Quick & Easy Tofu Scramble with Mushrooms & Kale

Miss your scrambled eggs in the morning? Try scrambling up some tofu instead. The consistency is not spot on, but it works surprisingly well. You just have to consider what consistency you like.

For a softer scramble, use less firm tofu, or even silken tofu if you like a lot of moisture in your eggs. My preference is a scramble with a firmer, chewier texture, so I opt for firm or extra-firm tofu.

With a couple key ingredients, you can make your tofu scramble LOOK AND TASTE like eggs!

Turmeric gives the scramble a bright yellow color. The flavor is pretty mild, and a little bit goes a loong way. I also like to add nutritional yeast, which adds to the color, but more importantly, it imparts a cheezy umami taste to enhance the flavor.

The game changer ingredient is black lava salt!

I almost never use salt in my cooking, because it's just not necessary for really tasty dishes and too much is sodium in our diet is damaging to our health. That being said, this is a unique circumstance, and I'm making an exception for myself. Once you hear why, you can decide whether you want to add this ingredient or leave it out.

Black lava salt is not your typical salt or even your typical sea salt. It's higher in sulfur than other salts, which makes it taste just like eggs.

No joke. It doesn't smell very eggy—at least the brand I bought didn't, but give it a taste and you'll be shocked.

This is a specialty food, so you won't find it in most grocery stores. I purchased it online. You can click here to get the one I bought.

If you're like me and don't like to keep salt in the house, because you don't want to use it (out of sight, out of mind), you don't need to worry. Since this salt tastes exactly like eggs, you won't be tempted to put it on anything else. It will be strictly for making really delicious scrambled tofu.

Note...you don't need to use a lot to get the effect, so be cautious with it. You don't want to make your dish too eggy!

If you try it out, let me know what you think in the comments below. I'm excited to hear how you like it!

Tofu Scramble with Mushrooms & Kale

By Chef Katie Mae

Makes 2–3 servings | Ready in 20 minutes | Stores 4 days in fridge

INGREDIENTS

• ½ red onion, diced
• 3 Cremini mushrooms, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or ½ teaspoon garlic granules)
• 8 oz extra-firm tofu (use less firm tofu for a softer, moister scramble)
• ¼ cup water
• 1–2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon black lava salt (optional)
• 1 bunch of kale, de-stemmed and thinly sliced
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Place a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Cover and dry-sauté for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Use your hands to break up the tofu into small pieces and add to the pan. I don’t crumble it completely because that will happen on its own as you cook the dish, and I like having some pieces that are just large enough to bite into.
3. Turn the heat to low-medium, and add ¼ cup of the water, nutritional yeast, turmeric, and black lava salt. Cover the pan and let it simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Spread the kale over the tofu and pour in the remaining ¼ cup of water. Cover with lid and let the kale steam for a few minutes, or until it’s tender.
   Season with black pepper to taste. Serve promptly.

CHEF’S NOTES

The type of tofu to use depends on how soft and moist you like your eggs. I use extra-firm tofu, which gives the scramble some chewiness. You can use silken tofu, but it will give you very moist and soft eggs. You can also use any tofu in between for an in-between texture. If you opt for a softer variety, I recommend squeezing the excess water out of the tofu before adding it to the pan. You can do this with your hand or a tofu press.

I almost never add salt to my food, but this salt serves a unique purpose. Black lava salt is high in sulfur, so when added to a dish it imparts an egg-like smell and taste. The salt is not necessary, but it does make this tofu scramble taste significantly more like the egg version many are accustomed to. Not everyone sees this as an appealing feature. It’s your choice to use it or leave it out. I will never know.