Bringing in the Harvest with a Tofu Scramble

It is harvest time.  When I was growing up, my autumn afternoons were full of potato digging.  I was canning, freezing, and drying.  I was only twelve years old when my mother handed me the reigns; I'll never forget when she overtook me in the chicken yard one afternoon with the words, "Hey.  Nice lookin' plants you got down there."  My mother grew up on a farm, too, and did her best to pass the knowledge down to me.  
These days, I don't have the resources or space to have a garden like I did when I was a kid.  It feels bizarre not to be in the midst of a harvest, but I have done the best I can with what the Universe has given me.  Last February, right after going vegan, I swiped some seeds from an organic bell pepper that my husband was slicing up for an omelet.  I had never tried starting plants indoors before and really didn't expect much to happen.  I was convinced that the Good Food Store in Missoula sold genetically modified produce because those damn peppers didn't sprout for almost three weeks. 

The result of my indoor experiment:

I featured this pepper in one of my favorite breakfast dishes: the timeless "Tofu Scramble." Every vegan and their dog has a version of this because it's so versatile!  You can serve it plain alongside hash browns and toast, add a variety of vegetables, or roll it up Southwestern style in a burrito with all the traditional spices. 

Scrambled Tofu 

Your favorite vegetables, chopped
1/2-1 tbsp olive oil or water

3 oz. extra firm tofu
1/2-1 tbsp nutritional yeast
A sprinkle of turmeric or paprika for color (I didn't have any on hand this time)
A sprinkle of garlic powder
Shoyu to taste

Heat the olive oil, if using, in a nonstick skillet.  Add the vegetables and stir to coat them.  Let them cook for about 2-3 minutes.  If you choose not to use oil, use a little bit of water if the vegetables start to stick.


Meanwhile, crumble the tofu in a bowl and add the nutritional yeast, turmeric/paprika, garlic powder, and shoyu.  If you have any other spices you'd like to add, go for it!  Exercise your creativity a little bit.  Stir everything together and then add the tofu mixture to the vegetables.


Cook for 3-5 minutes.  Serve immediately with toast, hash browns, fruit, or however you like!  Good morning!

Serves 1.