Birthdays and Spicy Tofu Scramble (with recipe!)

Yesterday, I had one of those milestone birthdays. Milestone. More like millstone around my check. Somehow, I thought that my last night on earth would be Sunday night and the next day when I reached the venerable age of 3something, the world would just swallow me. It didn’t. I woke up Monday with my beautiful husband, my kitties, and a knowledge that I needed to start taking better care of myself.

Wakeup calls come in many forms. For some of us, it is hitting a certain birthday or age. “Now that I am X, I need to be more careful.” Yeah, I had that along with another wakeup call. Recently, my friend landed in the hospital with some scary problems. I knew that could be me. After all, I had been taking care of myself, but not perfect care to be sure. Some days I don’t get enough beans, most days I don’t eat enough greens. But seeing her laying there and knowing how close we are in age made me realize that shizznit needs to come to a close. I need to handle my life with more authority and grace.

One huge help has been my review copy of Vegan for Her, Virginia Messina’s new book. I have dropped all my other reading to plow through his book and take notes. If you can’t wait to get your hands on a great book on vegan nutrition or if you are a guy, check out Vegan for Life by Messina and Jack Norris which is a great work as well. With these you can see if you are eating as well as you think you have been and check out any places to improve.

I knew that I needed to improve the way I approach breakfast. Since I hate the first meal of the day I ignore it exists until my body starts getting very cranky with me. By then, I am usually messed up and super hungry! I overeat and then feel like crap. Not the best way for me to start the day.

Today I made myself a simple, spicy scramble. At just around 200 calories and 12 grams of protein, this was a great choice for me to get myself going. The spice in the scramble also made me feel awake and significantly more bright eyed.  If you need a little something to help you get out of bed, then read on.

 

Spicy Tofu Scramble

Makes 1 serving

½ tsp of oil

½ a poblano pepper or ½ a jalapeno, depending on taste
¼ tsp turmeric
1 pinch of black salt (use regular salt if you can’t find black salt)
½ package of firm, aspic packed tofu
1 can (4 oz) of mild diced green chilies
2 tbsp daiya cheddar ‘cheese’ or other vegan cheese
A vinegar based hot sauce such as Tabasco or Cholula

Heat a skillet or wok over medium heat.
Dice the pepper, removing stem and seeds.
Add the oil to the pan and the pepper.
Cook the pepper until slightly tender.
Add the tofu by crumbling it slightly and the turmeric and salt.
Stir and add the green chilies.
Cook for about 5-10 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the ‘cheese’.
Place on a plate and add the hot sauce.
Enjoy.