Vegan Mofo : Soyrizo

The first time I discovered Soyrizo was at the Rock 'n' Roll Ralph's on Sunset Blvd in LA.
It was in the Mexican foods section in the refrigerator case.
I remember this because Peter ordered chorizo and eggs at the 101 a few times and commented about how much he enjoyed it but really didn't feel good about eating chorizo.

The first time I used it, we made it with some eggs, toast and a side of potatoes just like the 101. It was real good.

Now, Soyrizo is a staple in my kitchen. I use it for so many things. Soups, sauces, tofu scrambles, on pizzas and in lasagna, in tacos, burritos and biscuits. There really is no limit with soyrizo. It's that good.

Soyrizo is much healthier than regular chorizo and keeps in the fridge a lot longer too.

Here's a little recipe for a nice tofu scramble.
The original recipe is from Vegan With A Vengeance.

MEXICAN TOFU SCRAMBLE
You will need:
1 lb. extra firm tofu drained and pressed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium chopped white or yellow onion
about ½ a tube of Soyrizo
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
juice of 1/2 a lime
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 carrot (this is optional, I grate it in at the end, mostly for color)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon thyme, crushed with your fingers
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
a little water keep the tofu from sticking
1 can refried black or pinto beans
Corn tortillas
Salsa
Guacamole

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high.
Sauté onions 3 minutes, until softened.
Add soyrizo and cook until it starts to brown.
Add garlic, sauté 2 minutes more.
Add spice blend and mix it up for 15 seconds or so.
Add 1/4 cup water and deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom to get all the garlic and spices.

Crumble in tofu and mix well.
Don't crush the tofu, just kind of lift it and mix it around.
You want it to remain chunky.
Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if necessary to keep it from sticking too much.
Lower the heat a bit if you find that it is sticking.
Add lime and lemon juice. Add nutritional yeast and mix it up.
If it seems too dry add splashes of water.
The moistness really depends on how much water the tofu was retaining before you added it.
Grate the carrot into it and fold.

Heat your tortillas and beans.
Place a tortilla on your plate, spread some beans over it, lay the tofu over that and top off with salsa and guacamole.


enjoy!
xoxo