Beet Box

Iced Americano and a vegan double chocolate doughnut.  Go there now.

And now they're serving sammiches for lunch.  First up for me will be the Banh Mi but frankly they all look delicious.  'Tis a good time to be a vegan in Denver.

Scrambled tofu

There was a time that those two words would send me scampering for the hills.  Even after going vegan, I was still very wary of tofu.  I think I had a bad experience one time trying to make a BBQ tofu sandwich.  That said, I still can't recall where and when I had my first serving of scrambled tofu, but I quickly became a convert.

In my pre-vegan days, I used to have a hard time eating eggs for breakfast.  Something about the consistency just made my stomach turn.  Oddly, though, I LOVED eggs for lunch or dinner.  Anyway, I'm pleased that I don't have that issue with scrambled tofu.  The only problem I've had is that I can't find a good recipe.  Or, I guess I should say that I haven't been able to make scrambled tofu at home that I like as much as what I can get at City 'O City or Sputnik.

Lo and behold, I found a recipe in My Beef With Meat that piqued my interest.  The Bouldin Creek Spicy Scramble.  Spicy and flavorful.  Jalapeno, Serrano, curry powder, nutritional yeast.  Really delicious.

Spicy scramble served up with a side of refried beans

 

 

The only caveat with this recipe is that you have to press the tofu to get out as much water as possible or the scramble will be gummy.  I haven't perfected this yet but it's even delicious in its gumminess.  It also makes a great filling for burritos.

 

I can't find a version of this recipe online yet and I am too lazy on this summer Sunday morning to type it up, do yourself a favor and get this book from the library, buy it or whatever you need to do so you can try this recipe.  While it won't supplant a trip to my favorite vegan breakfast/brunch haunts, I'm happy to have a decent option at the ready for home consumption. 

Garden is planted

Late as usual.  And it's 95 and windy today, not optimal conditions for newly planted herbs and veggies.

I think I overshot a bit on cauliflower and beets and I'm not sure how that happened, other than I was wandering around City Floral yesterday in a haze for some reason.  Uhhhh, what is it that I like to eat again?  I have some room to add a few more items, basil and more tomatoes are always on the list but I should try something else, maybe onions or carrots.  Or peppers.  And I'm going to try growing cilantro AGAIN.  For whatever reason, I cannot keep that stuff alive.

Looking forward to good eats in a coupla months.

Black bean burgers

It's going to be a busy week, so I made a batch of Happy Herbivore's Quick and Easy Black Bean Burgers. I cooked up some black beans in the crock pot today, so fresh black beans were at the ready.

Ready for the oven:

And out of the oven, nearly the same!  Not to mention that they look like cookies, which made me wish they were cookies.  But when I'm hungry for lunch, I will be glad to have one of these instead of a cookie.  Okay, I'll wish I had one of these AND a cookie.

These babies are cooling their jets in the fridge until later this week.  Knowing they are there makes me happy.  They are a little delicate, so be careful when flipping them over.

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ⅓ cup instant oats

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside. In a mixing bowl, mash black beans with a fork until mostly pureed but still some half beans and bean parts are left. Stir in condiments and spices until well combined. Then mix in oats. Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into thin patties. Bake for 7 minutes, carefully flip over and bake for another 7 minutes, or until crusty on the outside. Slap into a bun with extra condiments and eat!