.

add the turmeric, and go really heavy on it. you want this stuff nice and yellow. it adds some great taste, too. when you think you’ve added enough, add more. i’m serious. i’ve never measured it, but i know i go through it faster than any of my other spices. add a dash of each of cumin and cayenne, and maybe some paprika if you’re feeling fancy. i like to add a little fresh salt and pepper too. dice the garlic, chop the onion and bell pepper and mix in with the tofu. it should look something like this.

use a big ol’ skillet for this bad boy, and add your oil. turn the heat up to medium high.

i never said this dish was healthy.

you can fry that sucker up until the tofu turns a golden yellow for your basic tofu scramble. however, if you’re going to be cooking with soyrizo, i recommend cooking the soyrizo on its own for a while until it’s almost done. the package instructions say “quick fry over high heat” and this is LIE. nothing is quick about cooking soyrizo. anyway, i recommend starting the stuff on the skillet as you being mixing up your scrambled tofu. slice open the tube (eww) and spread it apart with a plastic spatula or some other utensil that won’t harm your nonstick skillet. you’ll want it to be nice and crumbly and brown all over. it takes a keen eye to know just when to stir it and turn the heat down. don’t worry, some of it’s going to burn. luckily it still tastes good when this happens. i’ve never been able to perfectly cook the stuff, but as long as you keep an eye on it it’ll come out tasty.

tell me this doesn’t look appetizing.

let this cook until it’s much darker in color and then add the tofu when it’s just barely done. the tofu only takes a few minutes to cook, maybe 5 at the most. you can add a little more oil if you need to.

and that’s it! once the tofu’s gotten a deeper yellow, it’s done. i like this best with refried beans and mexican rice (that’s another blog) in a whole wheat tortilla, or on a tostada shell with fresh pico de gallo and lettuce and some grated soy cheese. it’s murder on my stomach and definitely a grease fest, but oh lord is it worth it.