The whole food plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle has really challenged my creativity in the kitchen.  This is particularly true at breakfast when my head is still foggy while I wait for the coffee to kick in.  As much as I love oatmeal, man (or woman…or child) can’t live on oatmeal alone.

I’ll admit, I am one of those people who does not feel compelled to find vegan replacements for the standard American diet (SAD).  I know there are vegan sausages, hot dogs, burgers, etc. that are developed to look, feel, and taste like the “real” thing. 

I innocently asked on the Forks over Knives Facebook page why people try to replace those “bad” foods with a vegan attempt to replace the foods that caused many of the issues we face today with obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.?  What an extreme and vicious response from the vegan community!  I’m serious.  This animal and environment loving community attacked me!  How dare I ask that question?  It may be the gateway towards adopting the WFPB lifestyle and who am I to question how they do it?  I am not kidding when I say it was vicious.  I issued an apology, though I don’t know why.

The point I was trying to make was if we are changing our dietary and lifestyle habits, is pretending to eat a “hotdog” really changing our internal wiring and responses?  I still feel that way, but not as strongly as I did before.

On this wet, cold, and dreary morning, I really wanted some warming comfort food.  I reached for the steel cut oats that I was going to make with a drizzle of maple syrup, a Medjool date chopped, and a handful of walnuts.  No can do…I had used all the oatmeal.  My other options were some form of smoothie, but that was not going to warm my soul.

I opened the fridge and saw my old friend…eggs.  Those little bombs of fat and cholesterol were calling out for me!  That was until the tofu came in view.  Can I transform tofu into something that resembles scrambled eggs?  Not only did I, but it was so good, I needed to share it with my community.

I started pulling stuff out of the fridge and pantry.  The ingredients came naturally to me.

One 14-ounce package of firm tofu (patted dry)

¾ cup of sliced mushrooms

¾ cup of diced onions

1 handful of baby spinach (it wilts down, so don’t worry if it seems like a lot)

½ can of diced tomatoes with green chilies

½ cup of Nutritional Yeast

1 tablespoon of granulated garlic powder

1 ½ teaspoons of turmeric powder

Salt to taste

In a bowl, combine the tofu, nutritional yeast, turmeric, and garlic powder.  Use a fork to break up the tofu and incorporate the nutritional yeast, turmeric, and garlic powder.  Do not pulverize the ingredients.  Rather, break it up into different sizes, leaving some chunks (but not too many).  I used the salt grinder to add a couple turns of salt, or about ½ teaspoon.  Let this mixture sit while preparing the other ingredients.  This helps the tofu soak in the flavors of the nutritional yeast, turmeric, and garlic powder. 

I used a wok, but you can use a skillet or frying pan. 

As an alternative to oil, I use vegetable broth to sauté the onions and mushrooms on high to medium high heat.  During the sautéing process, if the pan gets too dry, feel free to add more broth, but limit it to a tablespoon or two each time as you do not want the vegetables to be too watery.  Stir frequently as you cook this for about five minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes with green chilies.  The tomatoes will have some juice.  Allow the juice from the tomatoes to evaporate.  Add the handful of spinach and continue to stir.  A couple turns of the salt grinder should be enough at this time.  The spinach will wilt within 30 seconds.

Now it is time to add the tofu mixture to the pan.  Stir the ingredients all together.  Continue to cook all the ingredients on high to medium high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

I laid the scrambled tofu on a bed of fresh spinach and then drizzled Sriracha on top.  Served with sprouted grains toasted bread and a fresh cup of coffee.  There I had it, my warm breakfast to take the morning chill from my body.

You can really doctor this recipe up to suit your tastes.  Diced bell peppers, asparagus, or edamame may add different colors, flavors, and textures.  Alternatively, fresh salsa and jalapenos may be preferred over the sriracha.  There are so many options!

The nutritional yeast and turmeric give the tofu the color of eggs and the mouth feels really mimics scrambled eggs.

If I had hot pepper jelly, I would have added it to the toast, but I didn’t think what we had paired well with the sriracha.

I was extremely pleased with the results.  I hope you try this recipe for Tofu Breakfast Scramble and leave me your comments.  I would love to read about the different ingredients you tried with the recipe!

To your health…

Stephen