A breakfast that always puts a smile on my husband’s face is whenever I whip up some scrambled tofu. A classic breakfast for many Americans is often scrambled eggs. But if you are trying to cut your cholesterol intake, passing on the eggs is a healthy step in the right direction. If you’d like a healthier alternative, why not give scrambled tofu a try.
Tofu is a high protein food just like eggs. It is also a high-energy food, so it’s a healthy way to enjoy a heart-smart breakfast. It doesn’t have any flavor of its own, but it will absorb any liquids and/or seasonings you add to it. This makes it an amazingly versatile food in your plant-based kitchen.
I start off by using extra-firm tofu. It is packed in water, so the first step is to drain the water and lightly squeeze the block of tofu so that most of the water is released. Then coarsely mash the tofu so that it resembles scrambled eggs in texture. Add to a hot non-stick skillet. When the tofu is hot, sprinkle in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of turmeric. This will add the lovely yellow color. You can then add your seasonings–nutritional yeast flakes, parsley, onion power and garlic powder. You could add regular salt or try some black salt. Black salt has a high sulfur content, so that it smells exactly like eggs! It is amazing! Just be sure to add it as your last ingredient so the natural oils will be strong. Set the tofu aside.
If this is all you do, you will have wonderful scrambled tofu. But it will be extra special (yumm-licious as I call it) if you add in some fresh vegetables. I make it pop with color and texture by adding red or green sweet peppers, sliced mushrooms and sometimes some green onions. You can also add some baby spinach in there for some awesome antioxidant power.
Enjoy over whole grain toast, boiled potatoes, or your favorite brown rice.
GLUTEN-FREE FRIENDLY: Serve scrambled tofu over your favorite gluten-free toast.
Tofu HealthBites
How does Tofu Scramble compare with scrambled eggs? Let’s look at some numbers. If we were looking at 1/2 cup of scrambled eggs vs the same amount of tofu scrambled, we’d find this…
- Calories:Â Scrambled eggs would be 174 calories, Scrambled tofu would be 104.
- Protein:Â Scrambled eggs would give you 11.1 grams of protein, Scrambled tofu would provide 12.
- Fat:Â Scrambled eggs have 13.1 grams of fat (3.8 would be of saturated fat), Scrambled tofu has 5.5 grams of fat (1.1 grams would be from saturated fat).
- Fiber:Â Scrambled eggs have no fiber, Scrambled tofu has 1.1 grams.
- Cholesterol:Â Scrambled eggs have 307.7 mg of cholesterol, Scrambled tofu has none.
- Iron:Â Scrambled eggs have 1.0 mg of iron, Scrambled tofu has 2.1 mg of iron.
- Calcium:Â Scrambled eggs have 72.5 mg of calcium, Scrambled tofu has 267.3.
Scrambled Tofu Over Toast
Ingredients
- 1 pound of extra-firm tofu water-pack
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 cup chopped red or green bell peppers
- 2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 2 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 to 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt or black salt
- 1/2 cup baby spinach leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Drain tofu thoroughly before using.
- Mash the tofu in a medium size bowl.
- Saute the tofu in a non-stick skillet, stirring occasionally.
- When hot, add the turmeric to the tofu and stir in. Add additional turmeric until it reaches your desired yellow color.
- Add the remaining seasonings--nutritional yeast flakes, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder and your choice of salt.
- In a small non-stick skillet, saute the onions, mushrooms and peppers. Add some water or vegetable broth to the vegetables, as needed, to prevent sticking. When hot and tender, you could add in 1/2 cup or more of baby spinach. Cook until the leaves begin to wilt.
- Mix the cooked vegetables with the tofu and serve immediately.
