Brunchtime Recipe – Cinnamon Spiced Tofu Scramble, Braised Portabello Mushrooms with Gluten Free Muffins

This one’s a hearty brunch that won’t leave an ounce of room for dessert, or extra fizzy drinks if you’re having some buddies for a physically distanced celebration of summer!!?  The muffins mop up the scramble and juices from the softened tomatoes and mushrooms, making the whole thing a self cleaning plate of wonder.

Tofu scramble.  Okay, I recognise this one will be a little alienating for some of you.  But currently I’m getting daily complaints from a hospital bound family member, bemoaning the overcooked, desiccated even, scrambled eggs that get dropped in their lap every evening around 5 o’clock.  There is NOTHING less inspiring for an appetite than hardened scrambled eggs.  And it’s not just hospitals that make this slip – a busy parent, or distracted host can easily take their eye off the pan for a split second and end up with something that reads more as yesterday’s leftovers than this morning’s glossy, fluffy delights.

Enter the tofu scramble.  It is nigh on IMPOSSIBLE to overcook tofu scramble, it remains delicate, and moist even with a reckless lack of attention, and takes on flavour like a blank canvas, so you can really play with spices.  This food is NOT vegan only fayre.

Gluten Free Savoury Mini Muffin Scone Things

This is one of those EXCESSIVELY simple recipes, so I’ve put it into cups as I find with recipes you’re going to repeat, the cups thing is slightly easier to remember.

• 1.5 cups medium maize meal
• half cup gluten free all purpose flour
• 2tbsp plain granulated sugar
• 1tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tbsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup dairy or non dairy milk (I used oat mylk)
• 2 eggs (you can sub with flax eggs – 2tbsp ground flax, 6 tbsp water, leave them soak for about 20 minutes before using)
• 1/3 cup organic rapeseed or sesame oil

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl

Beat the eggs lightly

Make a well in the centre of the flour mix

Pour in eggs, milk and oil. Claw dry ingredients into wet ones until mixture is evenly wetted.  The one trick with this and any other soda bread recipe is not to over mix.  The more you mix, the denser the result.  The mix should be pourable.  If too dry still add another couple of tbsps of milk until it loosens.

Prepare a muffin tray with 12 cases.  Add 2-3tbsps of the mixture to each case.

Bake in centre of oven for 15-20 mins.  The muffins should have a lovely little split in the top, and be just browning on top to indicate that they’re done.

Braised Portabello Mushrooms & Vine Tomatoes

I usually use 1 mushroom and 1 tomato per person, 2 if we’re going for a really stomach lining feed.

Other bits:

• Thyme/some mix of mediterranean herbs
• A decent knob of salted butter or coconut oil – if you have butter and you’re not vegan this really brings out the mushroominess of mushrooms. But that’s just an opinion 🙂

Slice the mushrooms in chunky slices.  Add to a pan with 1cm covering of boiling water.  Add a dash of soya sauce. Cover and braise on a medium heat until the water disappears.  Usually about 5 minutes.

Roughly dice the tomatoes. Add them to the pan once the water has evaporated with a teaspoon of dried thyme and a dessertspoon of butter. Stir. turn down the heat and cover and cook for a further 10 minutes.  If you spot them drying out add a little more butter/oil.

Cinnamon Spiced Tofu Scramble

This is the easiest one.  You can really go mad on the spices but I like the blend below.

• 1/2tsp turmeric
• 1tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2tsp coriander seeds
• 1/2tsp smoked paprika
• 1tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 clove garlic – diced
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pack silken tofu (400g)

Pop the coriander and cumin into a hot pan and toast for a minute or two, then add the oil, and continue to cook for a couple of minutes on a low/medium heat.

Add the silken tofu, sprinkling the other spices on top, mash with a fork and keep stirring while it heats.  2 minutes later – tofu scramble!!