Tofu Scramble with Sauteed Smoked Salmon

Breakfast is one of the hardest things to figure out with an egg allergy. Most breakfast foods either consist of entirely of eggs, or incorporate them in some way. Vegans, you know what I'm talking about. Here's my take on the classic tofu scramble:

Tofu scramble is great, because it's super easy and as versatile as normal scrambled eggs (although, unlike regular scrambled eggs, I would not recommend tofu scramble without any added toppings/ingredients, as it can be on the bland side flavor-wise).

My basic tofu scramble consists of one container of pressed* firm tofu (I will explain pressing later), mustard, turmeric, and salt and pepper to taste. I never measure any of these, I just kind of eye-ball it.

The mustard adds flavor (as mentioned above, plain tofu is very bland) and helps get you some of that nice eggy yellow color.

I haven't noticed any distinct taste from the turmeric, but it makes the tofu so yellow that it really enhances my enjoyment of the meal. A note about turmeric, I've noticed it turns more yellow with heat, so don't worry if the scramble looks pale in the mixing bowl, the color should get more intense as you cook and if not, you can always add more turmeric!

I would imagine you could add pretty much anything to tofu scramble, but veggies like onions, peppers, tomatoes, and, of course, garlic are definitely safe bets. For this particular scramble I added one packet of smoked salmon (the chunky kind with the skin still attached, not lox. You know, the good stuff).

I started out by sauté-ing my garlic, then added chunks of the salmon (skin included, but if this grosses you out feel free to throw it away). I saute-ed the salmon for about a minute or so, then added in the tofu. Another minute or two of mixing everything around and your pretty much good to go. Great thing about tofu and smoked salmon, even if you undercook them they're already fine to eat.

Vegans, I know you weren't looking for meaty tofu scramble, but just remember that pretty much anything goes good in a tofu scramble, and get creative with it :)



*Note about pressing tofu: this is not a necessary step, your tofu will cook and be edible either way. But, in my experience, skipping this step leads to bland, boring tofu, which is exactly why a lot of people don't like this food.

Most tofu comes packaged in water. It is a highly absorbent substance, so when you first take it out of the packaging it is completely water-logged. Tofu can be easily pressed by cutting your block into roughly even slices, layering these slices between plenty of paper towels with a baking pan on top weighted down (I usually use a few cans of beans/whatever I have on hand). Then just leave the tofu to press for a while, at least 10 minutes, but longer is fine if you want to run some errands or whatever. I know it may not seem worth using up your paper towels on an optional step, but trust me, once you press the water out the tofu is ready to absorb whatever flavor you would like to add to it. For tofu scramble this isn't the most important, but if you want to prepare some marinated tofu then I would say that pressing is a must.