Breakfast burritos used to be my thing in London. I mean literally I would have at least one per day for either breakfast, lunch or supper.. they're super efficient, fast to make, super tasty and still fairly healthy and low in calories. Once I find something I like I never switch ingredients and that works for food, restaurant choices as well as anything in general. It all goes down to me not being a big enthusiast of change. As I'm adopting this whole change with my life I thought I might as well and go ahead and try new various recipes to switch up from the norm and play with fire.I decided to attempt my own tofu scrambled eggs where I substituted egg for a plant based option i.e: tofu. Honestly, the fact I used to eat this burrito everyday -I honestly could taste the resemble that it really caught me by surprise.
If you told me earlier on this year, that I'd be trying alternative recipes to replace eggs in my diet I would have never believed you. I'm a big advocate for eggs especially when up until not long ago I was eating an egg a day, it's probably the one food I love the most that I would find hard to cut out completely from my diet. I know there are various debates up on the internet with recent discussions being that eggs on a daily basis are not good for your health whereas, others literally argue the opposite to state that it's the best thing for our bodies. My opinion? I really don't listen to today's fads as somehow it's all become word of mouth and the real truth has become twisted and confusing due to the multi-billion dollar food industry behind the media. Nobody truly knows anymore what to listen to or believe - I surely got very confused.
However, I decided to just follow my instincts and do what I think is right and right now I'm open to various options and incorporating more plant based options into my diet. The best part so far has been the fact that I'm able to recreate foods that I usually eat often to see if I could make the switch - so far I have to say I am surprised at how delicious and cruelty free my meals have been, and I do feel good on a whole both mentally and physically. This by far has to be one of my favourite plant based recreations thus far and I do recommend you try it with an open mind, recipes are rarely ever going to be identical in taste but they can surely come close that you don't even realise after a while if it's the real thing or a duplicate!
To make the scrambled tofu yellow in colour to represent real eggs - this is done by adding turmeric. This form of 'food colouring' is a healthy variation as incorporating this super food into your meals is very important and has various benefits towards our health. I specify more in detail about the beneficial properties in my turmeric blog post which you can view here.
YOU WILL NEED:
Serves one
- x 1/4 block of firm tofu
- x 1 white flour wrap
(opt for a gluten free wrap if you wish)
- x 1tsp of turmeric powder
- x 1tsp of ground cumin
- x 1tsp of dairy free butter
(or coconut oil)
- x 4 cherry tomatoes
(or x1 whole diced tomato)
- x 1/2 ripe avocado
- x 1 bunch of spinach leaves
(I used lettuce as I ran out of spinach)
- x 1 dash of hot sauce of your choice
(optional but recommended)
- Salt and pepper to taste
-
HOW TO:
Make sure to take the tofu block and crumble it into small pieces with your hands similar to the above photo. This is to give the scrambled egg effect. Once that's done, mix your turmeric and cumin spices until they are coated evenly.
Add a dash of butter to cook the tofu slightly and add the tomatoes into the mix. This will only cook for about 3 minutes just to slightly warm up and cook the 'eggs'. Once that's done set it aside until you prepare your burrito.
Start by throwing one tortilla on an open fire on the stove. This is not for long and just until it warms up and burns slightly. Alternatively, for a safe option get a large frying pan and add your wrap in the pan to burn that way. Burning the wrap slightly really makes a big difference in taste and I will never skip out this step.
TIP: Place a tinfoil sheet before stacking your burrito, so that it's easier to roll once you're done.
Add your greens as a base, I usually always use spinach leaves however, I didn't have on me and frozen spinach wouldn't exactly have done the trick so I went with second best which is lettuce. Lettuce is equally as delicious and gives that needed crunch but the reason I wanted spinach was for the added benefits from the leaves as, lettuce has zero calories or nutrients for that matter.
Add your avocado next, I have a tendency to smash it deep into the wrap so when I come to eat it pieces won't fall out which has happened in the past and can make the experience quite infuriating to eat.
This step is optional, but I do recommend this for a little kick. I always did it with normal eggs but the tofu scrambled eggs could do with it even more to make it all the more pleasant. My all time favourite hot sauce is Cholula. Which sadly I've been on a hunt here in Malta and can't seem to find it anywhere. I have to make sure to stock up the next time I go up to England (unless, anywhere wants to send it over to me! I'll be forever grateful!) i had to go with the only option that was in my kitchen cabinet : tabasco.
You can now add the main ingredient your tofu scrambled eggs make sure to spread it evenly so it's easier to roll. Once that's done you can go ahead an roll your wrap into a burrito and dig in.
You can eat this then and there, or take it with you for a long day ahead - also you can make several and store them for another day. I would suggest that not being egg they would keep for longer that is the plus side to plant based you don't have to worry of food going bad as much and that it might get you sick! This is my idea of comfort food, which satisfies me gives me the right nutrients needed and is healthy above all that you don't have to feel guilty to tuck into this daily!
