Veggie Hash and Tofu Eggs

Before I get into tonight's post, I have a couple of announcements. For starters, my friend Cassi (whom you have read about plenty on these pages) has started her very own vegan blog. She's a total diva, so it's aptly named Pretty In Pink Vegan. Check it out!

And now for a very important announcement for Memphis vegans from my friend Rocky, maker of the Vegg. As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, Memphis' Whole Foods is the first in the country to sell Vegg egg substitute. Here's what Rocky asked me to relay:

"Memphis, TN Vegg Lovers. The Poplar Whole Foods has had a case of 12 containers of The Vegg available for sale for about a week now and hasn't sold out yet. Unfortunately, they will not continue to offer it if they can't sell it out in a few more days. Please do what you can if you'd like to see The Vegg in Whole Foods."

So get out there and get some Vegg, folks! But hey, save a few containers for me cause I need to stock up when I go back to WF on Tuesday. Once you've purchased your Vegg (whether at Whole Foods here or, for those living elsewhere, on the internet, here), here's something simple to do with it — Cheater Fried Tofu Veggs!

There's a recipe in The Vegg Cookbook for a very awesomely realistic-looking vegan fried egg that can be made using Vegg. It has the perfectly rounded, unbroken yolk and the soft white. But that recipe looks a little challenging for the average cook. For those who want a vegan fried egg in a hurry, this is way super simple.

I simply pressed and sliced a block of extra-firm tofu into 8 slices. I sprayed a non-stick skillet with a little cooking oil. Then I put the tofu slices in and let them brown on one side for about 7 minutes or so. Flip 'em and let them cook a minute or two. Then pour one cup of prepared Vegg yolk over the tofu. Let it cook, untouched, and get all bubbly. If you want runny Veggs, turn off the heat as soon as the Vegg begins to bubble. If you'd rather the Vegg cook up a bit and stick to your tofu more (rather than be pourable out of the skillet), let it go for a few more minutes. Your choice.

On the side, I created a new dish for my retro vegan cookbook project — Veggie Hash.

I read somewhere that hash was a popular breakfast dish at the turn of the last century. Since hash is clean-out-the-fridge, use-whatever-you-can-find kind of dish, I believe it. Folks were all about waste-not, want-not back then. This one has potatoes (a must!), parsnips, carrots, celery, and onions. It's seasoned with paprika and a tad bit of ketchup.