the most important meal of the day

After my surgery last month I lost all of my taste buds. Apparently, it's quite normal after anesthesia. I became hyper sensitive to smell, and couldn't eat most foods because the smell alone made me sick, but without taste buds my favorite foods tasted like dirt. Last week, I finally got my taste buds back! Finally, food! This morning I was dying for some scrambled tofu and pancakes. I decided to attempt yeast pancakes, which make them fluffier and cakier than regular pancakes, but also a lot heartier so that only 2 of them fill you up. Along with a hearty fresh veggie tofu scramble and a piping hot cup of dark roast coffee with coconut creamer, the most important meal of the day quickly becomes the favorite meal of the day!

Best Morning Ever Tofu Scramble

1 14oz package firm tofu, pressed (or extra firm if you like your tofu a bit drier and stiffer, I like mine a bit softer and moister)

1 tblsp safflower oil or avocado oil (to saute veggies)

1/2 cup diced bell pepper (for this I used orange)

1/2 cup asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced into strips

1/2 cup sliced crimini or portabella mushrooms

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp chilli power

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp ground tumeric

1 tsp sweet paprika

1 tsp cumin

2 tblsp nutritional yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1/4 cup Braggs liquid amino soy

fresh juice of 1/2 lemon

Put a large skillet on medium heat. Warm the oil. Add garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Add onions, saute for another 2 minutes. Add carrots, asparagus, and sundried tomatoes and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and bell peppers and saute for another 2 minutes. Take the pressed tofu and add it in large chunks to the veggies. I am weird, and I like to squish the tofu through my fingers as I add it- it breaks it apart easier and is fun, but if you don't want to get your hands dirty you can break it apart with a fork or wooden spoon. Stir, and let that sit for a moment. While the tofu is warming, mix together the spices, nutritional yeast, water, and Braggs. Pour over the tofu and veggies, and cook for another 5 minutes on a medium to medium low heat. Once removed from heat, add the lemon juice and stir. Serve immediately and add salt and pepper to taste. Mmm delicious!

You can make this recipe with any veggies you like, or no veggies at all. Some variations I like to make are:

Scrambled tofu with caramelized onions and kalamata olives topped with dilled tofu sour cream (just mix fresh chopped dill, garlic salt, and fresh ground pepper with tofu sour cream, also is a yummy chip dip!)

Scrambled tofu with red peppers, onions, black beans, guac and salsa, sprinkled with vegan cheddar cheese! Throw all of that in a whole wheat wrap with some seitan sausage and you've got yourself a breakkie burrito to die for! Mmm yummy. I love breakfast!

Quick-Rise Yeasty Beasty Pannycakes

2 cups spelt flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 egg-replacer equivalent egg

3 tblsp organic raw sugar

1 tsp salt

1 pkg quick acting active dry yeast (make sure it's bread making yeast NOT brewers yeast)

1 1/4 cup warm water (NOT hot water- if it's too hot it will damage the yeast, and if it is cold the yeast will not wake up!)

1/2 cup melted Earth Balance (or veggie oil, but I prefer Earth Balance)

1/4 cup rice milk or soy milk

In a large (and I mean large- the yeast will cause the batter to rise, and I had an incredibly large bowl that almost overflowed with batter because of how much it rose, so please don't underestimate!) mixing bowl, pour the warm water and add the sugar. Mix until dissolved, then add the yeast. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. The batter should be sticky and thick reminiscent of cake batter. Cover with a paper towel or a hand towel and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. I let mine sit while I made the scrambled tofu. **Remember, yeast is a living organism that needs the perfect environment in order to be active and work properly. Warm water, not hot or cold, is best- too hot and you will kill the yeast, too cold and it won't wake up. Yeast eat sugar, which is why I prefer organic raw sugar to agave nectar, but if you wish to use the agave it will work, just not as well. Keep your yeast happy, and the end results will be fabulous!

When you return to your bowl, it should appear the batter is trying to escape. If that is not the case, recover and allow to sit a bit longer. Grease and heat a griddle to a medium heat. Because of how thick this batter is, it will not spread out into a pancake on its own, you have to spread it thin. I took a 1/2cup measuring cup and filled it with batter and used my fingers to spread out the batter until it was about 1/4inch thin and about 4-5 inches around, but you can use spoons or spatulas to stretch the batter. I also added some sliced strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, and if you decide to do the same you will have to press them into the batter. Cook until the edges are brown and bubbly then flip and cook until pancake is browned and the batter is no longer liquidy. Smother in Earth Balance and fresh maple syrup.

I found these to have great texture and flavor, not as light and fluffy as your typical pancakes but still delicious! If you don't use all this batter you can store the rest in an air tight container for up to a week in the fridge, just make sure there is room for the batter to expand, otherwise you might end up with a sticky mess of explosion.

Mmmm look at the pretty colours in the scramble! So delicious

And all of the melty berry goodness of those giant fluffies! So hearty and delicious, I have so much batter left over, I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow! Tomorrow it will be with bananas and walnuts! Excited! Even Hunter wants some of this deliciousness! Lucky for him, I saved a bite.

Tonight I plan on making the Roasted Asparagus Soup from FatFreeVegan Blog, I will write all about it if I get the chance! So excited!