Tofu gets a bad rap in most culinary circles for being bland and blase. In our fridge, it often languishes in its little plastic tub next to the prosciutto and fancy-schmancy cheeses. I'm sure the cheeses are the mean girls of the fridge, making every other resident feel ugly and unoriginal. I can just see them making fun of the celery for being flat as a board, the ketchup for being sooooo obvious, and the eggs for being scaredy-cats. But I'm positive tofu gets the brunt of it all with its plain looks and sometimes spineless attitude.
Well, tofu can give that shi-shi-la-la cheese a run for it's money with this recipe. The turmeric gives the tofu's plain complexion a healthy tan and the spices add a kick in the pants. It may not be the prettiest dish, but nobody's gonna push tofu around after this dance with broccoli and sweet potatoes!
Tofu Scramble with Broccoli and Sweet Potatoes Serves 2 with leftover tofu stuffing and broccoli for lunch tomorrow Ingredients:
2 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean, pricked all over with a fork, and wrapped in tinfoil
1 large crown of fresh broccoli
1 tub of firm or extra firm tofu, drained
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely minced
1 T turmeric
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Bragg's Liquid Amino's to taste
1 T Pickapeppa Sauce
1 t hot chili sauce (or more if you like it spicy!)
1 T Worcestershire Sauce or up the Pickapeppa dosage if vegan!
1 1/2 T Hungarian paprika
Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt to garnish
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and throw in the sweet potatoes. They'll take around an hour to an hour and a half to bake, so do this right when you get home from work or school! Also, put a cookie sheet underneath the potatoes, since they like to ooze and spit more than regular bakers, this will save you some serious elbow grease when it comes to oven-cleaning time!
When the potatoes are close to being finished, set a small saucepan on the stove with about a cup and a half of salted water. Bring to a simmer and add the cleaned and roughly chopped broccoli crowns. Cover and keep an eye on them until they turn bright green and are still tender crisp.
In a large saute pan, add your olive oil and onions and saute until the onions are translucent. Crumble in the tofu with your hands. Add the Bragg's, pepper, turmeric, Pickapeppa, chili sauce, Worcestershire, and paprika. Stir until well combined and the tofu dries out and starts to brown in places. You may need to add a little more olive oil to keep the pan moving.
Remove your sweet potatoes from the oven and remove tin foil. Add your broccoli to the saute pan full of tofu and stir well until the broccoli is seasoned. Plate your potatoes and cut in half. Spoon your tofu-broccoli mixture over the tops of the potatoes. Be generous!
Garnish with a little sour cream (if not vegan)! Enjoy!
I have religiously watched the Oscars every year since I was a little girl. I couldn't give one fig about the actual winners or losers, it was ALL about the red carpet and the dresses. Oh lord, the dresses.
