Lunch is sometimes a conundrum. You want to eat quickly, get back to work, get back to what you're doing... but you don't want last night's leftovers or to grab something processed out of the cupboard. Then I discovered the tofu scramble: a flavorful, warm and filling food that is also versatile (see the next section for what you can do with this). You just need some firm tofu (pressed or packaged), and a bunch of spices for this one. I tried lemongrass recently, and thought it turned out tasty! I made a breakfast burrito for lunch, which I'll add to this site soon.
What you can do with this scramble
Add it to a wrap, or just add it to a plate and throw it together with a bunch of other items you have on hand: leftover rice, vegetables, beans (such as refried beans), you name it and it very well might go with the scramble! Then toss some salsa, several different types of salad dressing or vinaigrette, or even just a squeeze of lime over top and you're done!
Lemongrass Tofu Scramble
Ingredients
- 12 oz extra firm tofu or pressed tofu
- 1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth or home-made without sodium
- 2 Tbsp garlic minced
- 2 tsp lemongrass minced
- 2 tsp coconut aminos or omit
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp hot sauce optional
- 1/4 tsp kala namak / black salt optional, adds eggy flavor
Instructions
- Crumble the tofu into small chunks (they should roughly resemble scrambled eggs).
- Heat a fry pan to medium hot on the stovetop.
- Add a couple tablespoons of the vegetable broth to the pan, and then add the crumbled tofu.
- Add the remaining spices and stir thoroughly.
- As the tofu is cooking, stir the mixture while scraping the bottom and add small amounts of vegetable broth as needed to keep the mixture moist and from sticking to the pan (and add flavor!).
- When fully heated through and browning a bit (broth has mostly evaporated), remove from heat and enjoy!
Substitutes and alternatives
You can use most types of tofu for this one, but it should be firm or pressed to get the right kind of texture (to mimic a scrambled egg). If you don't have
This would also taste great with chiles or onions mixed into the pan while you scramble it up. You could even add some diced tomatoes.
If you don't want to do a scramble, you could also use these spices as a dressing for a tofu bake. Mix the spices together into a paste, coat block of tofu with the mixture, and bake it on a cast iron pan in the oven (400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or so).
Jen deHaan
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