Mediterranean Tofu Scramble
Mediterranean Tofu Scramble is one of my most favorite breakfasts in the entire world. Bold statement. Totally true. Sooo very past the point of bold, that it is even past my love for my over-use of exclamation points. ‘Nough said.
Okay, I’d love to leave this post there, but we all know I love to talk too much. Every time I have a snow day (9 last year!), I feel compelled to do two things: Drink copious amounts of mimosas, and eat too much tofu scramble. Done & done. Love that my 3-day weekend turned into a 5-day weekend. Love you OR for your lack of snow preparedness! MWAH! Anyway, my mother is “doing Purple Carrot.” Yeah, I guess I’ll say it that way. She told me about a recipe that called for tofu feta cheese and I was totally enamored with this idea. Therefore, when the snow came and school did not (insert chorus to “Hallelujah” here), I immediately went to work on this Mediterranean Tofu Scramble. Tofu, vegan feta, loads of basil & oregano, garlic & onion, sun-dried tomatoes, beans, spinach, Kalamata olives, fresh lemon, and a side of potato hash… hell yes!
Tofu scrambles are kinda my speciality. I’m surprised I only have 3 posted on my blog! I’m now motivated to put all of my tofu scramble recipes here for you. Next, my Thai tofu scramble… sooooooo good! From my kitchen to yours… happy scramblin’! XO
- 3/4 package of extra firm tofu - drained & pressed well - crumbled
- 1/4 red or yellow onion - diced
- 2 cloves of garlic - diced
- 3 heaping Tbl sun dried tomatoes - julianned
- 2 C raw baby spinach (loosely packed)
- 2 Tbl of diced Kalamata olives
- 1/4 C chick peas OR small white beans
- 1/2 of a medium sized lemon
- 2 Tbl olive oil
- 5 basil leaves -chopped OR 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 Tbl dried oregano and a sprig of fresh for garnish (garnish is optional)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- For the tofu feta: (best if marinated over night)
- 1/4 package of extra firm tofu - very well drained & pressed - small cubes
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp white miso
- 1 Tbl white or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- *Gently mix all ingredients together in bowl, put in fridge, after a few hours, strain any excess liquid, keep refrigerated overnight
- Heat pan with olive oil
- Add onion, salt, and cook for 3 minutes - stir occasionally
- Add garlic and stir in for about 1 minute more
- Add tofu, dried herbs, and beans - stir occasionally for about 5 minutes
- Squeeze the lemon into the pan and stir occasionally for about 30 seconds
- Add sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, feta, olives, and fresh basil if using, plus any salt & pepper you'd like - cook for about 3 minutes more
- Done!
- Tofu feta should be made ahead of time & therefore is not included in the overall cook time
Vegan Quinoa Fruit & Veggie Infused Pancakes!
Vegan Quinoa Fruit & Veggie Infused Pancakes! Was an idea I’d been thinking about for a while. On Instagram, everyone seems to be going mental for quinoa pancakes. I needed to see if they tasted as good as they looked! Also, I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned that my kiddo has some sort of insane death like reaction and unnatural aversion to eating whole vegetables these days… kill me. 🙁 Therefore, I sneak them in any way I can, anytime I can, and in any form I can. I decided that our morning pancakes should be no different.
I’m going to keep this post short because right now, as I write this very post, I am sitting in bed with mimosas (cheating on my non-drinking binge… yes, NON-drinking binge), slurping up way too expensive coffee (Stumptown – worth it), staring out at the “snow storm” that really is a light sprinkling, a wee dusting of 38 degree snow, Karen Alpert’s, “I Want My Epidural Back” (which all mothers with any sense of mediocrity and humor in their bones should read – NOW), and loving the fact that Portland, OR cancels school for a mere single flake of snow… thus turning my 3-day weekend into a 4-day weekend. And, oh yeah, the highlight? My kiddo is playing his fabulous little ass off at pre-school! Win-win, baby! Mwahahaha!
PS- This day will be ending with me soaking in a tub, mimosa in hand, and General Hospital playing on my computer whilst I sink into my glorious bubbles (the bath, not the mimosa… though, that sounds disturbingly delicious). 😉
Okay, so these Vegan Quinoa Fruit & Veggie Infused Pancakes! are crazy delish, healthy, cute, and easy. Loaded with applesauce, spinach, beets, raspberries, strawberries, and more. Enjoy!
- 3/4 C whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 C cooked quinoa
- 2 vegan eggs (I used Follow Your Heart - You could sub with apple sauce as well)
- 1/4 C unsweetened dairy free milk (I used almond)
- 1 Tbl vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
- 2 Tbl agave or maple syrup (I did one of each)
- 3/4 C vegan chocolate chips (optional)
- For the fruit/veg purees: (Use as many or as little as you want)
- 1- Frozen strawberries & water
- 2-Frozen raspberries, beets (doesn't need to be frozen - I used one very small beet), water
- 3- Baby spinach and unsweetened applesauce
- In one bowl, mix together all dry ingredients plus the quinoa, & if using, chocolate chips
- In another bowl, mix together all wet ingredients but NOT the fruit/veg purees
- Combine both bowls and stir well
- Heat griddle or pan and spray
- In a separate bowl, add batter and one of the fruit mixtures, stir, and then ladle onto griddle
- Repeat for the other 2 fruit/veg purees
- Make sure you have enough batter for each puree you've made
- Flip pancakes when they begin to bubble on top
- Serve with fresh fruit, jam, peanut butter & jam (I do this for my lil' guy), syrup, or any topping of your choice!
Vegan Banana Coconut Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream!
Vegan Banana Coconut Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream! Is literally the best ice cream ever! And, it’s done in 5 minutes. On top of the fact that it’s caaa-rrrraaazzzzyyy delicious, it is also healthy and beyond simple to make. Score! My sister, Jessica, was saying that she had been blending frozen bananas for ice cream and that gave me the ever-so-delicious idea for this glorious treat. Thanks, J-Ru! Frozen bananas, coconut milk, dark chocolate, peanut butter, cinnamon, and vanilla extract: blend in high powered blender (I used my Vitamix), and done!
My mom had an ice cream maker when we were little. I LOVED making ice cream recipes over the summer. I also totally remember making the vanilla and chocolate Jello pudding frozen bars which were my absolute favorite! Especially, the vanilla. Okay, this has definitely triggered a craving. It’s also reminded me of a camp my mother sent me to in Old Bethpage, Long Island when I was about 8; very interesting memories… I remember having to wear a bonnet and a long hand-sewn dress, high boots, and a metal can tied to a rope that wrapped around my waste so we could have birch beer on tap at the end of the day (let me tell you, this was the HIGHLIGHT of my afternoons). It was about 95f one day and I took off my bonnet, only to promptly be told to “put it back on, as the children back-in-the day could not remove their bonnets.” Yeah, I was living in olden times… just in 1989… sigh… We played with wooden circles and sticks, wrote with feather pens in old classrooms, made pickles, churned ice cream, and sang songs of the old. This is just one of the many strange camps I attended in my childhood… In hindsight, I can now appreciate these experiences. The key word there being “hindsight.” 😉 I’ll have to share a pic of myself from this time. Anyway, enjoy the delicious Vegan Banana Coconut Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream! I hope, you too, can reflect upon any old camp or ice cream churning memories from your possible crazy youth! 😉
- 3 frozen bananas (I froze mine chopped up)
- 3 Tbl creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 C coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
- Pinch of cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- Approximately 1.75 Oz (50 grams) of dark chocolate OR 2 Tbl cocoa powder (I used chocolate)
- Place all ingredients in a blender (I use my Vitamix)
- Blend until smooth and creamy
- Done!
Vegan Kale Pesto Lasagna with Veggie Tofu Ricotta
Vegan Kale Pesto Lasagna with Veggie Tofu Ricotta is one of my ultimate comfort foods. Really, anything Italian style and carb loaded ticks the box for comfort food in my world. My mom had no idea how to cook when we were little. She was raised on shitty German food at best, but my other gma had learned to cook ca-razzzzy good Italian food from her Italian hubster, and from living in Italy for a bit. Jealous! She gave my mom a cookbook that she had typed out for her. Totally amazing! My goal is to one day replicate this book vegan style! Anyway, now-a-days, my mother is an incredibly amazing cook and chefs up all styles of food. For many of my single digit years, I spent most of it consuming loads of delicious Italian grub… not too shabby! However, I definitely blame my love affair with carbohydrates on this long-winded stint in my life. 😉
Vegan Kale Pesto Lasagna with Veggie Tofu Ricotta is incredibly simple to make. It has a kale/arugula pesto (click for my recipe), pureed spinach, tofu, nooch (nutritional yeast), flax, and more as a vegan ricotta cheese, plus marinara. I love this because it gets in loads of protein and vitamins, plus, I can get my kiddo to eat all his veggies since he’s decided that whole vegetable are no longer for him… sighhhhh… Enjoy the good grub! Mangia!
- 12 lasagna noodles - cooked (I use whole wheat)
- 8 Oz vegan kale pesto (I used my own recipe. Click on link in post)
- 1 1/2- 2 C marinara sauce
- 4 cloves of garlic - minced
- 1/2 white or yellow onion - diced
- 1 Tbl dried Italian herbs
- 2 C loosely packed baby spinach
- 1/4 C previously soaked cashews
- 2 Tbl nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbl ground flax seed
- 14 Oz extra firm tofu - drained and pressed dry - crumbled
- 1/4 C water
- 1 tsp vegetable broth base (this is a paste - I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base)
- Olive oil for pan
- Preheat the oven to 350f
- Cover the bottom of your lasagna pan with approximately 1/2 C marinara sauce
- Heat pan with olive oil on medium
- Add onion and cook for about 3-5 minutes
- Add garlic and cook for one minute more - stirring occasionally
- Add tofu, vegetable broth base, and Italian herbs, and spinach - stir occasionally for approximately 5 minutes
- Remove from heat
- In a blender, on low, blend contents of the pan, flax seed, nutritional yeast, cashews, and water
- Blend until the consistency of a ricotta cheese (if need be, SLOWLY add more water)
- Place your first layer of lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan (on top of the marinara - my pan is 3 pieces per layer)
- Evenly spread some of the ricotta mixture, pesto, and marinara on top of the noodles
- Repeat this process until done
- Above the top layer of lasagna noodles, add more marinara and save a bit for when the lasagna comes out of the oven as well
- Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes
- Let stand and cool for about 10 minutes and then add the remaining marinara on top
- Done!
- Oregon Pinot Noir
- Serves 9-12 pieces
Vegan Valentine’s Day Cake!
Vegan Valentine’s Day Cake! was the easiest thing ever. I really had my mind set on buying a heart shaped bundt cake mold this year, so when I found one at Target I snatched that sh#$ up asap! It’s SO cute and makes the perfect heart shaped cake for your ‘lova’ or day of celebration… whatever that may be or look like to you. Now, I love any excuse to cook, especially for a holiday of sorts, however, a secret for you: I don’t particularly enjoy baking! I don’t like measuring things and not having the freedom to create on my own. Plus, I don’t have a sweet tooth, I have the sharpest and fiercest carb tooth you’ve ever seen! Seriously… it’s deliciously awful, just ask my thighs. Anyway, for Valentine’s Day I always feel the need to bake. This year, I cut some serious corners. I’ve recently found out that a lot of cake mixes and frostings are naturally vegan! This was AWESOME news for my lazy baking self. I used Trader Joe’s Vanilla Cake Mix and a pink frosting specifically for V-day with heart confetti and red and white sprinkles. I replaced the egg with Follow Your Heart Vegan Eggs, cow’s milk for almond milk, and replaced the butter with Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Spread. Done!
My little man “helped” me as usual. So cute, yet so hindering. 😉 As you can tell from the pics below, clearly he decided to do some form of ‘push-up’ off the couch next to my ingredients, lick and eat half of the batter, and drip cake everywhere, but alas, we had a badass time together… as always! My little stud muffin! Happy Valentine’s Day! Love, FGG
- 1 heart shaped bundt cake mold (spray mold with cooking oil)
- 1 box of vegan vanilla cake mix (most cakes are - I used Trader Joe's)
- Vegan egg substitute (or apple sauce) - # varies based on your box of cake
- Non-dairy milk unsweetened OR vanilla - I used almond milk - amount varies based on your box of cake
- Vegan butter - I used Earth Balance - Amount varies based on your box of cake
- 1 container of valentine's day frosting mix with sprinkles/confetti - I used a pink one with red & white sprinkles
- Preheat oven according to temperature on box of cake
- Follow the directions on your box of cake and replace the non-vegan items with the vegan items on the ingredient list
- Pour cake mix into the bundt pan and cook for amount of time stated - be sure to check its readiness with a toothpick before removing from the oven
- Let sit for at least 10 minutes before frosting
- Done!
