Breakfast for Dinner- Tofu Florentine

I love a big hearty breakfast, something that sticks with me a good part of the day. Incidentally I also love a big hearty breakfast eaten at dinner, preferably washed down with a cocktail. I just got home from a long day (long week!) at work and I'm starving as usual. I would die for some of these florentines right now. I found this picture that I'd taken awhile ago, during testing for Veganomicon.

The florentine is composed of a toasted english muffin (whole foods brand is vegan last time I checked) stacked with steamed spinach, broiled tofu, and smothered in a tangy cheezy sauce.

I'm going to pretend that's what I'm eating for dinner tonight. In reality I'm likely going to end up having margaritas and some tums. That's all I have energy for. But I can dream, sweet florentine dreams.

Frosting Tip

I decided to take my cupcake decorating to the next level and invest in some quality hardware. I found this tip in the discount bin at a local kitchen supply store. I have no idea what the numbers on it mean, but they make me feel scientific.


Google tells me the tip is a rosette nozzle, but basically the frosting comes out looking similar to soft serve ice cream. So I practiced my skills on some mini cupcakes.


After a little practice, the frosting looks presentable. I'm not quite ready to submit my resume to Charm City Cakes, but I kinda impressed myself.



Vegan Buttercream Frosting

With a hand mixer, beat together equal parts shortening and margarine. I used about a half a cup each non-hydrogenated crisco and Earth Balance. Add in about a cup of powdered sugar and continue to beat. Throw in a splash of soymilk to make it smooth. You'll realize you probably added too much liquid, so now add in some more powdered sugar. Keep adding a bit more soymilk and powdered sugar until you get a fluffy frosting.

Sidenote: The frosting pictured above was this recipe but with broken Chocolate Joe Joe's cookies blended in. I used the cookies 'n creme frosting for some other cupcakes, then kept the frosting in the fridge for a week. I brought it to room temp, re-beat it with some soymilk, and the cookies dissolved and made chocolate frosting. And it still tastes good. Gross? Probably. Do I care? Evidently not.

Burger Time

My Trader Joe's has these WildWood Tofu Veggie Burgers for $2.69 and I've walked past them a few times thinking they're too expensive. They come two burgers per pack, and although $2.69 is not a ton of money, it's a lot when I consider the 19oz block of tofu sitting right next to the burgers is only $1.19. But enough grocery details, the point is I finally unscrewed my tightwad attitude and bought a pack.


They don't come with cooking instructions, or at least I didn't see any. I guess they figure if you're brave enough to buy a Tofu Veggie Burger you're probably too brazen to follow directions anyway. So into my cast iron skillet they went. When in doubt, fry.


They came out pretty tasty, crisp outside and firm yet tender inside. The burgers seem like they would be sturdy enough to cook on a grill too. WildWood doesn't attempt to make them taste at all like meat, which is an asset in my opinion, so the taste is of a basic seasoned tofu. I'll keep these in mind for summer parties, they're definitely better than other veggie patties I've tried.