Vegan Mofo: Weekend Breakfast. 'Cousin Benny.'

Breakfast is easily my favorite meal of the day. Through the week, my breakfasts are mega-lame and consist of instant oatmeal or soy yogurt. But, on the weekends, when I drag my lazy ass out of bed, I look forward to something hardy like tofu scramble or biscuits and gravy. This recipe combines the two.

I call this dish "Cousin Benny" because it seems like a cousin of a Benedict. Instead of a poached egg, I use scrambled tofu; instead of a hollandaise, I make a country gravy. Scrambles and gravy are a surprisingly addictive combination. Make this your Sunday brunch.

Cousin Benny

Scramble:
1 16 oz block tofu
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried cilantro
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp black salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
3-4 scallions, minced

Gravy (for 1 or 2 servings):
1 tbsp non-dairy butter
1 tsp canola oil
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste
2 tsp black pepper, or less depending on your preference

toasted English muffins

Drain and rinse the tofu under cold water. Pat dry with a paper towel and set aside.

In a large saute pan, drizzle some olive oil. Saute the onions until they become translucent over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 minutes, stirring constantly as to not burn the garlic. Crumble tofu into the pan and continue to break it up with as it cooks. Add spices and stir to coat tofu, onions, and garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low until most of the water of has been cooked out of the tofu.

In a separate small pan, melt butter over low heat. Add the flour and whisk to create a roux. Add the oil to thin it out slightly if it is too think or crumbly. Slowly whisk in the almond milk until you have a gravy consistency. Whisk in spices, adjusting to taste. Turn off heat and set aside until ready to assemble.

Spoon the scramble over the split English muffins. Ladle some gravy over top of the scramble and garnish with scallions. Serve with hash browns or tomato slices. Yum!