Tofu Scrambly Breakfast Hash

Recently, tofu scramble and I have been enjoying a sort of passionate second honeymoon. It's not that we were ever properly estranged, or even got to the point where counseling was called for; it was more that I'd become distracted by other things. (Oh, all right, I'll admit it: I've been seeing other brunches, but it wasn't serious.) In the last month or so, however, I've been eyeing the scramble in a fresh and attractive light. I don't know if it's been working out or what, but suddenly the appeal of a skillet full of mashed tofu and veggies, generously dusted with nooch, has gone through the roof, and - to exhaust the metaphor (phew!) - I'm interested in exploring all kinds of exciting new possibilities.

This particular interpretation is really more of a scramble/hash amalgam, but this should by no means be seen as a mésalliance, since its end result was altogether more "love child" than "bastard." It came about because there was a big bunch of neglected kale in the refrigerator; when considering (yet another) scramble for breakfast, I thought I might as well toss it in. In the event, the kale sort of overwhelmed the measly 1/2 pound of smoked tofu we had on hand, so I chopped up a few Field Roast sausages, added them to the mix, and cooked the whole business to a crispy fare-thee-well. The finished product was tasty, and - yes! - nutritious, without losing that hearty, filling, warm-you-up-from-the-inside feeling you get from the best diner breakfasts. We had ours with roasted potatoes, and toast with our own home-made marmalade, which made the perfect fuel for a day of pre-holiday preparations. (And, tofu scramble? I promise to never again lose touch with how much you mean to me!)


Tofu Scrambly Breakfast Hash


Ingredients
~ 2 tbsp. olive oil
~ 1 large onion, chopped
~ 2 carrots, diced
~ 1 small (or half of a large) green bell pepper, diced
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic

~ 1 tsp. each: salt, paprika, poultry seasoning

~ A few generous grinds of black pepper

~ 1 tsp. hot sauce (more to taste)

~ 1 head kale, stripped, cleaned, and chopped fine
~ 1/2 lb. smoked tofu, mashed (or use plain, firm tofu; I just happened to have smoked)
~ 2 vegan sausages, chopped (we had Field Roast Italian, but suit yourself!)
~ 1/3 to 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
~ 1/4 to 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk, as needed to prevent sticking


Directions
~ In a large skillet, saute the onion and carrot in the olive oil over medium heat, about 2 minutes.
~ Add the garlic, the bell pepper, and the seasonings, and cook another 2-3 minutes.
~ Add the kale, combine thoroughly, and cook until wilted.

~ Add the mashed tofu and the sausage, and cook about 5 minutes more.~ Stir in the nutritional yeast, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook another 10-15 minutes, stirring every couple minutes or so. If things get sticky, add a little of the soy milk to get things moving again. You want a crust to just begin to form on the bottom, at which point you mix it all up and let it happen again.

~ Serve hot with your preferred accompaniments.