recipe of the week

recipe of the week

This week’s recipe is inspired by my favorite dish at one of the best Chicago brunch spots: Lulu Cafe.

TOFU SCRAMBLE

Ingredients

  • Extra Firm Tofu

  • Olive Oil (or, butter, avocado oil, ghee, etc.)

  • Preferred Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, nutritional yeast, etc.)

  • Spinach

  • Red Bell Peppers

  • Broccoli

  • Mushrooms

  • Yellow Onion

  • Sesame Seeds

Instructions

Step #1) Press as much liquid out of your tofu as possible (check out this guide if it’s your first time cooking with tofu!). Slice tofu into cubes - whatever size you prefer! I like mine to be a bit on the smaller side (about 1 inch cubes).

Step #2) Place tofu in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Then, sprinkle your desired seasonings onto the tofu, as generously or sparsely as you want. Toss tofu, oil, and seasoning until tofu is thoroughly covered. Place coated tofu into your air fryer basket and cook for 8-12 minutes on 400 degrees Fahrenheit (I usually shake the basket 2-3 times every couple of minutes, in order to get an even cook on all sides of the tofu. I typically leave my tofu in for about 12 minutes total, as I like it super crispy).

Step #3) While your tofu is in the air fryer, slice the vegetables into whatever sizes you prefer. Place chopped vegetables into a bowl (bonus if you use the same one that you tossed the tofu in!) and drizzle with olive oil. Season using preferred seasonings and toss until vegetables are thoroughly coated. Add a bit of oil to the bottom of a skillet/frying pan and bring to medium heat. Saute vegetables until they are browned to your desired level (check out this guide if it’s your first time sautéing veggies). (Note: I personally prefer to cook my peppers, mushrooms, onions, and broccoli first, and then I add the spinach for 1-2 minutes at the end. Spinach cooks down really quickly!).

Step #4) When your crispy tofu is finished in the air fryer and your vegetables are sautéed to your liking, toss tofu into the frying pan with the veggies and stir for about 1 minute until all ingredients are well-combined. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top the scramble. Serve alongside whatever your heart desires and enjoy!

Notes

  1. There are so many ways to make crispy tofu, and I personally prefer using the air fryer. Alternatively, you could also pan fry or bake your tofu and then toss it into the scramble - whatever method you like best/is easiest will work great!

  2. This recipe is super dynamic and can be easily tailored to breakfast, lunch, or dinner - you can serve the scramble alongside crispy potatoes, fruit, toast, yogurt, or you can add it on top of a bed of rice, noodles, etc. Additionally, if you’d like to add some extra fats and protein, you could incorporate avocado slices and/or peanuts by simply tossing them into the cooked scramble. If you’re a lover of spicy foods, you could also top your scramble with red chili flakes. Lastly, you can add or eliminate any vegetables you want - carrots, tomatoes, and zucchini would be yummy in this dish.

  3. You might notice that I don’t provide any specific measurements for the ingredients. This is for two reasons: first, I find that, with seasonings especially, everyone’s palate is unique. I personally like my food to be lightly seasoned, as I have a very sensitive palate, while others might want their food seasoned more aggressively (alternatively, I also really like a lot of onions in my food, while others might prefer the ratio of their veggies to be more balanced). Second, I want to avoid creating any “guidelines” about what one, two, etc. “servings” should be - you should make as much of the scramble as you’d like in order to honor your level of hunger and satisfy your needs! (Additionally, this recipe is also easy to make for multiple people!).