Sesame Scrambled Tofu with Greens and Yams

My copy of Vegan Brunch arrived, and as I flipped through, many many recipes caught my eye. I like that there are so many recipes with foods I like to use and very few ingredients I wouldn’t use more than once.

For my first recipe, I wanted to try making a tofu scramble, which I’ve had in restaurants but have never cooked. Because I was cooking for supper, I decided to try the tofu scramble with greens and yams to make a complete meal. Well, that and I love sweet potatoes and greens. Yes, I used sweet potatoes instead of yams. I used Swiss chard for the greens because they were the best looking greens available at my market when I shopped.

For this recipe, I wanted to make sure I had really firm tofu, so I froze, thawed, and then pressed a block of Trader Joe’s extra firm tofu. Isa Chandra Moskowitz, the cookbook author, has wonderful notes throughout the book and addresses the question of cubed vs. torn tofu in tofu scrambles. In the end, it doesn’t matter, but I like my tofu torn (or crumbled, but leaving larger chunks). I feel like the ragged edges make it easier for it to soak up seasonings. I don’t think there’s any evidence for that, though.

Besides planning ahead to thaw and press the tofu, this was pretty easy. Garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes are sautéed in sesame oil, then the tofu and soy sauce are added, then the greens, and finally the (baked, peeled, and chunked) sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Voila! And yum.

I alternate between grabbing recipes from the web, throwing things together from memory or based on what’s available, and using cookbooks. I’m really impressed with this cookbook, and I can’t believe it took me so long to cough up the $9 I spent – shipping included – to get it used from Amazon. I know I’ll be trying more cookbook recipes soon. What are your favorite cookbooks?