Tofu Scramble Seasoning and Tofu Migas

I love making spice blends - both powders and pastes. Part of it is just my general nerdiness. I love looking at a pile of recipes, figuring out the common ingredients, and reducing them to formulas and ratios. Kitchen math is so much fun. And once you have a basic formula, you can substitute to make all kinds of new things while still having confidence that the recipe will work, more or less.

But there is definitely a practical side, too. Once you have a spice blend made up, you can whip up all kinds of delicious things in a hurry. Tofu scramble seasoning is especially useful, because with a batch of this made up, you don't need a recipe. Who wants to have to read a recipe to make breakfast? Not me, I'm usually so bleary in the morning I can barely get the coffee in the cup.

Any dish usually made with scrambled eggs can be made with tofu scramble. A pound of tofu makes the equivalent of 8 eggs for 4 servings. When we were travelling this spring, one of our motels had a kitchenette. I threw a jar of spices in my suitcase and when we got there, I bought flour tortillas, potatoes, tofu and ready-made pico de gallo from the supermarket. With some fruit on the side, we had a feast. (This is a great travel recipe because you get four servings with no leftovers.)

This weekend, I made migas. Migas are a classic way to use up leftover corn tortillas. You fry them up with some peppers (and maybe onion and tomato, but I stuck with peppers this time), scramble in some eggs if you're all traditional, or some tofu if you're me, and optionally top with avocado and hot sauce.  I've also come up with a non-traditional way to fry the tortillas to use less oil. This is a fantastic breakfast or brunch when you want something hot and savory, but I think it would make a great quick dinner, too.

I'm sending this recipe to Susan's My Legume Love Affair, hosted by Susan herself, and to  Helen's Breakfast Club, hosted this month by Heather of Girlichef.

If you liked this Tofu Scramble Spice Blend, you might also like some of the other spice blends on this blog.

All-Purpose Masala Paste

Green Curry Paste

Thai Mussaman Curry Paste

Garam Masala

Tofu Scramble Seasoning

This includes a small amount of garlic powder so that you can omit fresh garlic from the recipe. If you desire fresh garlic, however, a clove won't overpower the dish.

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon turmeric

Mix ingredients and store in a glass jar. Shake before using. Makes enough for up to 4 pounds of tofu.

Basic Tofu Scramble with Herb Variations

Medium-firm tofu gives the best texture, but if you have firm or soft, it's fine. You might want to add a tablespoon or two of water to the pan if using firm, and cook it a little longer if using soft.

1 (12-16-ounce) package medium-firm tofu

Cooking oil

Vegetables of your choice, such as mushrooms, spinach, onions, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, and grated carrots

2 tablespoons of tofu scramble seasoning, or more to taste

1 to 2 teaspoons herbs and spices, optional

Drain the tofu and chop well with the side of a fork. You want the biggest pieces to be about the size of a cannellini bean. (Some people use their hands, but I don't like sticking my hands in wet food. If you do, go for it.) Set aside.

Heat a skillet, add a tablespoon of oil, and sauté veggies to desired tenderness. Add crumbled tofu and stir in tofu scramble seasoning. Either add one of the herb variations, or taste and adjust the flavor by adding more tofu scramble seasoning or a bit of salt.  Heat through and serve, or cook a little longer if you want the scramble a bit more dry.

Serves 4.

For an American scramble add:

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

This is a nice combo for hash browns and tempeh bacon.

For an Italian scramble add:

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon oregano

I haven't done anything with this one besides a basic scramble, but I think it would be lovely with some mushrooms and tomatoes, and served on a panini with sun-dried tomato pesto.

For an Indian scramble add:

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon cumin

This one became Masala Fried Rice-Tofu Scramble last winter.

For a Mexican  or Tex-Mex scramble add:

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Here are the spices in the migas below, and also what I use for breakfast tacos.

Tofu Migas

1 (12 to 16 ounce) package medium-firm tofu

4 corn tortillas

Corn oil or olive oil

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced finely

1 fat jalapeño, seeded and minced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tofu scramble seasoning

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 green onions, green part, sliced

1 large or 2 small avocados, sliced (optional)

Hot sauce (optional)

Drain tofu and crumble by chopping up with the side of a fork or by using your hands. Set aside.

Pour a tablespoon or so of oil into a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to coat both sides of the tortillas lightly in oil. Brush a large skillet with oil and heat to medium.

Cut the tortillas in half, place the tortilla halves in a stack, and slice into 1/2-inch strips. Transfer to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the tortillas just start to become crispy.  Push the tortilla strips to the side of the pan.

Pour a teaspoon of oil into the pan and add the peppers. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a minute.

Add the crumbled tofu to the pan and sprinkle on the tofu scramble seasoning, cumin, oregano, and chili powder. Stir into the peppers and tortillas strips. Cook until heated through. (You can cook a little longer if you want a slightly drier scramble.)

Transfer to 4 plates and top with green onions and avocado.

Serves 4.

Thai Curry Rice Noodles and Tofu

This is another one of those recipes I had no intention of blogging about. It was just going to be a quick veggie-tofu-noodle something to use up some ingredients and get dinner on the table. I took one bite and decided I needed to write down what I did so that I could be sure to make it again.

The ingredients I was trying to use up were a half package of rice noodles left over from some pad thai and some red curry paste that wasn't enough for a whole recipe of curry.  I made a sauce similar to the one I use for pad thai, but spiked with curry paste and white pepper, and not as sweet. Fresh basil takes the dish over the top.

I'm sending this to Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights, hosted this week by Ruth herself, and to Susan's My Legume Love Affair, hosted this month by Susan herself.

Thai Curry Rice Noodles and Tofu

1/2 package (13.2-ounce) rice noodles

1 pound tofu, cubed

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 carrot, thinly sliced

3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, about 1/2 an onion

1 or 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage or bok choi

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup basil leaves, slivered

Sauce:

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon mushroom soy sauce (optional)

1 tablespoon red curry paste

3 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Sriracha sauce to taste

Put noodles in a pan and cover with hot tap water. Wrap tofu in several layers of paper towels and place something heavy on top, such as a cast iron skillet (or a plate and some cans).  Set aside noodles and tofu for 20 minutes or longer.

Whisk together sauce ingredients.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Oil a baking pan. Unwrap tofu and cut into bite-sized pieces. Brush about a teaspoon of sauce over one side of the tofu cubes, flip them over and brush with another teaspoon or so of sauce. Transfer to the baking pan and bake for 30 minutes, turning over once after 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Sauté carrot and onion until onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in cabbage and garlic and cook until cabbage is reduced in volume by about a third, but is still crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain noodles and stir into the vegetables. Whisk the sauce again and pour over the noodles. Cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is absorbed.

Top noodles with baked tofu and slivered basil.

Serves 3.

Black and White Wednesday #45: The Collection

Thank you to everyone who send in your beautiful photos for Black and White Wednesday, an event celebrating all things culinary in black and white. Thanks also go to Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook for the opportunity to host this week. 

Setting & Tasting by Cinzia of Cindystar

Poppy Seed Harvest by Simona of Briciole

Swami Silver by Shri of Tiffin Carrier Antic/que's

Punjabi Samosas by Shruthi of Food & Clicks

Ready for Shaping by Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums

Priceless Moment at a Gelato Shop by Notyet100 of Asan Khana

Dried Guajillo Chilies by Lynne of Café Lynnylu

 

Green Peas Poha by Swathi of Sanjeevani

 

 

Mushroom Slices by me

 

Manchego by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook

 Susan is hosting her event next week. The details can be found here.

Mushroom slices for Black and White Wednesday 45

I am proud to be hosting the 45th Black and White Wednesday this week, an event created by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

To participate, simply send me a black and white photo of a culinary nature - it does not have to be of food - to cdmcculloch [at] comcast.net or cdmcculloch7 [at] gmail.com.  In your email, include

• Your name
• Your blog name
• Your image title

 

and attach your image.

Please link back to this announcement and Susan's host line-up page.

I'll be accepting late photos; I've pushed the deadline back to Tuesday, August 14 at midnight New York time (eleven pm Houston time.) My only other requirement is that the long side of your photo be at least 500 pixels. If you want to send me something larger, I can resize it.

For more details, see the host line-up page.

Peach and Red Bell Pepper Panini

Oh yes I did.

I put peaches in a sandwich.

This was inspired by one of my favorite cheap wines, a Sauvignon Blanc whose flavor has a hint of both peaches and red bell pepper. The sandwich is a bit sweet of course, but the sweetness is nicely balanced by the spices in the hummus. For this version, I used store-bought hummus, roasted red pepper from a jar, and homemade bread  - this recipe made without the herbs. The sandwich would also be great with chutney in place of the peach, either mango chutney or something like this apple-onion one.

Since I don't have a panini press, I heated my smaller cast iron skillet on high while I was heating the sandwich skillet over medium heat. Then I used the cast iron one to press and heat the top of the sandwich. If you do this, you can also place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the sandwich if your top skillet isn't well seasoned on the bottom.

Peach and Red Bell Pepper Panini

4 slices bread

About 4 tablespoons hummus

1 ripe but firm peach, thinly sliced

2 ounces roasted pepper (I used 2 piquillo peppers), drained and patted dry

Spread about 1 tablespoon hummus on one side of each bread slice. Top two of the pieces of bread with a single layer of peach slices, then a single layer of roasted red pepper slices. Top with remaining slices of bread.

Heat panini skillet and press (or two skillets - see above). Heat and press sandwich until hot in the center.

Serves 2.

Time for ice cream! (solving the homemade ice cream problem)

The nice people at Foodie sent out Williams Sonoma gift certificates to the bloggers featured in their startup. I used mine to buy a new ice cream maker. I had an older model that required that you load up the bucket with ice and salt, but I wanted one that was more convenient.

The Cuisinart model I bought is awesome. In addition to ice cream, I've used it several times to make sorbet from summer fruit. I can't wait to try some unusual ice cream combos.

Before I tackle unusual ice cream flavors, though, I wanted to make sure I got chocolate and vanilla right so that I always had a delicious, rich base recipe to work from. I wanted the recipe to use almond milk, as that's the dairy-free milk that I'm most likely to have on hand, and I wanted it to use only use ingredients that are available from my regular supermarket (which eliminated the recipe from Veganomicon because of its reliance on silken tofu.)

Also, I wanted to solve the "homemade ice cream problem." If you've ever made ice cream at home, you know what I’m talking about - you make a batch, enjoy some right away, put the rest into the freezer, and when you go to scoop out more, it's as hard as a block of ice.

Some research let me to David Lebovitz's awesome blog, where I was reminded that the problem is caused by a lack of air; commercial ice cream makers whip twice as much air into ice cream than typical home ice cream makers. A commercial grade machine is just a tiny bit out of my budget, so I had to figure out something else. I started by adding things to a base of almond milk, sugar, and vanilla. I thought corn starch might do the trick, as it gives the ice cream a custardy texture. It does create a great texture, but I still got ice cream that was too hard after it had been in the freezer. Next, I tried adding fat in the form of coconut cream (scooped from the top of a can of coconut milk). Again, I got a great texture, but an ice block later. Finally, I tried adding alcohol for its antifreeze properties, carefully adding it at the end according to my machine's instructions. The resulting ice cream was kind of gross. The nearly frozen ice cream in the machine melted and never froze back up properly, and later the ice cream was full of big ice crystals. 

I came to the conclusion that the only way to deal with hard ice cream, in my kitchen at least, is to freeze it in a way that doesn't require scooping later. Ice cream sandwiches are a blast, but if you don't want to buy or make cookies, you can also make ice cream pops. (Pops are especially great made with sorbet.) For ice cream sandwiches, just about any cookie will do. I think the simpler ones are better, like plain chocolate ones. I tried store-bought gluten-free cookies for my first attempt and they were great too.

The routine goes like this: A day ahead, put the bowl of the ice cream maker in the freezer. Make the custard and refrigerate. Just before making the ice cream, put the serving bowls in the freezer. Scoop the ice cream into the cold serving bowls and put them back into the freezer. Make the ice cream sandwiches or pops. Trade the sammies or pops for the bowls of ice cream in the freezer. Eat!

 

I made three versions of vanilla before I got one I really liked. The final secret to the best one was using the highest quality vanilla I could find. I think this Madagascar vanilla extract is sublime. I even like it better than using a whole vanilla bean. Once I got the vanilla down, it took two tries to get the best chocolate recipe. The trick here is not to skimp on the sugar, and to use both cocoa powder and unsweetened baking chocolate for a complex chocolate flavor. 

I'm entering this in Cook.Eat.Delicious - Desserts, this month hosted by Culinary Vibes, and all about chocolate.

Vegan Vanilla Ice Cream

As soon as you buy coconut milk, put it in the refrigerator.  Corn starch and arrowroot starch give equal results so use what you have on hand. This does taste like coconut and almond in addition to vanilla.

1 (13.5-ounce can) coconut milk, refrigerated for several hours

About 3 cups almond milk, divided use

3/4 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

2-1/2 teaspoons corn starch or arrowroot starch

1 tablespoon good-quality vanilla extract

Carefully open can of coconut milk and scoop the solids off the top into a large measuring cup. Reserve the liquid for another use (like making curry or bread). Add enough almond milk to the coconut milk solids to make 3 cups. Transfer the coconut and almond milk to a heavy saucepan. Whisk in the sugar and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until you see a little steam coming from the top of the milk, but don't bring to a boil.

Whisk together the corn starch or arrowroot starch with an extra 1/2 cup of almond milk. Add to the saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, cool to about room temperature, and refrigerate.

Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream

As soon as you buy coconut milk, put it in the refrigerator.  Corn starch and arrowroot starch give equal results so use what you have on hand. Unlike the vanilla recipe, you don't really notice the almond and coconut flavors here, just chocolate.

1 (13.5-ounce can) coconut milk, refrigerated for several hours

About 3 cups almond milk, divided use

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Pinch of salt

2-1/2 teaspoons corn starch or arrowroot starch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Carefully open can of coconut milk and scoop the solids off the top into a large measuring cup. Reserve the liquid for another use (like making curry or bread). Add enough almond milk to the coconut milk solids to make 3 cups. Transfer the coconut and almond milk to a heavy saucepan. Whisk in the sugar, cocoa powder, unsweetened chocolate, and salt. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until you see a little steam coming from the top of the milk, but don't bring to a boil. Whisk vigorously to blend in the melted chocolate.

Whisk together the corn starch or arrowroot starch with an extra 1/2 cup of almond milk. Add to the saucepan. Heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens slightly, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat, cool to about room temperature, and refrigerate.

Freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions.