Recipe Short: Avocado Toast with Easy Tofu Scramble

April 26, 2019

I woke up this morning with an inexplicable craving for something savory.

I kept rubbing my stomach, making sure it knew what it wanted. Usually I wake up yearning for dark chocolate, or ice cream, or cinnamon toast and fruit. Before 9am, I have the palette of a 6 year old in a candy store.

This morning, my body wanted salt.

I had to brainstorm a breakfast that deviated from my usual (creamy chocolate smoothie bowl or blueberry cinnamon overnight oats), but was still quick and easy to prepare.

I got into the shower and thought.

As I shampooed my hair, I dreamt of smashed avocado on crunchy toast with a poached egg, splattered with hot sauce. But I certainly didn’t have time to poach an egg and Instagram it and eat it. Because you can’t not Instagram a perfectly jammy poached egg.

I remembered that we had leftover tofu scramble in the refrigerator so I settled for that, and then I remembered that I wasn’t settling for anything.

Despite it’s vegetarian health food store sounding name, tofu scramble is delicious. It might be even better than scrambled eggs.

Tofu scramble recipe

Here’s what you do: take one block of firm or extra-firm tofu out of the package and drain it. Wrap it in a dish towel and put something heavy on it while you make your coffee, toast your bread, smash up your avocado, etc. You want to get as much moisture out of the tofu as possible.

Heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter in a small skillet on medium heat. Add the tofu with your hands, crumbling it to bite-sized pieces as you go. Toss it once in the oil, then let it sit without moving for about 3 minutes, until one side gets golden brown. Season the tofu with a lot of salt and pepper until it tastes salty and peppery to your liking. Add ¼ teaspoon of turmeric. This gives the tofu a deceptively eggy color.

Toss everything around again, then add anything else you like. A few ideas- a pinch of red pepper flakes, chopped cherry tomatoes, a handful of baby spinach or arugula.

To serve, drizzle a bit of olive oil on your toast, then top with the smashed avocado and the tofu scramble. A sprinkle of microgreens adds a delicious, crunchy, and professional-looking touch, but they are not necessary unless your mother is growing her own in the backyard.

I’ll probably wake up tomorrow craving blueberry waffles smothered in maple syrup, but that savory breakfast was a welcome anomaly to my morning routine.

If you try it, make sure to sit down and enjoy it with a knife and fork. It’ll keep you full for hours, so lunchtime (your next delicious meal) will be far away.

Sit next to a sunny window and appreciate the moment; because a beautiful, peaceful breakfast is one of the many ways life can be sweet (or savory, if you prefer).