I fell in love with tofu when I was doing my yoga teacher training in Thailand back in 2012. I was a meat-eater at the time and was worried that not eating meat would make me waste away and lose all my muscle. How wrong I was!! After a month of nourishing my body with a plant-based diet (which also included eggs and yogurt) and a daily Ashtanga yoga practice, I was stronger than I ever had been.
So now, every time I eat tofu, it takes me right back to Thailand and those feelings of nourishment and strength I had while I was out there.
Now, unless you’ve been to Asia and experienced the deliciousness of traditionally cooked and perfectly spiced tofu, you probably don’t know what to do it with it. It might not look too appealing to the eye, but it’s beige blandness means it soaks up flavours like a sponge.
So, this recipe was inspired because a) most people don’t know what to do with tofu, and b) most people like pesto. The creamy, nuttiness of the pesto works really with the earthiness of the tofu and the roasted tomatoes add a lovely sweetness.. If you’re short on time, then instead of roasting the tomatoes, you can literally chuck all the ingredients in a pan, give them a stir, and have a damn tasty breakfast in less than 10 minutes!
Plus, tofu is packed full of protein and makes a great alternative to eggs if you’re looking to reduce your animal-product intake or just fancy something different. If you’d like to try a totally vegan breakfast then instead of using a standard shop bought pesto, most supermarkets now stock vegan varieties made with tofu instead of parmesan (I like this one) and if you fancy making your own then I love this recipe by Dana at Minimalist Baker which uses nutritional yeast for a great cheese-y, nutty flavour.
Ever since I first experimented with tofu scrambles this pesto variation has been a firm favourite of mine. It is:
Super quick to make
Nourishing
Creamy
Herby
Packed full of protein
Perfect for family breakfasts
If you give this recipe a try, let me know how you like it! Share it and leave a comment – it’s super helpful for me and other readers.
And as always, don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #FearFreeFood on Instagram. I love seeing what you cook up!
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 250 g cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 400 g block firm tofu drained
- 4 Handfuls spinach
- 2-3 heaped tbsp pesto
- salt and pepper to season
- 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped
Ingredients
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|
- Pre-heat oven to 180C, toss the tomatoes with ½ tbsp. olive oil and a little salt and roast for 15 minutes.
- Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and add the onion and garlic. Fry for 2-3 minutes before crumbling in the tofu and stirring to coat in the garlic and onion.
- Fry for another 5 minutes, until the tofu is just starting to catch and go golden, stirring occasionally.
- Add the spinach to the pan with 1-2tbsp water and cook for another 2 minutes until the spinach has wilted.
- Turn off the heat and add the pesto to the pan. Stir well and season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the tomatoes from the oven. Pile the scrambled tofu onto plates and serve with the roasted tomatoes, toast or breakfast potatoes.
*If you haven’t got time to roast the tomatoes, simply add them to the pan before the tofu and you’ll have a quick and tasty one pan breakfast.
