Friday, September 29, 2006

A sandwich that's good any time of day

That damn Rachel Ray. I want to dislike her, I really do--what with her huge grin, even bigger voice and completely over-the-top personality (not to mention her overused catch phrases). But, try as I might, I can't hate her. It seems like her heart's in the right place and, more importantly, she makes some great-looking, quick-cooking meals on her Food Network show, "30 Minute Meals."

Speaking of which, this recipe was inspired by something I saw her make a few weeks ago. She called her version a "breakfast sammie," which I thought was cute, so I'll call mine "Bryan's veggie breakfast sammie," since it's fully vegetarian (and can easily be made vegan, if that's your thing).

I have a hard time calling this a recipe, to tell you the truth, since the only thing you actually make is the scrambled tofu. Call it what you like--regardless, you can rest assured they're easy and cheap to make, and fantastic to eat.

Bryan's Veggie Breakfast Sammie

1 block herb tofu, crumbled into largish pieces
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
8 ounces of white mushrooms, sliced
1-2 teaspoons turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste

4 English muffins, split and toasted
4 vegetarian burger or sausage patties, cooked according to directions
4 slices of American cheese
Mayonnaise (if desired)

Heat a large skillet, coated with olive oil, over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, pepper and mushrooms and cook until softened. Add crumbled tofu, turmeric, salt and pepper and stir until spices have been incorporated (mixture should be a light yellow). Taste and season with more salt and/or pepper if needed.

In the meantime, cook the veggie burgers/sausage patties according to directions and toast muffins. When everything is hot and ready to go, stack them as you wish. I like to go in this order: muffin, mayo, burger, tofu mixture, cheese, muffin top.

A side of potatoes would be a nice accompaniment, but it's not needed if you're planning to eat two of these (or more) by yourself.

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