Quintessential Vegan Breakfast: Tofu Scramble

I have said it before and I'll say it again: tofu is one of the most underrated ingredients out there.  I'm not sure why tofu gets such a bad rap in the foodie world.  Fear of the unfamiliar, perhaps?  Well don't let that stand in your way readers!  I'm here to prove to even you non-believers out there that tofu can be a delicious substitute for animal products in a wide variety of recipes. 

Ten years ago when I decided to become a vegetarian, tofu scramble was one of the first recipes that I mastered.  And now, even though I am a huge scrambled egg lover and am no longer a strict vegetarian, it is still a mainstay of my recipe arsenal.  It's quick, easy, and incredibly flavorful.  I've outlined the most basic ingredients below, but the best part is, you can adapt this recipe to include as many, or as few ingredients, as you like.  Have leftover onions, potatoes, mushrooms, tomatoes, or peppers?  Throw them in.  Anything you would add to a traditional omelette or scramble will blend seamlessly with this recipe.

The next time you're about to whip up some scrambled eggs, give this a try instead.  I promise that you will not be disappointed!   

Tofu Scramble

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 block of extra firm tofu, drained of excess water
1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp yellow curry powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cayenne pepper

At least 1/2 hour before starting this recipe, drain tofu as previously described:

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute until just golden brown (approximately two minutes):

Use your hand to crumble drained tofu block into the frying pan (you'll want it to achieve a consistency similar to scrambled eggs):

Add spices to tofu and stir to coat.  Cook for about 5 minutes:

Serve with traditional breakfast items (toast, potatoes).  Enjoy!

Pumpkin Shrimp Curry

As you may know from some of my previous posts, I am an absolute fiend for pumpkin and am always looking for new ways to incorporate it into my recipes.  So you can imagine my excitement when I came across the 3 Chefs, 1 Ingredient feature in the November issue of Bon Appetit where they asked three different chefs to describe new ways to use pumpkin and proclaimed that "pumpkin is for more than just pie".  (I couldn't agree more!)  I promised you back in my Thanksgiving post that I would share my take on their suggestion for a Pumpkin Shrimp Curry and here I am finally getting around to it.  The next pumpkin recipe I plan to tackle is a pumpkin pasta, so all my fellow pumpkin fanatics out there should be sure to stay tuned!

Pumpkin Shrimp Curry

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced
1 Tbsp ginger
4 cloves of minced garlic
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
1 cup chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 can coconut milk
3 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and ginger.  Stir to coat onions with ginger and saute until onions are soft and translucent (about 8 to 10 minutes).

Add garlic and saute for another minute.  Add tomatoes (including any liquid from the can) and pumpkin and cook for 10 minutes.

Add broth, coconut milk, and both spices.  Stir to incorporate and simmer for 20 minutes.

I used light coconut milk.  All the flavor, creaminess, and richness of the regular version with only a third of the calories and fat - how can you go wrong?

Add the shrimp and simmer until they are cooked through.

Serve over steamed rice.  I garnished mine with cilantro and grated lime zest.

East Meets West: Curried Pumpkin Soup

Although I love all of the tradition associated with Thanksgiving and the delicious foods that I grew up eating on this holiday, as I mentioned in my last post, I was looking to shake things up a bit this year.  I think that one of the most exciting aspects of cooking is trying out new flavor combinations and I recently came across a recipe for a Pumpkin Shrimp Curry which sounded amazing.  (Although I haven't yet gotten around to giving it a try, I am definitely planning to and I promise to share).  This got me thinking - what if I added the flavors of curry to a traditional pumpkin soup recipe?  The result was so tasty that I may just have to make it a Thanksgiving tradition after all.    

Curried Pumpkin Soup

1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp cardamom
1 tsp yellow curry powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken if you prefer)
1/2 of a 14 oz can of coconut milk

**Note:  I realize that cardamom and coriander can get expensive and may not be spices that you use very often.  If you don't have these spices lying around and don't feel like investing in them, you can simply double the amount of curry powder that you add to the soup since curry powder already contains these spices.**

Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until translucent (approximately 5 to 10 minutes).  Add garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, and curry powder and stir to coat onions.  Cook for about 2 minutes to meld the flavors:

Add salt, red pepper flakes, pumpkin, broth, and coconut milk.  Stir to mix and bring to a simmer.  Cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth (I do not recommend transferring all of the soup to the blender at once - I did this and ended up with hot pumpkin soup all over my kitchen.  Be sure to blend in small batches instead to avoid burning your hand and having to clean the kitchen top to bottom!).  Pour blended soup into bowls and serve with warm crusty bread.

Chana Masala = Spice Paradise

When we were still living in Salt Lake, we would go out for Indian food about once a week to the Star of India.  My husband's favorite meal there was the Chana Masala, extra spicy.  Now that we're out here in San Diego, we don't have an Indian place to go to anymore (although I am sure there are plenty of great spots that we just haven't found yet).  So as a surprise for my husband, I decided to try my hands at making Indian food for the first time.  (I'm not sure why, but I have never made Indian food before.  I think all of the spices that are involved have always seemed intimidating to me.)  Here's my first attempt at chana masala - to my surprise, it was quick, easy, and I was able to make it entirely with spices I already had in my pantry.  And while my recipe may not have been traditional (I didn't have some of the traditional ingredients including garam masala and amchoor powder and I am fairly certain that jalapenos are not normally in Indian food), it sure was tasty:

Chana Masala (as written, this recipe will serve 2-3 people)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
1 jalapeno (cored and seeded with the white part removed), minced
1/2 Tbsp coriander
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1/3 cup water
freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lime
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno and saute until browned (for approximately 5 minutes):

Reduce heat to medium-low and add all spices:

Stir to mix and saute for about 2 minutes until onion mixture is well coated:

Add tomatoes and stir to mix:

Add garbanzo beans and water:

Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes to reduce.  In the meantime, heat oven to 200 F. Wrap naan in foil and heat in oven for 5 minutes to warm. (I used Trader Joe's Tandoori Garlic Naan, pictured below):

After the chana masala has simmered for 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper, and add freshly squeezed lime juice and cilantro to taste:

Serve with naan and cilantro lime rice (see below for recipe) and enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups water
freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lime
chopped fresh cilantro (approximately 1 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp butter

Add rice, water, lime juice, cilantro and butter to a rice cooker (or medium sauce pan):

Cook until liquid is absorbed (approximately 20 minutes).  Fluff with fork and serve.