Ananda Kaplan Starting the day off right just got easier with our protein- and fiber-packed, delicious tofu scramble recipe. This vegan, gluten-free breakfast option is a great alternative to scrambled eggs, and tasty enough to serve at a holiday brunch. The combination of peppers, onions and bright aromatic spices creates tasty textures, while the black pepper and turmeric enhance the anti-inflammatory properties of this savory dish.
This healthy recipe is also extremely versatile: once you master the basic technique, you can sub in different veggies—such as kale, spinach, mushrooms, or broccoli—along with different spices and fresh herbs to keep it interesting and fun. While great on its own, you can also try combining this dish with other deliciously healthful brunch items like our pumpkin breakfast cookies, berry muffins, blueberry chia pudding parfait, carrot cake overnight oats, or banana bread smoothie for an impressive spread full of delightful dishes to celebrate this special time of year.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ cup onion, diced
- ¼ cup red pepper, diced
- 1 16-ounce block firm tofu
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- Sprinkle of black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoons non-dairy milk, unsweetened and unflavored
Directions
- Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Mash tofu with a fork or potato masher and add to the pan. You can also crumble it into the pan with your hands. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes until the water from the tofu has mostly evaporated.
- Add the nutritional yeast, salt, turmeric, black pepper and garlic powder. Cook and stir constantly for about 5 minutes.
- Pour the non-dairy milk into the pan, and stir to mix.
- Serve immediately with sliced avocado, hot sauce, veggies and toast, or put in a wrap.
NUTRITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Garlic and Onions: Considered pre-biotics, meaning they feed the “good” bacteria in our gut and promote a healthy digestive system. Research supports that compounds such as allicin in garlic and onions have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and cardioprotective properties.
Bell Peppers: All colors of bell peppers are from the same plant. A bell pepper starts out green and as it ripens will become yellow, orange or red depending on its variety. As the bell pepper ripens there is also an increase in the nutrient concentration, with orange and red having the highest. Bell peppers have high amounts of antioxidants called carotenoids that help protect cells from oxidative damage.
Tofu: One of the few plant-based protein options that is considered a complete protein (contains sufficient amounts of all essential amino acids). Tofu has anti-inflammatory compounds and beneficial isoflavones that can protect the heart, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce the risk of breast, digestive system and prostate cancers.
Turmeric & Black Pepper: Curcumin in turmeric is poorly absorbed in the bloodstream. Happily, when combined with black pepper (which contains piperine) and a healthy fat, the absorption of curcumin is enhanced by 2,000%. Curcumin is a very powerful anti-inflammatory compound – it blocks the molecule NF-kB that turns on inflammatory genes in our cells. Curcumin can increase antioxidant capacity of our bodies by neutralizing free radicals on its own and by stimulating the body’s own antioxidant enzymes. It has been shown to improve endothelial function.
Nutritional Yeast: A tasty and nutritious substitute for cheese. It is a complete protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids. It also packed full of B vitamins. It can help prevent B-12 deficiency in vegans and is high in glutathione and selenomethione, antioxidants that can help protect the body from oxidative stress.
