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Recipes

Tofu Scramble

A fast, protein-packed breakfast that eats like scrambled eggs, made with one block of tofu and a few pantry spices. Squeezing the tofu by hand is the trick that gives it a soft, egg-like texture.

Yield · 1 to 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 block (14 oz / 396 g) firm tofu
  • 5 g (1 tsp) olive oil
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • A pinch of garlic powder
  • A pinch of salt, or to taste
  • 1.5 g (½ tsp) cornstarch
  • 1 small red onion, chopped (optional)

Instructions

  1. If using the onion, cook it in your pan over medium heat until soft. Set it aside to serve on the side, or leave it in the pan to mix into the scramble.
  2. Drain the tofu and put it in a bowl with the olive oil, turmeric, black pepper, garlic powder, salt and cornstarch.
  3. Squeeze the tofu thoroughly with your hands and fingers, working the oil and seasoning all the way through. This is what gives it an egg-like texture.
  4. Cook in a nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron pan over medium heat, stirring, until heated through and lightly golden, about 8–10 minutes.

Serve it with toast, folded into a warm tortilla with salsa, or next to sautéed greens.

Note: The cornstarch binds the curds for a softer, more egg-like set. Use up to 1 tsp for a creamier scramble, but more than about 2 tsp turns gummy.

Black Bean & Walnut Burgers

A hearty, smoky black bean burger with toasted walnuts for bite, sturdy enough to hold together on the grill. Make a batch for a cookout, or chill the patties ahead and grill them when you're ready.

Yield · 7 patties (six 120 g burgers and one 85 g smaller patty)

Ingredients

  • 513 g cooked black beans (about 2 cans, 15 oz each, no salt added), drained well and blotted dry
  • 90 g (about ¾–1 cup) walnuts
  • 64 g (about ⅔ cup) rolled oats
  • 38 g (about ⅓ cup) chickpea flour
  • 51 g (about ⅓ cup) red onion, minced fine
  • 19 g (about 1¼ Tbsp) olive oil, plus more for the grill and patties
  • 13 g (about 2½ tsp) tomato paste
  • 10 g (1¼ Tbsp) ground flaxseed
  • 31 g (about 2 Tbsp) water
  • 8 g (about 2½ tsp) smoked paprika
  • 4 g (about 1¼ tsp) garlic powder
  • 3 g (about 1 tsp) ground cumin
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • Salt to taste (optional, the recipe is built to need little or none)

Instructions

  1. Stir the ground flaxseed into the water and let it rest for 5 minutes to form a gel.
  2. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant. Let them cool.
  3. Pulse the walnuts and oats in a food processor or blender to a coarse meal, with some walnut bits left. No processor? Chop the walnuts finely by hand and stir them into the oats.
  4. Mash the beans in a large bowl until about half smooth and half chunky. You want texture, not a purée.
  5. Stir in the flax gel, olive oil, tomato paste, onion, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin and pepper. Fold in the walnut–oat meal, then the chickpea flour.
  6. Check the mix. It should feel sticky and hold together in a ball. If it's wet, add 1 Tbsp more chickpea flour. If it's dry, add 1 tsp water.
  7. Divide into six 120 g portions and one 85 g portion. Pack each into a thick disk about ¾ inch tall.
  8. Chill the patties for 20–30 minutes, or overnight. Cold patties hold together on the grill.
  9. Heat the grill to medium-high. Clean the grates and oil them well.
  10. Brush both sides of each patty with oil. Don't press them thin.
  11. Grill 4–5 minutes on the first side without moving or poking them. Flip once and grill about 4 minutes more, until you have deep grill marks and the center feels set.
  12. Rest the burgers on a plate for 2 minutes before serving.

Serve on a toasted bun with pickles, mustard, tomato or a thin slice of avocado.

Notes

  • Don't flip early. Patience is what keeps them in one piece.
  • No grill, or gappy grates? A cast-iron skillet works. Set it on the grill or the stove over medium-high, oil it well, and cook the same way.
  • All-purpose flour can replace the chickpea flour, gram for gram.
  • No tomato paste? Use 19 g (about 1¼ Tbsp) ketchup for a slightly sweeter burger, or 13 g finely minced sun-dried tomatoes.
  • Make ahead: Store formed patties in the fridge overnight, covered, on parchment, with parchment between layers if stacking. Oil them right before grilling, not before chilling.

Frozen Sour Grapes

A two-minute dessert that tastes like sour candy, made from just grapes, a little sugar and a sprinkle of citric acid. Keep a container in the freezer for whenever a sweet craving hits.

Yield · About 900 g (1 bag) of frozen grapes

Ingredients

  • 900 g (about 2 lb, 1 bag) seedless grapes
  • 1½ tsp citric acid
  • 12 g (1 Tbsp) sugar

Instructions

  1. Pull the grapes off their stems, rinse them, and pat them mostly dry. A little moisture helps the coating stick.
  2. Stir the citric acid and sugar together in a small bowl.
  3. Put the grapes in a large bowl, sprinkle the sour sugar over them, and toss until evenly coated.
  4. Spread them in one layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan and freeze until firm, 1–2 hours, so they don't clump. Then move them to a covered container.
  5. Let them sit out for a minute or two before eating so they're easier to bite.

Note: Citric acid can be hard to find in grocery stores, so it's easiest to order online. I use North Mountain Supply Pure Food Grade Citric Acid.