MoFo Day 14: Vegan Brunch Basics

Vegan Brunch is the only cookbook I've ever preordered. As soon as I heard it had recipes for tofu omelets and cinnamon rolls, I had to have it. I made both the first week and they were amazing. I've made a significant amount of the recipes in this book. I love that it has a ton of options - bagels for ambitious mornings, peanut butter waffles for gluttonous mornings, quiche for fancy mornings, polenta rancheros for cold mornings - and they are all delicious. I was having a difficult time choosing from so many great recipes, so I opted to go with the basics: Basic Scrambled Tofu and Tempeh Bacon Revamped. Those are two of my brunch staples and I haven't used a recipe for either in at least 5 years. I was curious to see how my versions would stack up against Isa's.

I took a few liberties with the tempeh bacon. I didn't read the recipe before going to the grocery store last night, so I had to use pizza sauce instead of tomato paste and vanilla-infused maple syrup instead of plain. I was also in a hurry, so it only marinated for 30 minutes instead of an hour.

A while back, I saw a link to 19 Signs You've Been Vegan Too Long on Buzzfeed. A lot of their lists are pure cliche, but this one was dead on. I do all of those things. See #9 below. After years of struggling with tempeh packages, I realized it would be much easier to cut through the center back.

While the tempeh was marinating, I got started on the tofu:

(I write the names on the top of my spices so they're easier to pick out of the cupboard. #winning). I usually put a ton of veggies in my scramble, so I was skeptical that I would like it with just garlic (not even an onion!), but I gave it a shot. In this recipe, you brown the tofu, then add spices mixed with water and then a ton of nutritional yeast. As with the tempeh, I didn't read the recipe before going to the store so I bought firm tofu instead of super firm. It took a little longer to brown but otherwise it was fine.

While the tofu was cooking, I pan-fried the tempeh. I rarely fry things, so I'm always astounded by the mess it makes all over my stove. I initially planned to make hashbrowns because I still have half a bag from my breakfast soup, but I didn't have enough large skillets.  

 

I portioned it out into four servings, poured a cup of coffee, and patted myself on the back for making one of the most delicious breakfasts I've ever had. Seriously, this tofu scramble is AMAZING. I'd serve it to omni's without hesitation. The spice blend is perfect and the nooch (vegan for 'nutritional yeast') adds the perfect amount of coating. The tempeh bacon is also fantastic. The maple syrup lends another flavor layer and helped get that caramelized edge that I love. I just want it to be tomorrow morning so I can eat this again!