Scrambled Tofu – Breakfast of Champions

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I love to cook, but my love for cooking didn’t quite develop (or flourish) until I made the decision to become a vegetarian. However, ever since that day, I’ve had an interest in learning how to look with tofu. I’ve had it before, for breakfast, lunch, and even dinner, but I thought it would serve well as a breakfast item. Tofu is PACKED full of protein, contains little fat, cholesterol, carbs, or sugar, and is literally a product of a superfood – the soy bean.

My experience in cooking has been to just dive in. I usually read through a few recipes online or in a book and then develop something on my own. This time around, I purchased two packages of medium-firm tofu. I diced green bell pepper, yellow onion, and celery and cooked these in a bit of olive oil with some salt. I drained the tofu* and added it to the veggies once they were cooked. The final product was scrambled tofu and was enough for breakfast for 3-4 days.

The wonderful thing about making this is you don’t have to stick to the same recipe each time. You can add whatever vegetables you want or none at all 🙂

I normally eat breakfast around 6:30 or 7:00 am and I am normally ready for lunch by 11:00 am. I found that when I had this meal for breakfast I wasn’t hungry for lunch until noon.

*When draining the tofu, you want to make sure you get all of the water out. I set both chunks in between two dish towels and placed two cartons of milk on top to aid in squeezing out the water.

My best friend (who is an amazing professional cook) suggested not to keep the tofu for longer than 5 days in the fridge. I’ve found that 4 full days is the max time.

Overall – I love having this for breakfast. I’ve found that it is a great alternative to scrambled eggs, it’s quick and easy to make, and it tastes delicious. I probably won’t eat this every morning for the rest of my life (how boring would that be?), but I’d still recommend it to someone who has considered making it.

The Versatility of Vinegar

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Like baking soda, vinegar has many uses. The great thing about choosing vinegar over conventional products is it is eco- and human-friendly. The following is a list of ways in which I’ve learned to use vinegar. To find additional ideas, check out this website.

The water where I live is very hard so I am constantly fighting scale build-up. To combat this, I use a small brush and vinegar to remove the scale. I’ve learned through trial and error that scale should be dealt with early on and not later once it has built up to ridiculous proportions. The low pH of the vinegar aids in dissolving  the scale, and the brush helps to loosen and remove the particles. Be sure to make note of what the surface you are trying to clean is made out of. The “granite” (it’s really more like a schist) counter-tops in my kitchen and bathroom have a seal that can be easily removed by vinegar, so I cannot use vinegar to clean them.

Vinegar and water combined in a 1:1 ratio will create a nice all-purpose cleaner. This cleaner can be used to clean up messes, clean windows and mirrors, and sanitize surfaces. It can even be used in conjunction with baking soda to sanitize your toilet bowl when cleaning it.

Vinegar also works well as a rinse agent in the dishwasher by helping to remove water spots.

My most favorite use of vinegar is in unclogging drains. By sprinkling a little baking soda and vinegar down a drain, then stopping it with a rag, and pouring boiling water down the drain 15 minutes later, you can unclog your drain. This has failed once in the dozen or so times I have tried it.

Happy cleaning 🙂

The Many Wonders of Baking Soda

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While cleaning is definitely not my most favorite thing to do, I absolutely love a clean home. I have been challenged, though, in the last year in finding new ways to get the job done while avoiding harsh chemicals. In rising to meet that challenge I have discovered many uses for baking soda. I love cleaning with it and have never been disappointed by it. The following is a brief list of ways in which baking soda can be used:

• Sprinkle a little into your toilet bowl each week to replace a harsh cleaner. The baking soda will eliminate any odors and will clean your bowl, leaving it sparkling white. You can also use vinegar in conjunction with the baking soda to sanitize the toilet bowl.
• Replace bottles of Ajax and Comet with baking soda. The abrasive quality of baking soda will remove soap scum from your shower or bath tub.
• Baking soda can also be used to remove caked-on grime from pots and pans. Just sprinkle a little on the problem area, add boiling water, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
• The abrasive quality of baking soda can also be used to clean your kitchen sink, whether porcelain or stainless steel. It will remove stains without scratching the surface.
• To unclog a drain, sprinkle a little baking soda down the drain, then pour a little vinegar down, and use an old rag to plug the drain and prevent the mixture from foaming back out. After 15 minutes, remove the rag and pour boiling water down the drain. I’ve used this at least a dozen times before and it has failed only once.
• About 1/2 a cup of baking soda, when added to laundry (along with a laundry detergent), can help brighten your whites.
• Baking soda can also be used as a deodorizer in your fridge, laundry basket, sneakers, carpet, virtually anywhere odors might linger.

While these are just a few ways in which baking soda can be used, a google search shows that there are many more. If you have any other uses not listed here, feel free to comment on them. Happy cleaning 🙂