Breakfast of vegans, in a tortilla

When I was a young new vegan, I was kinda dumb. I didn't buy a vegan cookbook for six months or so after I went vegan. I didn't even put soy milk in my coffee, I just drank it black. In retrospect I wonder how I didn't have a hard time transitioning, because I sure didn't give myself any breaks! And I really, really, wasn't creative about breakfast. I think hummus and toast was pretty popular way back when, for me. But now my breakfast selection has dramatically improved. Vegan brunch was, frankly,  huge help. But this post is reminding me of New York City, which is where I was inspired by two vegan meals.
One is avocado on toast, which I've described here before but will again, because it's so freakin yummy. At The Jane Hotel in NYC, which is where I've stayed the two times I've visited, the hotel resto Cafe Gitane has an amazingly vegan-friendly menu. One of their breakfast items is avocado on toast, so I of course ordered it several times during my week there the first time I visited on vacation.But they don't just open up some ripe avocados and schmear it on toast--no no, they add things to it...in a way that makes you realize that the whole is wayyyyy greater than the sum of its parts. Whole-grain toast, fresh avocado spread into a perfect little pyramid, a drizzle of olive, sprinkle of salt, picnh of chili flakes and squeeze of fresh lime juice. This thing is like open-faced heaven. I will make avocado and toast like this for the rest of my life.
The second NYC meal I am reminded of is the breakfast burrito at 'Snice, a veg cafe also in the West Village. Their version has crumbled tofu and black beans, but it was so delicious it inspired me to devise my own when I got home. I usually make mine with cubed tofu (cubed tempeh is pictured), and I lean towards a Mexican-ish spice blend when left to my own devices, so I do that. But I also add some chipotles--because they're awesone, duh--and red peppers and greens if I have them, to up my nutrition first thing in the morning. And because I seriously a freak about the breads I eat, I prefer to get a sprouted tortilla instead of  those fluffy pale things most grocery stores carry--the sprouted ones are full of fiber and also have more texture. And now this breakfast burrito has become a tried-and-true favourite. Just like avocado on toast.
Um, brainwave: avocado in my breakfast burrito??

Fall in love with tofu, all over again

Tofu is a vegan staple. It has been around so long we take it for granted. Unlike newer foods some of us may still be discovering ("OMG, have you tried kale/tempeh/quinoa yet?? It's SO AMAZING!"), everyone knows about tofu. If there's a vegan option at a restaurant, it often includes tofu (probably because it's a stir-fry).
So we take it for granted: "Yeah, I use tofu, I know what to make with it, why try something different, I've cooked it a million times."
NO. Trust me, try this recipe: General Tao's tofu. I have no idea how fucking cornstarch turns tofu into a crispy fried delicious morsel, but it does. And it's easy! You can use your own favourite Asian-style sauce, like I did, and it takes maybe half an hour (longer if you don't have the rice made already), most of which is waiting for the tofu to brown . However it's so simple you'll want it everyday.
Confession: I made it for dinner last weekend, and then I ate it for breakfast AND lunch the next day too. Because once again I'm smitten.

Satisying a craving: chipotle breakfast burrito

I was reading Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day last night when a breakfast burrito craving hit me. BAM! It was their Scrambled Burrito recipe that inspired me, but it calls for tempeh, which I can't find without making a major effort--and on a dreary, rainy October day, I didn't feel like straying too far. So I went on a major grocery mission to the store about a 5-minute walk away, and came back with, among other things (many other things), onion and red pepper to supplement the ingredients I already had.

One of the first breakfast burritos I had was in New York, at 'Snice, a veg cafe near my hotel both times I've been to NYC. It had turmeric (making the tofu yellow) and black beans and favoured crumbled tofu. I prefer to cube it (I find it easier than crumbling) and my flavour palate tends toward Mexican-style spices most days. So while I was cooking, I found myself myself reaching for cumin, chili powder and chipotles, knowing I could top it off with some salsa when assembling the the deliciousness. So here's what I made, with the addition of kale to help me get my veggies* for the day. Enjoy!

Chipotle breakfast burrito
Makes 2 to 3 burritos,  depending on how large your shells are and how much stuffing you cram in

a dollop cooking oil 1/2 red pepper
1/2 a medium onion, diced
1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed or crumbled, as you like
1/2 teaspoon dried chipotle peppers, or 1/2 chipotle in adobo sauce
cumin, paprika, and chili powder and black pepper, to taste
a few dashes liquid smoke

1/2 cup cooked kale (about 1.5 to 2 cups chopped raw kale)
dash salt
salsa, to taste
2-3 large tortilla shells

Heat pan, add oil and saute red peppers and onions until translucent. Add spices and stir to combine and heat thoroughly. Add tofu and a few dashes liquid smoke and stir to combine and heat thoruhoughly. Watch out, the tofu is prone to sticking! But I didn't want to add more oil so I kept stirring until the tofu was warm and then turned off the heat. I took a tortilla shell out from the package and laid it over the mixture and the spatula in the pan to steam it--I use sprouted grain tortilla shells so they can be a bit stiff right out of the fridge.You could also microwave them for 30 seconds or heat them in the oven (be careful not to burn them!! I ALWAYS toast my tortillas when I try to heat them in the oven. Just sayin'--learn from my stupid-ass mistakes). I spread the tofu mixture and the kale on a shell, added some salsa, folded it up and toasted in my panini press. If you want a toasty exterior but don't have a press, you could dry-fry it in a pan, again being very careful not to burn it. I thought I would use about half the mixture in today's burrito, but there are a good 2 tortilla's worth left. Like most burritos, you end up with a fair amount of filling on your plate by the time you're done eating, but that's half the fun.

*Does anyone actually eat 7 servings of veggies a day? Tell me if you do, I'll pick your brain for tips.