Early Bird Scrambled Tofu + Protein Ninja cookbook GIVEAWAY

Tofu scrambles. We’ve made them plenty of times – dillicious, chili masala, curried dill, tahini chickpea, and mighty migas. And then there was the Revolutionary Savoury Egg Mix just waiting for a tofu scramble. They are all good but we make dillicious the most often, since we love it so. However, I have to tell you. We’ve found the chickpea scramble that rules them all. The BEST tofu scramble is right here. And it is deliciously doused in nutritional yeast and also sneaks in chickpeas.

Terry Hope Romero’s latest cookbook came out at the perfect time for me. It was a cookbook all about high protein vegan meals and I was pregnant. Protein needs increase during pregnancy (you are growing a tiny human) and not only that, they persist as you breastfeed (you are growing a baby!). Everything that baby needs is coming from me, which is kind of neat. He needs food but also a lot of snuggles. Thankfully others can help with the snuggles.

But back to the cookbook. At first glance, it took me a while to delve into the recipes since many call for different types of protein powder. I used to eat protein powder with my morning oats, but stopped over the last few years. I tried it again while pregnant to boost my protein intake, but it didn’t agree with me. This was not a surprise since I could barely tolerate my morning oats at all. Since then, I bought small amounts of protein powder from Bulk Barn to try a few recipes. Otherwise, there are powder free recipes, too, like this scramble. I am so happy they let me share the recipe since it is seriously awesome. You might be dubious that so much food only feeds 2-3 people, but when it tastes this good, it is true. You may as well budget your meals appropriately. 😉 Here, we paired it with roasted potatoes and tomatoes, so we had some leftovers.

We also enjoyed the Baked veggie pan omelet which was very easy to make but don’t throw in extra vegetables like me. They didn’t fit.  Five spice chickpea peanut noodle bowl was delicious, although the peanut dressing was quite spicy so don’t add the tablespoon of sriracha if you don’t like spice. The Baked green falafel have been on my to-make list for a while since I’ve heard great reviews about them.

For anyone who loves to experiment with protein powder, this is a great book for you. For those who want higher protein recipes this is for you, too. Complete with Terry’s flavour twist to her recipes, most of them are not too time consuming and quite weeknight friendly. This recipe is worth the price of the book alone. It is that good. Enjoy!

Thankfully, the publisher allowed me to giveaway the cookbook to a reader living in the United States or Canada. To be entered in the random draw for the book, please leave a comment below telling me about whether you try to eat more protein with a vegan diet (or whatever diet you follow). The winner will be selected at random on December 11, 2016. Good luck!

Recipes from Protein Ninja spotted elsewhere:

Baked green falafel with pea protein

Baked veggie pan omelet

Blueberry lemon protein scones

Button up white bean gravy

Chocolate avocado smoothie bowl

Chocolate hazelnut chikdate toast

Dark chocolate almond chewies

Falafel bowl with lemon roasted potatoes, basil lemon cashew dressing and chopped mediterranean salad

Five spice chickpea peanut noodle bowl

Hemp protein berry muffins

Peanut butter coconut cherry chewies

White bean and cashew ricotta toast

PS. I am sharing this with Meat Free Monday and My Legume Love Affair hosted by The Veg Hog.

Early Bird Scrambled Tofu
Author’s note: There are so many tofu scrambles in the world! I lay no claim as master of any: You should remain suspicious of anyone that does, after all. After years of eating the stuff in many forms, I have a fondness for the unusual nutritional- yeast drenched version toted by Bouldin Creek Cafe in Austin, Texas. You’ll feel like a fifteenth-level vegan, pouring on the yeast to finish off this cheery golden dish. Yes, this recipe is even more protein warrior worthy with gently mashed chickpeas and then amped with the most umami-loaded of ingredients (miso and mushrooms). Why do you just stand there and stare at me like that? Just give in to this ultrahearty eggless scramble.
Time: About 40 minutes, not including marinating time

1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 pound extra-firm tofu, undrained
1 cup sliced button or shiitake mushrooms
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 heaping rounded tablespoon white or yellow miso
2 teaspoons mustard powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1. Slightly crush the chickpeas with a potato masher or fork in a large mixing bowl. Crumble in the tofu. Add all the remaining ingredients, except the vegetable oil, spinach, and nutritional yeast. Stir everything together (hands are particularly good at this) until the miso is dissolved. Cover and chill for an hour or overnight.

2. When it’s scramble time, heat the vegetable oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the marinated tofu and fry for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or heat-resistant silicone spatula. Fold in the spinach and fry for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted and most of the liquid from the tofu has been absorbed.

3. Just as the tofu looks firm and is starting to brown, sprinkle on the nutritional yeast. Fold in the yeast for about 30 seconds, just long enough to coat the tofu but before it completely melts. Serve the tofu with toast or the Harissa Roasted Sweet Potatoes from Sunny Oat Burger Bowl (page 151).

Serves 2-3.

Pro-Tip: Most recipes ask you to drain and press the tofu, only to add more water at the end. The controversial method of just leaving the tofu unmolested and letting it mellow in the fridge yields a tender, flavorful tofu.

From the book Protein Ninja by Terry Hope Romero. Excerpted by arrangement with Da Capo Lifelong, a member of the Perseus Books Group. Copyright (c) 2016.

 

Contest Rules: No purchase necessary. Contest period begins Saturday, December 3, 2016 and ends Sunday, December 11, 2016. For American and Canadian residents only. Approximate retail value US$22.99. Enter by writing a comment answering the prompt for a chance to win.  Entrants must supply a valid email address. Winners will be notified by email and must respond within 48 hours.