Tofu Benedict!

I've mentioned before that brunch is one of our favorite things. This weekend, I made Tofu Benny from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz - and boy were they delish! David enjoyed this recipe so much he asked to have it for his birthday breakfast!

The recipe calls for home made hash browns, but I opted to used storebought ones to save time. You can also use english muffins in place of potatoes. I halved the recipe because as is, it makes enough for six - but next time I'll make the full recipe so that it'll last for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday - YUM! Here's the recipe:

TOFU BENNY

Serves 6

FOR THE TOFU:

Ingredients

2 lbs firm tofu (extra firm is probably too firm)

1 tbs soy sauce

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1 c veggie broth

1/4 tsp arrowroot powder

1 tsp black salt (important - adds to egg flavor - available at health food stores)

2 tbs white wine vinegar

2 tbs olive oil, plus more for cooking

Method

Turn the tofu on its narrow, long side and slice into three thick large rectangular slabs. (I cut it into four, because I thought three was too thin, but three is better.) Blot the tofu on both sides with paper towel. Either cut the tofu with a round cookie cutter for optimal presentation, or cut into square to match the size of your tomatoes.

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large, casserole dish and add the tofu in a single layer if possible. Marinate for at least an hour - overnight is best (I did it for an hour).

Once marinated, cook in a skillet for about 15 minutes total - turning half way through. It'll brown nicely.

The time to cook the tofu is when you've finished the hollandaise sauce and it's cooling.

FOR THE HOLLANDAISE SAUCE:

Ingredients

2 tbs. olive oil (we used half)

1/4 c minced shallots (about one shallot)

1 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk

2 tbs, plus 1 tsp arrowroot powder

1/4 c white wine (we used nonalcoholic of course)

3 tbs white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp turmeric (adds flavor and "yellowness")

2 tbs veggie broth powder

2 tbs nutritional yeast

1 tbs fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

A couple of notes before the method: I used sweetened almond milk accidentally and it tasted great - might do this every time. I also put the wrong amount of arrowroot powder in (and am only realizing it now as I'm typing this) and so ended up thickening it with flour, which worked fine. I used 1 tbs veggie broth because I didn't have broth powder, and so added an extra tbs of nutritional yeast.

Method

In a small pot, saute the shallot in oil for about three minutes over medium heat.

In the meantime, mix the milk with the arrowroot powder.

Add the white wine and vinegar to the shallots, turn up the heat to bring to a boil. Cook for about five minutes, until the liquid has reduced to about two tablespoons.

While it's reducing, add the turmeric and broth powder to the milk mixture.

Once liquid has reduced, add the milk mixture and lower the heat to medium. Whisk pretty consistently for 5-7 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Once thickened, add nutritional yeast, lemon juice and salt.

Let cool, covered, for 20 minutes (while you cook the tofu) - it's best at room temperature.

FOR THE TOMATOES:

Ingredients

6 large, thick slices of beefsteak, heirloom or other large juicy tomato

smoked salt to taste, or liquid smoke and sea salt.

Method

Either sprinle slices with smoked salt, or dab a little, tiny bit of liquid smoke on each slice with your finger and sprinkle with sea salt.

LAYER IT ALL UP AND VOILA!

It's so good, y'all.