Tofu Spinach Breakfast Casserole

I’ve been absent the last six weeks. You can send me to detention or we can just start anew. I choose the latter, which is why I decided to introduce you to a breakfast item. Starting fresh makes me think of a new day, so we have to have breakfast!

I discovered this casserole over the holidays, then I altered the recipe from its original form, so that it would have a little more umph. I still serve mine with Tabasco, but on its own, it’s damn tasty.

Tofu Spinach Breakfast Casserole (adapted from Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 pkg. frozen spinach (10 oz.), thawed and squeezed dry
2-4 cloves garlic
2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 pkg. firm tofu (16 oz.), drained and crumbled
4 patties soy sausage, thawed if frozen and crumbled
3 cups unsweetened almond milk or other unsweetened dairy-free milk
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp. fresh dill
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
6-8 slices sourdough bread

Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft and no liquid remains, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the spinach, tofu, soy sausage, 1 cup of the almond milk, mustard, dill, cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix well, then blend in the onion/mushroom mixture and the remaining 2 cups of almond milk. Set aside.

Tear the bread into chunks or bite-sized pieces and place in a lightly-oiled 9×13-inch baking dish. Pour the spinach mixture over the bread, spreading it out evenly. Either set aside until the liquid is absorbed (30-60 minutes) or refrigerate overnight. (If refrigerating overnight, bring back to room temperature before baking.)*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until lightly browned and puffed, about 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting into squares.

*I’ve tried it both ways; my preference is overnight refrigeration. If I recall, I brought it out, let it sit for about 30-45 minutes, then put it in the oven right when I turned it on, so that it pre-heated along with the oven. Perfect!

Tofu Florentine

Pregan, I loved Eggs Florentine. But, honestly, this one is better. Way better. Turns out, it’s short-listed as one of my favorite evening meals. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s healthy, and it contains several food groups in one lump. You can even make the hollandaise ahead of time and use it later. Just heat it up when you’re ready and pour it on. But, seriously, the entire meal, including the hollandaise, takes about 30-40 minutes to prepare, especially if you’re willing to multi-task. I’ve listed everything sequentially, but you can always take care of multiple pieces at the same time. Just practice.

Tofu Florentine (serves 2*)

2 English Muffins, halved
8 oz. firm or extra-firm tofu
24 oz. fresh baby spinach
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2-3 c. water
Hollandaise sauce (recipe below)
2 green onions, sliced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare Hollandaise according to directions below.

While hollandaise is still warm (or warming on low), cut tofu into four small rectangles.

Heat olive oil in grill pan or skillet on medium-high heat. When oil is hot, sear tofu on each side until brown and lightly crispy (about 5 minutes each side, pressing with a spatula every now and then). Turn heat to low to keep warm.

Add water to large pot and boil. Place steamer inside pot and begin steaming spinach in batches until all spinach is cooked. While spinach is steaming, toast English muffins.

To assemble: Place two muffin halves on each plate. To each muffin half, add a slice of tofu, a mound of steamed spinach, and drizzle with one quarter of the hollandaise sauce. Add sliced green onions, salt, and pepper to taste.

Hollandaise Sauce (source: Vegetarian Times)
1/2 cup or 4 oz. silken tofu
2 Tbs. lemon juice**
1 Tbs. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. turmeric
2 Tbs. corn oil

Heat tofu on plate in microwave 30 to 45 seconds, or until warmed through. Transfer to food processor, and purée until smooth. Add lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, cayenne, and turmeric; pulse until well combined. With food processor running, add oil in steady stream to finish sauce.

*The Vegetarian Times recipe claims the hollandaise is enough to serve 6. I don’t like being skimpy with sauces, so I use about 1/4 of the sauce on each 1/2 muffin, tofu, spinach combination.

**I thought that for this dish, the hollandaise sauce was far too lemony as it was written. It overpowered everything else. So I reduced the lemon juice to 1 Tbsp. and added 1 Tbsp. water to make up the remaining liquid.