Scrambled Tofu with Tomato & Peppers

Scrambled Tofu with Tomato & Peppers

From Stonesoup

While I love delicate, silken tofu in my miso soup, firm tofu is my preferred option for cooking with. I find the best firm tofu is the one that feels the firmest in the packet, so go ahead and have a little squeeze in the supermarket.

enough for: 2
takes: 10 minutes
1 small jar red peppers (about 150g / 5oz), drained
300g (10oz) firm tofu, drained and crumbled into chunks
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons smoky paprika
1 bag salad leaves, to serve

1. Heat a few tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan (skillet).

2. Add peppers and stir for a few seconds. Add tofu and stir fry, breaking it up further with a fork or spoon. Cook for a few minutes.

3. Add tomato paste and paprika. Continue to cook and stir for a few more minutes until everything is hot and the tofu is well scrambled.

4. Taste and Season. Serve on a bed of salad leaves.

Variations

cook your own peppers – chop a red capsicum (bell pepper) and cook in a little oil until soft before proceeding as per the recipe.

carnivore / soy-free / paleo – replace tofu with scrambled eggs and bacon. Or replace tofu with chicken breasts or thighs. Change the name of course!

more veg – soften an onion in oil before cooking the peppers. Eggplant and mushrooms also work well. You could also stir in cooked chopped root veg like sweet potato, potato, carrot or parsnip.

no smoked paprika? – replace with regular paprika or use a little chilli powder (1/2 teaspoon) instead. Or just skip it.

carb lovers / more substantial – serve with hot buttered toast or as a sauce to cooked pasta.

more substantial (low carb) – add some almonds and mayo.

dressed leaves – if you prefer a dressed salad to serve make a quick dressing with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.

hot! – Feel free to spice this up with a little fresh or dried chilli. Or serve with your favourite hot sauce.

low carb / paleo – replace tofu with scrambled eggs.

Waste Avoidance Strategy

jar red peppers / tomato paste / paprika – keep in the pantry.

feta – keeps for months unopened in its packet. Or can be frozen. Or you could make a marinated feta by putting it in a super clean jar from the dishwasher and covering with oil and then keeping it in the fridge. Sometimes I like to add flavourings like bay leaves, lemon zest and pepper corns or chilli.

salad leaves – are highly perishable. My first path would be to use them for another meal (salad for breakfast!) but if that isn’t possible you can pop them in the freezer. They will wilt down but can then be used anywhere you’d use wilted greens. At least this way they won’t go slimy.