Pure Evil: The Best Sandwich Ever

I make two things fairly often: "cheesy" garlic bread and tofu scramble sandwiches. They are really simple and incredibly satisfying, which is probably why I make them so often. The other day, I got to thinking, these two dishes would go pretty well together. I could take two slices of "cheesy" garlic bread and make a tofu scramble sandwich!!!

Vegan Donuts (revisited)

I'm really not much of a baker. At all. I know some basic rules, and I can follow a recipe like a champ, but I'm not confident enough to "invent" recipes. Sometimes I'll try to veganize a recipe. Like maybe once. But for the most part I leave it to the experts. I've tried two vegan donut (or doughnut... I don't know which one I like better yet) recipes, and they've both been phenomenal.

Vegan Breakfast Part 2: Broiled Tofu with Sage Wasabi Cream, Sauteed Spinach, and Lebanese Tabouli

The first part to this series was a banana french toast with candied walnuts. And while I love a sweet breakfast, my favorite has to be the savory. Something about all that syrup first thing in the morning doesn't sit well with me. Unless we're talking about "weekend mornings", which are more around 12 pm. At that point, I could eat anything.

Anyway, Andrew and I have taken on a new aspect to the regiment-- morning yoga. We have 3 Rodney Yee yoga dvds that we cycle through. Well, we mostly cycle through "Power Yoga" and "Strength Building Yoga". It's a pain in the ass to wake up an hour earlier, but it's worth it. I feel so much better after working out in the morning. And yoga really focuses on both mind and body. I'll probably write more about this later, but the point being-- I'm really hungry in the mornings now! It gets my metabolism going I think. Thus, a series about breakfast food.

This is a really good nod to eggs florentine. It doesn't taste much like [[I don't think? I've never had it!]], but it's super delicious. The sauce is warm and creamy with a touch of spice and the Lebanese tabouli adds a fresh finish. Give it a try.


[[Broiled Tofu with Sage Wasabi Cream, Sauteed Spinach, and Lebanese Tabouli ]]

2 Ezekiel English muffins
2 tbs earth balance or other soy butter

1/2 block of tofu cut into 8 triangles
2 tbs soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic
some parsley

1 recipe for wasabi cream
plus:
1 tbs vegan sour cream, I use tofutti
1 tbs fresh sage chopped
a dash of cayenne pepper

1 tbs olive oil
1 cup spinach

1/3 cup tabouli - you can buy it at whole foods or make it yourself

-- Turn your broiler on high.
-- Mix together all the ingredients after tofu. Marinade you tofu in this mixture and then place in a glass baking dish.
-- Cook until a little crispy on the outside about 12-15 minutes. Then baste the tofu with a couple tbs of the marinade. Cook for another 5 minutes. Repeat and remove the tofu.

-- Heat the wasabi cream in a sauce pan. If you're using extra that has been refrigerated it may be kind of thick. Whisk in 1/4 cup soy milk.
-- If you're making it from start to finish, just continue with these instructions.
-- When wasabi cream is full heated [[or thickened]], whisk in the sour cream, sage, and cayenne. Remove from heat and set on warmer until ready to use.

-- Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a medium pan. When heated, add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted.

-- Assembly: Top your buttered English muffin halves with the tofu, then spinach, then wasabi sage cream, then sprinkle with tabouli.

Vegan Breakfast Part 1: Banana French Toast w/ Candied Walnuts

Breakfast undoubtedly goes on my list of favorite foods. At my mom's house, everyone eats omelets-- daily. And before I was vegan, I was on the omelet train, too. I'd make one for lunch and probably eat another one for dinner during the summer. When I went to college, we'd drive to the nearest city to go to Denny's, just to get a midnight omelet with a side of everything [[because everything seems to come with everything, doesn't it?]]. My little sister hates eggs, though, so she was sort of the odd one out. She always wanted pancakes. And not to knock on my mom or the fine people at Bisquick, but I hated my mom's pancakes. I hate sogginess and the general texture of a non-fluffy pancake. But I can't blame her. Such a pancake takes infinite finesse and more time than she was willing to put into it. If you have Vegan with a Vengeance, Isa's adds lots of tips for perfect pancakes. One being: refrigerate your batter the night before. I swear by that.

But this post isn't about omelets or pancakes; it's about french toast. Whenever I want to do something nice, I'll wake up on the weekends and make french toast for me and Andrew. We usually just snack a granola bar or eat some cereal for breakfast, so it's always awesome when I have time to make french toast. These are sweet with just a hint of banana that doesn't overwhelm the undertones of vanilla and cinnamon. The candied walnuts aren't too sweet and add a nice texture contrast to the fluffy, crispy french toast. I love these!


[[Banana French Toast w/ Candied Walnuts]]
Check out my tips for perfect french toast.

French toast:
1 half loaf of day old ciabatta bread [[I got mine from whole foods on Lane Ave.]]
1 medium sized banana
1 cup soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
a dash of cinnamon
2 tbs canola oil

Candied Walnuts:
1/2 cup walnuts
3 tbs earth balance
1 tbs sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Instructions for Candied Walnuts:
- Blanch walnuts by boiling them in salted water for about 3-5 minutes. Strain and set aside in a medium sized baking dish.
- Melt butter on stove top.
- When melted, add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Pour over nuts in the baking dish and stir until they are all fully coated. Sprinkle with salt and cinnamon and bake for about 10-15 minutes.

Instructions for French Toast:
- Place all ingredients, except the bread, in a blender and mix until smooth and creamy. You can also whip it with a hand blender, but that gets messy.
- Slice day old bread about 1/2 inch thick.
- Heat a large skillet with one tbs canola oil. After dredging both sides of the bread and allowing excess to drip off, place on heated skillet. You can use the extra tbs of canola oil if it gets too dry.
- Cook each side about five minutes, or until crispy. Keep warm in 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions:
- Serve french toast with Grade A maple syrup, warmed. Top with sifted powder sugar and a tablespoon or two of candied walnuts.

November Treats: Pumpkin Spice Granola

Hey, Columbus. I wanted to do a quick post about the most amazing granola I've ever had. I never got into the whole seasonal food thing, mostly because the thought of a pumpkin spice latte made me cringe a little. BUT I'm here to tell you, I've been converted. Pumpkin spice granola is officially my new favorite thing ever, served with vanilla rice milk. You can get it in bulk at the Clintonville Community Market, and I highly recommend that you do! It's flavorful, crunchy, and feels like fall in a bowl.

Vegan MoFo Day 17: Morning Smoothies

I try to have a smoothie every morning. That, or tea and a granola bar. But I feel better when I have a smoothie for breakfast. I've heard ever since I was little that you should never eat fruit after a meal because it will make you sick. I've never really had that confirmed by a doctor before, but I received a chain email recently restating that fact. The email also said that to get all the detoxifying health benefits of fruit, you should eat it on an empty stomach. I don't know how much of this I believe. Even an extensive google search didn't really give me more insight. Either way, I'll usually eat fruit as a smoothie in the morning, when my stomach is empty. My favorite smoothie I make is 2/3 cups of frozen raspberries, 1/2 of a banana, 3-4 ice cubes, and 1/4 cup of pure pineapple juice-- all organic. I really like tart fruits, and this ends up being a pretty tart smoothie. If I'm making some for Andrew, who doesn't really like the tartness, I'll use strawberries in place of raspberries and add more banana. Anyway, if you want to eat more fruit, do it in the morning. The potassium boost from the bananas gets you going first thing!

Vegan MoFo Day 16: Cinnamon Rolls!

I've wanted to make these for a while. I don't baked breads much, so the thought of making cinnamon rolls is a bit daunting for me. The kneading and the shaping and the rising time-- it all seems like too much work to be worth it. But like most things I've tried in the kitchen, and in life, it's never as hard as you think.

And to make it that much easier for you, I created step by step instructions with photos. Sometimes, especially in pastry recipes, I'll read an explanation of how to do something, and it's gibberish. That's usually when I get frustrated, throw something in the sink, and tell Andrew I'm never cooking again. Luckily, most of my baking time is while I'm home alone now, so he doesn't get to see the tirades.

I got this recipe online. The pictures sold me. However, the recipe did not come with "by hand" instructions, just bread machine, stand up mixer, and food processor. Since I broke my food processor the first day I bought and I have been too stubborn to go buy a new one, I just did it all by hand. If you want other instructions, go to the link.

[[Cinnamon Rolls]]
by these people with some additions

bread:
Ener-g eggs, room temperature and beaten -- next time I'd try a flax egg
1/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F.)
3 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raw sugar
5 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup plain soy milk (heated approximately 1 minute in microwave)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

filling:
1/2 cup earth balance
1 cup soft brown sugar
4 to 5 tablespoons ground cinnamon

icing:
1/2 tub vegan cream cheese (like Tofutti), room temperature
1/4 cup vegan margarine, room temperature
1 cup icing sugar
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

By hand preparations:
1. Whip the egg replacer [[check out the box instructions]] until foamy. Set aside.
2. With a tsp sugar, mix the 1/4 cup warm water with the 3 tsp of active dry yeast. Set aside for 10 minutes.
3. While you wait for your yeast to look foamy and "alive", prepare the dry ingredients. Mix bread flour, vital wheat gluten, sugar and salt together.
4. Cut the room temperature butter into the dry ingredients.
5. Add warmed milk, vanilla, egg replacer, and yeast/water mixture to the butter/flour mixture. 6. Knead until it comes together to form a smooth, sticky ball. All the flour may not incorporate and that's ok. Just knead until it just comes together.
7. Place in a clean bowl and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
8. Get together your ingredients for the filling. Here comes the hard part... for me anyway.






9. Remove the dough after it has rested and roll it out into a large rectangle.















10. With a basting brush, spread softened butter onto the rolled out dough.












11. Sprinkle with brown sugar. In this photo it looks like a lot less. I halved the brown sugar just to make it a little lighter, but I'd recommend using it all.











12. Sprinkle with brown sugar.















13. Like a hot dog, roll from the longest side up. The tighter you roll it, the more it will buff up in the middles, so try to avoid rolling it too tightly. When you roll it up, seal the flap with a little water by pinching it and smoothing it.












14. With a knife, slice little lines so you cut them into even rolls.














15. Slice them and lay them in a grease baking dish about 1/2 inch apart. Flatten them a bit with your hands. Do not have them touching. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for 2-3 hours, or until they double in size. You can also refrigerate them and let the slow rise overnight for the morning. Or you can freeze them and save the 2-3 hours of rising for later.



16. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
17. While they're baking, mix together all incing ingredients. My rolls' icing looks different because I ran out of earth balance. So, if you want to make a thinner icing, you can do it without the butter and with a little soy milk, about 2-3 tbs. Use icing at room temperature.
18. When they're done, cover in icing and top with chopped nuts or raisins if you so choose.

Vegan MoFo: Blueberry Scones

When I was little, we lived in Santa Barbara, CA. My mom, for some strange reason, was obsessed with winter holidays. She had whole collections of strange Christmas CD's, our houses always had to have a fire place [[we moved a lot]], and we always baked a lot. As a kid I always enjoyed it, but looking back I see how silly it is to have a roaring fire when it's 70 degrees out. It was all fun, but seemed really unnecessary. My mom wore Ugg boots with her shorts and t-shirt.

Now that I live in the mid-west, where there are seasons, especially fall and winter, I'm starting to understand exactly why we do all these wintery things around the holidays. It's grey. It's cold. All your plants died. It's pretty depressing. But baking... and fires... and snuggling... those all grab new meaning to me.

Perfectly flaky in the middle.

I was laying on the couch last night, feeling cold and bored and just zoning out like a giant sloth. The cold weather really gets me down. Eventually, I got out "The Joy of Vegan Baking" and made her amazingly delicious blueberry scones. And suddenly I didn't seem to mind that it was near freezing and dark at 6. Because I was eating an incredibly flaky, warm blueberry scone. That was my a-ha moment. Baking makes so much more sense when it sucks outside.

Anyway, if you want to bake the best vegan stuff ever, like scones and pies and lemon cheesecakes -- buy The Joy of Vegan Baking. It's my favorite.

Happy World Vegetarian Day! And the start of Vegan MoFo!

Some Weekend Concoctions

I used to get a meatball sub from subway almost every day on my way to work in Berkeley. I'd walk to work every day, and the street I turned on had two places-- a McDonald's and a Subway. I thought the Subway was the lesser of the two evils, but I suppose getting a meatball sub was the worst thing I could have done. But do you blame me? The melty mozzarella with the sweet, tanginess of the marinara on an herby loaf. It was amazing.

I've been meaning to recreate something like that for a long time. This weekend I was feeling lazy and uninspired, and this reflects that. It wasn't to die for or spot on "meatball sub". It was just a tasty medley of crap I threw together. We had some mozzarella in the fridge and some marinara sauce left over from the pizza night, thus this was born.

I used an Ezekiel bun, whole wheat. Then I just grilled some tempeh and onions with some bragg's and spices and god only knows what else.


Then for breakfast on Sunday, Andrew was telling me about this restaurant he went to where he first discovered nutritional yeast [[the guys a vegan for years and never even heard of it, crazy right?]]. Their tofu scramble is chunky and really crispy on the outside. They put it in tacos and stuff, too. I tried to recreate this and although I liked it, I wasn't able to get it quite as crispy as I'd like. Once I get it right, I'll let you know.


It's a whole wheat, whole grain tortilla with chunky tofu scramble, spicy spinach, chopped jalapenos, chopped scallions, and some cholula hot sauce.

Tempeh Bacon

Hey guys, thanks for being patient with the blog template changes. I think I have it under control now, hopefully there won't be any more parsing errors.

I couldn't get mine as thin as hers, but they were perfect.

I wanted to do a quick post about this amazing tempeh bacon I tried. Kathy of "Healthy. Happy. Life." posted this recipe a few days ago, and I can only say amazing things about it. The sweetness of the maple syrup with heat of cayenne [[ She says to add a dash, I add a good tsp]] really creates an amazing complex flavor. I love how "mock greasy" it is. It's covered in a smoky sauce, which makes it feel greasy and unhealthy. I remember bacon being dripping with fat, not like these dry imitation, shards that you buy in the store. They're great for bacon bits, but when it comes to a BLT they just don't cut it. But these ones rocked. The sweet, smoky, greasy flavor completely satiates my cravings. For the "BBQ spice blend" I used minced garlic, onion powder, plus the other spices, and then used liquid smoke for the "smoky flavor". You can find liquid smoke at ANY grocery store. Just ask.

Chipotle Tofu Benedict

There's about a million variations to Eggs Benedict. There's the Florentine [[using spinach and a Mornay sauce]], the California [[using avocado - duh - and tomatoes]], Seafood Benedict [[isn't it obvious?]] -- the possibilities are endless. It's only natural that we make a vegan one. I know Isa has a couple recipes in the Veganomicon and I hear there's another one in the her new Brunch book [[which I'm yet to get]], but I thought my version was a little more...authentic?

Instead of trying to recreate a hollandiase sauce, which seems next to impossible without eggs, I tried to imitate a mornay, traditionally coupled with eggs florentine. Traditionally, a mornay is a bechamel sauce with a white cheese added. So, I made a vegan mornay, add some nutritional yeast, and a little chipotle to make a vegan chipotle mornay. The French may frown on my version, but I think you all will love it.

[[Chipotle Mornay]]
This was moderately spicy for me. I needed water. You may want to cut back on the chipotle sauce or gradually add and taste to be sure it's not too much for you.

1 heaping tbs earth balance
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 heaping tbs chickpea flour
1 1/4 cup whole plain soy milk
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs of the reserve sauce in a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
dash of pepper and salt
1 tbs lemon

-- Heat butter on medium to high heat. Once heated, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes stirring with a wooden spoon.
-- Add the chickpea flour and whisk together well until it's a thicker, creamy mass.
-- Add soy milk, and whisk together until thoroughly blended. Let sit and watch as it thickens. Whisking periodically.
-- When it's thick and doubled in size, remove from heat. Add salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, lemon, and chipotle sauce. Mix together thoroughly.

[[Tofu Benedict]]
I know a lot of people like to emulate a McMuffin and make little tofu squares. I'll admit, those are cute. But I felt like just doing a little scramble. ;)

2 toasted whole wheat English muffins
2 tbs green onions, chopped
4 pieces of fake bacon chopped
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
one recipe for tofu scramble [[I use onions, green bell peppers, and mushrooms this time]]

-- Heat oil on medium heat in a skillet and cook chopped 'bacon' until crispy, about 10 minutes.
-- For the last 30 seconds, heat green onions with 'bacon'.
-- Take a toasted muffin, top with tofu scramble, the sauce, and bacon/green onion combo.

Saturday Morning French Toast

Yesterday Andrew had a charity gig in Mason, OH for Relay for Life. Days like that, I like to cook an awesome breakfast to prepare for the long drives and hard work [[well, his hard work, I mostly hang out and take pictures]].

I felt like french toast out of the blue. I haven't made it in forever, and last time I did, I used white bread and white flour. So, I was happily surprised with the healthy alternatives.



If you read any vegan recipes online, there's always one comment from some confused soul saying, The outside got burnt and the inside never cooked. Cooking vegan french toast is not as easy as the egg variety. BUT, I have a few methods that help me out:

1. KEEP THE BURNER HEAT MEDIUM. A lot of people see that the inside isn't cooking so they blast the heat, only to burn the outside and keep the middle soggy. You must keep the heat medium. You don't want your oil to start smoking and the french toast burning.
   
2. APPLY PRESSURE. If you notice that the middle is not getting as cooked, with the back of your spatula, apply pressure. I notice with some breads, the crust elevates the middle so it's not touching the pan as much as the outside parts. You don't want to squashed the bread, but apply a little pressure so it gets cook just as well as the outside.
   
3. MAKE SURE YOUR MIXTURE IS THICK. I hardly ever use the same amount of chickpea flour [[or white flour]] when I make a mixture. Sometimes it just needs a little more. Make sure you have that thick runny consistency. If you try these first two tricks on your first slice and it doesn't work, add another tbs of flour to the mix. The next one should be better then. [[Also, flour will sink to the bottom sometimes, make sure you whisk it really well]]

[[Easy French Toast]]
Top it off with pure maple syrup and a little earth balance.

4 tbs chickpea flour
1 1/2 cups vanilla rice milk [[you can also use soy, start out with less flour]]
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
opt: 1 tsp vanilla extract [[only if you use plain milk instead of vanilla]]
1-2 tbs canola oil
6 pieces of whatever whole wheat, whole grain bread you like

-- Whisk together flour, milk, and cinnamon [[plus extract if you're using]] until very well combined. You may notice that the cinnamon will float, so you may want to add it as you go so that all the toast gets some cinnamon flavor.
-- Heat a skillet with 1 tbs canola oil. Dip the bread on each side in the mixture. Avoid letting it soak too long.
-- Place soaked bread on hot skillet and allow to cook for about 5 minutes on each side. [[keeping the heat on medium and applying pressure as needed]]
-- Continue with the rest, apply more oil as need.

Luna Bar's New Recipe

When I went to the store the other day and saw that my beloved white chocolate macadamia luna bar had not only new packaging but a new recipe -- I was concerned. I eat this bar, in this flavor, every morning for breakfast. I was worried it may suck.

The new recipe seems even better. It's much softer than the original bar, which sometimes got a little hard. If you haven't tried this flavor, or any line of clif bar [[clif, luna, mojo, lumbar]], I highly recommend it. They give amazing sustained energy for working out, and they don't taste like a chalky energy bar. It's a regiment staple.

Smoked Paprika Potatoes

Happy Earth Day everyone. I like to think of today as a vegan's day. If you've already made the switch to being awesome, take today to relish in it and do what you always do for the world. And probably more because you're that cool. And if you haven't gone vegan yet, what better day is there than today?

I'm sure we all know the little things we can do to make the earth beautiful, like switching to CFL bulbs and eating organic, but check out Earthday.net. There are tons of volunteer opportunities and events to check out, so go look.


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[[Smoked Paprika Potatoes]]
Here's a really simple, almost insultingly simple, recipe. It's so good though. I had to share it.

* 3-4 washed organic yukon gold potatoes
* ABOUT 2-3 cups water with a little salt
* ABOUT 1 Tbs. organic whole wheat flour
* ABOUT 1 Tbs. organic smoked paprika [[see picture]]
* ABOUT 2 Tbs. grapeseed oil [[see picture]]
* a little salt and pepper

-- Pre-heat oven to 375 F.
-- Use Veggie Wash or whatever you have to clean your organic yukon golds. You can peel them but I like to keep the skin on for added nutrients. Boil for about 15-20 minutes until you can somewhat pierce with a fork. You're baking them so they don't have to be perfect yet.
-- Chop them into about 1'' wedges. Sprinkle to lightly coat them with whole wheat flour. Then, sprinkle to coat them with the paprika. Top with a little salt and pepper.
-- Get a casserole dish, and pour oil in. If you don't want to use grapeseed, just make sure it's a high heat oil like canola or something. You don't have to use the whole about, just make sure it's a shallow pool for the potatoes to fry in. Place potatoes in and top with a few more shakes of smoked paprika.
-- Place in oven and cook about 15-20 minutes, until crispy and tender. Make sure you flip them during the cooking process so both sides get coated.


Left: the potatoes with flour. Right: the potatoes with flour and smoke paprika


You don't have to drown your potatoes in oil, just get a little pool going to fry them in.

I served this in a South-Western Style Breakfast wrap but you can also make it a dinner side. They're simple and unbelievably good. Don't cheat yourself by subbing in regular paprika. Get the good spanish smoked paprika. It's an AMAZING, complex flavor that can really stand alone. Check it out.

PERFECT Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes

I love Bobbly Flay. If you've read my blog, you can probably guess that. The other day I was watching Throwdown and he had a blueberry pancake throwdown with these two yuppy Manhattan-ites. And I was suddenly craving delicious, fluffy, perfect pancakes. [[P.S. I'm watching The Wedding Planner right now, is that lame?]]

So, as you know the regiment frowns upon white flours and sugars. I was a little worried these pancakes would turn into dense discs of whole wheat dough. BUT that definitely was not the case. The picture really does not do them justice. They were slightly crispy on the outside and perfectly fluffy on the inside.

[[Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes]]
Makes about 6 medium sized pancakes. Serve with pure maple syrup and little melted earth balance.

* 1 cup whole wheat flour
* 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
* 2 tsp. baking powder
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
* a dash of ground nutmeg, cloves, and allspice
* 1/3 cup water
* 1 cup plain soy milk
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 2 Tbs. pure maple syrup
* 1 cup fresh blueberries

-- MIX all dry ingredients and whisk in a separate bowl. Mix all wet ingredients and whisk in another separate bowl. Then, pour wet into dry and mix lightly with a wooden spoon leaving lots of lumps, but making sure it's fully combined. Fold in blueberries. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 6 hours. That's how long I did it, but you can do it just an hour or longer than me even. You just want the batter to settle, and the gluten to develop.
-- HEAT a skillet with a little vegan butter. Pour about 1/3 cup in the pan and let cook. Watch for bubbles to pop in the dough. Once there's quite a few, about 2-3 minutes, flip it over and cook for the other side for another 1-2 minutes. And there you have it. The perfect whole wheat pancake.

Idaho Mess!!

In Cincinnati there's a place called Melt. It's amazing-- it has a bunch of vegan and vegetarian options, and even a vegan cheese option. It's pretty frickin' delicious. Unfortunately, we live in Columbus and cannot frequent such an establishment, so one Saturday I decided to make my own version of their Vegan Redskin Mess. I call it "Idaho Mess". Well, at first I thought Russet Mess, but that didn't sound right-- and Andy made the money decision to call it Idaho Mess. Either way, it's awesome.

I pretty much just turned Isa's cheezy sauce into a smokey cheddar like I did for the Jack Fruit Enchiladas [[recipe here]]. I made some rosemary potatoes and some tofu scramble, then baked it all into a delicious concoction.

[[Rosemary Potatoes]]

* 3-4 Idaho potatoes
* some olive oil
* 3-5 teaspoons of dried rosemary, this is a rough guess-- do it to taste
* a few shakes of parsley
* salt and pepper to taste

-Chop potatoes into three sections and add to boiling water with a little salt for about 15 minutes-- or until a fork inserts easily. When done, drain, and cut into wedges. Heat a a little olive oil, and fry the potatoes with all seasonings until golden brown. Make sure the potatoes are coated well!



--------------------------------------------------

[[Tofu Scramble]]

* 3/4 container of extra firm tofu [[or just firm. Whatever.]]
* 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 to 2 cups of spinach, depending on how much greens you want
* 1/2 of a red onion, chopped
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
* 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice [[optional, I guess- I hate buying just one lemon]]
* 2 teaspoons turmeric
* 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon thyme
* some fine sea salt, black pepper, and red pepper
* 1/4 cup of water

- Heat oil, saute onions, garlic, and spinach for 1-2 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Add turmeric, cayenne pepper, paprika, chili powder, and thyme-- saute for anther 30 seconds to a minute. Add 1/2 cup of water and crumble tofu with your hands into the pan, like scrambled eggs! Cook until water is gone and the tofu looks coated-- the turmeric should make it kind of orange. You can add more spices, I usually do to make it spicier. Add nutritional yeast and lemon. Cook for a minute more. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.

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[[Assembling the Mess]]

- put potatoes in casserole dish, add tofu scramble, and pour smoky cheddar cheezy sauce over it all. Bake at 350 degrees [[F]] for 10-15 minutes.
-Remove and enjoy the mess. If you're Andrew, you'll drizzle sriracha hot sauce all over it.



Props to Andrew for the sweet pictures, too. :)