Simple Tofu Scramble

Before I became vegan, on my days off work I would often wake up late, naturally, and then make myself a breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, cheese, vegetables, and sour cream all wrapped up in a flour tortilla. I don't miss those breakfast burritos, actually, because I've found something I enjoy even more: Tofu Scramble Breakfast Burritos! Really. Eggs were the last thing I "gave up" upon deciding to go vegan, not really on purpose but that's just how it happened. It really seems like a strange thing to eat, though now....

Anywho, a friend on Facebook asked for this recipe and I suppose it was time, although it changes often dependent upon what's in my fridge. I'll give you a general idea, though. :)

Here's a close-up:

And a few other variations. What? I told you I loved a good tofu scramble! ;)

Okay, so since it's pretty much just me eating breakfast everyday, the amount of this scramble are really just for one but it's totally easy to add more to make more. 

The following are just rough estimates, since I don't really measure things in this case. 

Simple Tofu Scramble

1/3 block Extra Firm Tofu, pressed & cubed

1/4 cup bell pepper, chopped into 1/4" pieces

1/4 cup zucchini, chopped

1/4 cup yellow onion, chopped

1 leaf Curly Kale, ripped into pieces

Daiya Cheddar cheese shreds

Tofutti sour cream

1 flour or whole wheat tortilla

Avocado

Salsa

Green tabasco sauce

Since I don't have a fancy tofu press, I usually just pile some books on top of a cutting board to squish the tofu with some folded up paper towels to soak up the liquid. ;) After that, I just cube up the tofu after all the veggies are chopped and toss it in a hot pan with some canola oil and sauté it all until browned and crispy and yummy. Then I sprinkle some Daiya Cheddar cheese shreds and let them melt. While that happens, I like to microwave my tortilla for about 10 seconds so they're nice and foldable. Next it's time to assemble! I spread some Tofutti sour cream on the tortilla itself in the middle, scoop the tofu scramble out of the pan onto the sour cream, and then top with whatever I feel like: salsa, avocado, taco sauce, green tabasco, tempeh bacon, etc. Fold into a burrito and enjoy! 

Overnight Orange Sweet Rolls

Sometimes, I am struck with genius. Also mixed with a dash of lazy in the form of wanting to have breakfast almost ready when I wake up. That's how these amazing Orange Rolls came about! I was trolling through my breakfast Pinterest board and saw a recipe for Orange Monkey Bread (which I always thought was a strange name, by the way),  but I had this desire to make it easier as well as using ingredients I already had. And meanwhile making it vegan, of course. :) So here was the result! It's surprisingly easy. In fact, I think the hardest part is zesting the orange and squeezing out the juice. Serious labor, for sure.

So! First comes the prep the night before, which shockingly I didn't think to photograph at 11pm. I'm a hard-core night owl, especially when I don't work the next day. That night consisted of waiting until almost midnight to prep the rolls so I could sleep in somewhat, but not enough to allow the rolls to get CRAZY big and impossible to bake.

ANYWAY.

Midnight, or thereabouts, I took my frozen Rhodes rolls (see? I told you. Easy.), let them defrost slightly and then dipp them in a mixture of orange juice & melted Earth Balance vegan butter followed by orange zest rubbed into granulated sugar. Each of those rolls then went into a greased bundt pan and then hung out on my counter under a towel all night.

The result the next morning:

WHOA, BABY. 

Yeah, I slept in a little but they're not monstrous enough that I'm too worried about baking them. Speaking of which, with my freakishly hot oven, the top (but eventual bottom) of the rolls got a little dark, but gratefully with the glaze and freshness of the roll, they still taste all sorts of incredible. 

BAKED ROLLS. 

I waited a few minutes and then flipped the rolls onto a large plate, pulled off the pan and HALLELUJAH, the heavens rejoiced. 

I whipped up the glaze and drizzled it alllll over that sucker. And then I devoured them. Well...not all, but quite a few of them. ;) Evidence:

The first of many rolls enjoyed. While still warm, of course. 

 LOOK HOW PRETTY:

Heavenly. 

If you choose to make these rolls, just be prepared to use a lot of restraint to not eat the entire pan yourself. 

Overnight Orange Sweet Rolls

Adapted from Six Sister's Stuff

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon grated fresh orange zest

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup Earth Balance butter, melted

18 Rhodes frozen dinner rolls, left out for about 10 minutes

 

Glaze:

1/4 cup Earth Balance butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon almond milk (more or less depending on desired consistency)

1 cup powdered sugar 

Grease a 10-inch bundt pan with nonstick cooking spray.  In a small bowl, combine sugar and orange zest by rubbing it in with your fingers.  In a separate bowl, combine orange juice and melted butter.  Dip each roll in the orange juice mixture, roll in sugar mixture and place in prepared pan.  Pour remaining orange juice mixture over the rolls. 

Cover pan with a clean kitchen towel and allow rolls to rise overnight, but no more than 8 or 9 hours depending on how warm your kitchen gets. In the morning, preheat the oven to 375F and then possible go back to bed for 10 minutes while it heats up, but maybe that's just me. 

Bake rolls for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool rolls in pan for about 5 minutes and then invert pan onto a large plate or platter. Remove bundt pan.  To make glaze, whisk melted butter, vanilla, almond milk and powdered sugar together until combined.  Top with glaze and enjoy!! 

The Best Vegan Biscuits

You know when you want something bread-y and warm and comforting, but making actual bread sounds like way too much work? Welp. Here you go. Buttermilk biscuits! Vegan, of course. I make these biscuits every couple weeks and crave them basically all the time in-between. : ) They go really well with my Throw-together Chili, which is a post I've been meaning to do but it's not so much a recipe as "Let's-see-if-I-have-enough-stuff-in-my-cupboard-and-fridge-to-make-it-yummy", meaning it changes every time.   ; )

But the biscuits! Those do indeed have a recipe. 6 ingredients, 1 bowl, 30 minutes, DONE. Slather them with Earth Balance butter and Agave and just devour. Or with chili. You really can't lose either way. Here we go!

These babies are golden and gorgeous! 

I love how simple biscuits are. Cut in the butter (or Earth Balance) until crumbly, add liquid, mix, and just press it into a good thickness on a floured surface and cut circles. Easy peasy. The only real trick is not the over handle the dough. And I've been told to NEVER use a rolling pin. That's a no-no. If you can't work it with just your hands, then something ain't right. 

Here's that chili I was talking about with some biscuits. Beautiful. 

The Best Vegan Biscuits

from Minimalist Baker

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 4 Tbsp non-dairy, unsalted butter (I use Earth Balance)
• 1 cup unsweetened PLAIN almond milk + 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Add cold butter and use fingers or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into small pieces. Make sure your butter is cold. 
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and, using a wooden spoon, stir gently while pouring in the almond milk mixture. Still until just combined. Dough will be sticky. 
5. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, dust the top with a bit of flour and then very gently turn the dough over on itself 5-6 times - hardly kneading.
6. Form into a 1-inch thick disc, handling as little as possible.
7. Use a 1-inch thick dough cutter or any round cutter ( honestly, I just used a cup.) Press it straight down and twist. Repeat and place biscuits on a baking sheet in two rows, making sure they just touch - this will help them rise uniformly. Gently reform the dough and cut out one or two more biscuits - you should have 7-8.
8. Next brush the tops with a bit more of melted non-dairy butter and gently press a small divot in the center using two fingers. This will also help them rise evenly, so the middle won't form a dome.
9. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10-15 minutes or until fluffy and slightly golden brown. Serve immediately. Let remaining biscuits cool completely before storing them in an airtight container or bag.

And that's it! So just make it happen. Leftovers are a beautiful thing, too. I like to get creative, like so:

That is some Chickpea "Tuna" Salad on those amazing biscuits. Dang. That was GOOD. 

Whew. So go make some vegan biscuits! : )

 

Cream Cheese Corn Enchiladas

Enchiladas! Sort of. This is more of a cross between enchiladas and a burrito casserole. And it's awesome. I had a craving yesterday, so it became dinner! Super easy to throw together and then 20 minutes in the oven. Boom! : ) Hardest thing is making sure you have all the ingredients. Which I try to make sure is always. ; )

Ooey Gooey Cheesy!!

I veganized this recipe and it was awesome before, but now it ROCKS. And the absence of dairy-based cheese means I'm not all phlegmy and glued up inside after eating it. Gross, right? Well, it happens. Or used to. Ha. But no more! Here goes.

Cream Cheese Corn Enchiladas

adapted from Cassie Craves

  5 ounces Tofutti cream cheese, softened 

  1/4 cup Tofutti sour cream

  2 cups prepared salsa, divided

  1 cup shredded Daiya cheddar cheese, divided

  1 cup shredded Daiya pepper-jack cheese, divided

  1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

  1/2 teaspoon chili powder

  1/4 teaspoon cumin

  Salt and pepper

  4 scallions, thinly sliced ( I never have these so I use regular onion if I'm so inclined)

  8 8-inch flour tortillas

1. Preheat oven 325 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup salsa, 1/2 cup of each type of cheese. Toss in the corn, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and half of the scallion and stir to combine. 

3. Spread about 1/2 cup salsa in the bottom of a baking dish. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling on a tortilla, roll up and tuck in the sides, then put in dish seam side down. Repeat process for remaining tortillas.

4. Pour remaining salsa over enchiladas, spreading to coat all of them. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

5. Transfer to preheated oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with the remaining scallions and serve warm.

I've kinda gotten to the point where I can just eyeball amounts and throw everything in a bowl and roll it all up in a tortilla super quick. It's great. Since it's generally just for me, I half the recipe, hence the 8"x8" pan, which is perfect. The full recipe fits perfectly in a 9"x13". The Tofutti cream cheese and sour cream that I use are awesome. They are tofu-based, have the same textures and tastes of the "real thing", and mix and melt just great. I get them at Whole Foods or my local Sprouts health food store. They can be pricey, so I use them sparingly, but it's worth it! I hope you'll enjoy these enchilada/burrito/delicious things. : )