Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Tofu Breakfast Sandwiches


Yum, yum, yum. I haunt VegWeb.com all the time looking for good food porn and new recipes to spark ideas or introduce a little variety in our diet. (You should check it out, it's a really awesome resource for vegetarians. All the recipes and photos are user-submitted, and vegan to boot. It's also got a pretty extensive social network built into it, so if you're looking for veggie forums, this is a place you wanna go.)

This recipe looked promising, and I finally tried it yesterday with a few adaptations and found it to be a really delicious, simple way to prepare tofu. Pressing the tofu for just 30 minutes to an hour keeps the center light and fluffy, replicating the texture of the best egg ever cooked and tossed into a sandwich.

I just ate the sandwich in the picture above. It was tasty and filling, and my husband (who is not a vegetarian, just exceptionally tolerant) raved about how good they smelled and tasted.


Tofu Breakfast Sandwich


1 block extra-firm tofu, pressed

Marinade:
3 T vinegar
1-1/2 tsp country-style dijon mustard (I prefer the brown mustards over regular dijon, they're less bitter)
1 tsp vegetable oil
3 T nutritional yeast
generous sprinklings of turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

Cut tofu block in half, making two fat rectangles, then slice each into thirds. You should end up with 6 pieces roughly the size and shape of a deck of cards. In a flat-bottomed bowl just big enough to fit one slice of tofu, mix the marinade ingredients until it makes a thick sauce. Dredge each piece in the marinade til coated and drop into a skillet on medium heat, scooping any remaining marinade over the slices. Cook for 5-8 minutes on each side, or until browned. If you like, put a small piece of non-dairy cheese on each tofu slab after turning and let it melt in while the bottom finishes cooking.

Serve on a warm soft roll or toast with a little vegan mayo, or with tomato and avocado slices. Makes enough for 3 hearty servings, or 6 small ones. I bet they'd be pretty fantastic on a homemade biscuit with a vegan sausage patty, too... *drool*