...a Veganista breakfast...to tofu, or not to tofu???

I've been looking through the cookbooks we downloaded from The Daniel Fast blog for a while now, and a lot of the recipes include tofu.  Now, being the true southerner that I am, I have always turned my nose up at the thought of tofu.  I don't eat it when I order Pad Thai at Pei Wei...or anywhere else, for that matter.  And, I mean, what in the world is tofu anyway?!?!?

Tofu is also called bean curd.  It is a food made by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into soft white blocks.  (Yeah...not my idea of a good idea either...) Tofu originated in China and quickly spread throughout Asia.  It is used in a lot of Asian dishes and is often seasoned or marinated to compliment the dish.  Tofu has a low calorie count, is high in protein, has very little fat, and is high in iron (something this borderline anemic desperately needs!). 

In my fourth day of Veganism...I decided to be brave and tackle the tofu!!  The cookbook has a great recipe for a Tofu Scramble for breakfast, and since the tofu has the consistency of cooked egg whites, it seemed like a great way to introduce it into my new Veganista lifestyle.  So, the first thing that I did was gather all the ingredients.

One pound of firm tofu, one green pepper, one orange pepper, one half red onion, three Roma tomatoes, and Veggie Slices. 

The first step, unwrapping the tofu...it's like opening a Christmas gift from that aunt that's kinda crazy...you are a little excited, yet completely sure you are either going to be elated or horrified at what you find inside the package...

 I'll admit...the tofu is not so appetizing in it's natural form...but I soldiered on and started to chop the veggies.

Now this I can totally get behind!  I LOVE fresh veggies.  And nutritionist always say that your plate should be colorful!  The next step was to add it all to the pot!

I will admit...at this stage, I was completely still skeptical.  But, the simple fact is, as a Vegan, you are going to be missing important nutrients if you aren't willing to shake things up and try new things.  With tofu being so high in protein and iron, if I can handle the taste and texture, it will be a great supplement to this lifestyle. 

Voila! The finished product!  I didn't add the sliced tomatoes to the pan, because I don't like cooked tomatoes.  I put about a cup of the scramble (I am guessing that was an approximate serving) on the plate and added half of a Veggie Slice cheese substitute.  I then added a mix of grapes, strawberries, and blueberries to round out my breakfast. 

The verdict?  It was really good!  The tofu really does have the texture of an egg white in this scramble, so it wasn't difficult to eat.  The taste was enhanced by the veggies it was cooked alongside and the garlic salt that I added.  The Veggie Slices were interesting.  They are really salty.  We'll see if I use them on a regular basis or if I just use them when I am really, really craving cheese!  I have yet to make the recipes in the book for whole wheat tortillas or whole wheat flat bread....who knows, maybe I'll try those next!!