who has time to cook breakfast during the week? we sure don’t. and since we don’t want to be forced into skipping it entirely or microwaving a frozen boca burger each morning, we make one huge tofu scramble on sunday, and eat it all week long. this week’s tofu scramble was (and still is, there’s so much of it!) awesome. probably because we based it on the kick-ass ppk recipe for scrambled tofu.

scrambled tofu (adapted from the ppk recipe!) with field roast sausages, tomatoes and sour supreme.

now i’ve eaten a lot (and i mean a lot!) of tofu scrambles in my time, and this was actually one of the best. i make them constantly at home, either with mix out of a box, using recipes online, or simply by throwing everything from my cupboard and fridge into a pan with some tofu…and this was the first one that can hold its own with breakfast from my favorite restaurants. the tofu was spot on, firm and not mulchy at all, and the spices were blended perfectly, enhancing but not overpowering. 

each morning the scrambly mixture just needs to be spooned out and microwaved for 1 minute to be the perfect breakfast again and again. we also cut up some fresh tomatoes each morning and split a chipotle field roast sausage, both fresh off the grill. and of course i cover mine with the hottest of hot sauces and garnish it with a goop of sour supreme every time, i just can’t help it. 

all hail the ppk—they rule and so does this scramble. it has been a great sunday and monday breakfast so far, so i know it will help get me out of bed and get me through the rest of the week.

adapted ingredients and more after the jump.
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last weekend marked my first journey into highland park. while i actually went there (2 days in a row) to check out an amazing bar, i also found myself at a damn good vegetarian restaurant: cinnamon. yeah, it is a bit of a trek. but cinnamon is a great place that deserves a visit if you love authentic mex cuisine, but think chicken stock is no bueno. word of warning: highland park is at the intersection of “cutting-edge hippsterville” and “i don’t feel safe walking around at night”. so come prepared (in the daylight if you happen to be a pussy like me) for good food, good bars and good times in the least expected areas.

we (mr. meaner and i) found ourselves dining at around 11am. it was the real sweet spot of times, during that window where breakfast and lunch are both being served. i opted for breakfast, he chose lunch. both ruled.

tofu scramble with mushroom & spinach. $6.95

tofu burrito. $5.95

the tofu scramble was delicious. next time i want to order something a little more adventures, something really authentic sounding that i can’t pronounce—but this time i was a tad hung-over, a little worse for wear and just wanted a safe, comforting breakfast food with lots of tofu. and that’s just what i got. a mound of tofu, super tasty mushrooms and heaps of spinach all mixed together with a blob of beans and rice on the side. drown it in hot sauce, and i’m happy. nothing wrong with this dish.

the burrito was equally impressive. lettuce, green sauce, some other vegetabley things, tofu, rice and beans all rolled into a massive wheat wrap. oozing with flavor and scrumptiousness. chipotle’s got nothing on this sucker. it tasted like an old school mexican burrito, the dangerous kind with refried beans and god knows what in the rice…yet it managed to be creative at the same time with the wheat tortilla and vegetable variety. perfect.

cinnamon is a pretty sweet place. let’s review: vegetarian, check…huge menu, check…affordable, check. not bad. the service on the other hand, is a little slow and strange. over friendliness was followed by indifference, then again by more friendliness. and the complimentary chips suck, not only are they out of a bag, but they are ROUND. round chips are not cool. but, whatever, the hot sauce rocks and the atmosphere is lovely…with big windows that let the sunshine in to cover the cozy albeit cramped tables.

cinnamon could definitely improve in some areas, but the food rocks. and that’s all that matters, right? the food rocks.

i’m really diggin’ the food at follow your heart. it’s one of those places that serves a huge menu of dangerously delicious vegetarian dishes, almost all of which can be made vegan. plus they have a great selection of hot sauces. what more do i require?

i think i may have to keep going back until i’ve tried everything on the menu. too bad it’s located pretty bloody deep into the valley and is usually packed on the weekends, which means a long drive and a wait for me if i want to get breakfast on a sunday. oh well, the food definitely makes up for it.

bob's breakfast (veganized): 2 corn tortillas covered w/ black beans, tofu, sauteed in a mild salsa verde. served with spanish rice, guacamole and grilled bananas. $9.95

i don’t know who bob is, but his breakfast is off the hook! you gotta try this out if you visit follow your heart. when i was a vegetarian, one of my weekend traditions was ordering huevos rancheros for breakfast. this definitely scratches the same itch, but uses tofu instead of eggs, which we all know is a lot kinder and also ended up being a hell of a lot tastier.

the tofu was firm, flavorful and covered in the yummiest green salsa. there was also some kind of fake cheese sprinkled all over my plate that was quite melted, but it sure tasted good. the grilled bananas were perfectly cooked and went down well with half a bottle of brother bru bru’s hot sauce. top that off with a huge mound of rice and a ball of guacamole, and you’ve got a great breakfast and good value for just under 10 bucks.

ahhhh. so replete. yes, i will be back.

a couple times a month, i like to hit up the los angeles farmers market, grab a few beers, and eat some fine vegan food. there’s so many little stands to choose from, and almost everything i’ve eaten there has been delicious, albeit rather expensive. unfortunately, for months, i managed to overlook one of the best vegan-friendly eateries that the food court has to offer, until reading about it on yourveganmom. singapore’s banana leaf serves fine malaysian cuisine that can be veganized upon order (woo hoo!)…and what i’ve tried tastes divine.

vegetable mee goreng fried noodles (NO EGG, please!) with tofu. $8.50

vegetable curry with tofu. $8.50

yeah, yeah, yeah, this place is pricey. especially considering the fact that you’re forced to eat your meal outdoors on plastic tables, sandwiched between “sticker planet” and a vile meaty deli. but in all fairness and with personal pet peeves set aside, i can’t expect the rest of the world to share my ludicrous “i don’t like to eat dead things that have been tortured & slaughtered” mentality. so, considering the fact that this open-air section of la’s famous farmers market is a mecca for midwest and european tourists alike, i really cannot complain about the $5 premium they add to each meal. and in banana leaf’s case, the food definitely competes with the most authentic of joints. so just close your eyes, plug your ears and ignore those loud-mouthed, overweight tourists. time to enjoy some food.

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…and wow, i was impressed! the food was just incredible, and i managed to show up at a time when it wasn’t crowded and the atmosphere was pleasant. yay! here’s to one of LA’s tastiest breakfasts! thanks flore!

tofu benediction: fluffy sliced tofu, tomato slices, kale and avocado piled atop toasted batard and smothered in our own take on hollandaise sauce. served with tempeh bacon. $9.95

breakfast burrito: tofu scramble, tempeh bacon, potatoes, cashew cheese and avocado wrapped in a tortilla. served with pico de gallo and a side of fruit. $8.95

now as you know, i love saying what annoys be about any restaurant, or how i think they can improve. the thing about flore is, there’s nothing wrong with it—except maybe that there’s too much delicious food to choose from.

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so before you go on reading about how much i loved my breakfast at this place, you should probably know about the very low “C” grade it received after a recent health inspection. a reader wrote in to quarrygirl.com with a link from TMZ, of all places.

the gossip rag reports:

We got hold of the inspection report. Among other things, the city found mold inside the ice machine. Glasses on the bar had gnats that went in for a landing. Some of the shelves were dirty. The waiters’ counter had paint chipping off. And restaurant workers were placing cut watermelon in the sink.

As for the fridge — problems with potatoes, feta cheese and the meat drawers.

that’s fucking gross. let’s hope they get their act together and pull that grade up stat. i think they are actually closed right now for “renovations”, attempting to fix the problem. in the meantime, i suggest you check out the interim cafe in santa monica…which was started by the same peeps, who i don’t believe still have anything to do with the robertson newsroom location.

that’s it. thought you should know. below is our original post, as published on june 25th. vegans, be careful out there.
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that’s right, you probably already know that california vegan is one of the many thai-vegan-restaurants-with-the-word-“vegan”-in-its-name that has popped up around los angeles. while i was getting pretty sick of these places for a while, i decided to return and give california vegan another try. we took my dad there for a belated fathers day lunch, because he just can’t seem to get enough of their orange chicken.

california orange chicken lunch special: battered and fried soy chicken coated in a spicy sweet orange-flavored sprinkled with sesame seeds. served with spring roll, miso soup, salad & brown rice. $7.95

soy chicken pad thai lunch special: sautéed thai rice noodles with bean sprouts, green onions and crushed peanuts. served with spring roll, miso soup, salad & brown rice. $7.95

silver noodle salad: glass bean noodles mixed with soy fish tofu for me, bean sprouts and tossed in lime juice. $6.95

and now for the amazing dish that made the whole trip worth it in my opinion, if there were ever any doubts:

banana spring rolls & ice cream: bananas and shredded coconut rolled in spring roll pastry and deep fried with a choice of your favorite soy ice cream flavor. $6.95. OMFG. yum.

now california vegan is one of those restaurants that rules and sucks all at the same time. the prices are reasonable, but the atmosphere blows. the servers are friendly, but somewhat incompetent. the menu is huge, but it’s mostly the same salty meats listed over and over again. the orange chicken tasted amazing, but it arrived half an hour later than everything else because they forgot about it.

enough of my ambivalence, i know you just wanna read about all the vegan food.

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follow your heart? of course, they are the ones who make the awesome fake mayonnaise and the vegan cheese that doesn’t melt! yeah, and they have that supermarket in the valley with all neat healthy stuff. but did you know they also have a restaurant? i don’t know why it never occurred to me until recently to try their café (maybe eating in the back of a grocery store didn’t sound very appealing), but now i’m sure glad i did. the food was spectacular, and the atmosphere was just fine—i forgot that the bustling health food market on the other side of the wall even existed.

breakfast burrito: scrambled tofu, black beans and vegetarian ‘chorizo’, wrapped in an oversized whole wheat tortilla. served with spanish rice, guacamole and vegan sour cream. $7.95

follow your heart burger: burger pattie with vegan cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, vegenaise and thousand island dressing, on a toasted whole wheat bun. $7.95

before i even say that the food tastes good, check out those huge portions they give you for under $8! with the economy plummeting and food prices soaring, i challenge you to find a healthy vegan meal in a sit-down restaurant at a better value. on top of that, everything tasted incredible. the burrito was stuffed with the finest of fake meat, and the sour cream & guac garnishes were delicious. the burger was also tasty and hearty—the follow your heart cheese was even melted. how on earth did they accomplish that?

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as the summer rapidly approaches, it’s handy to have an arsenal of cool, refreshing meals that can be whipped up in less than 15 minutes. enter veganomicon and pete’s tofu to go.

veganomicon’s corn & edamame sesame salad, atop spinach leaves with asian dressing

pete’s tofu 2 go ready made tofu, with mango wasabi sauce (and we added in some chili garlic sauce as well)

so simple to make and ready in minutes, this was the perfect meal for a scorching hot evening spent sitting on the couch with a bottle of wine. there was just enough to satisfy without leaving us full, bloated and feeling guilty.

more pix after the jump…

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the vegan joint is definitely one of my favorite thai-inspired vegan restaurants with the word “vegan” in its name here in los angeles, and as you probably already know, there are SEVERAL. i usually steer clear of the various curries and noodle dishes (after all, if that’s what i want, i can always go to toi) and opt for salads, sandwiches, or wraps…all of which the vegan joint does quite well.

oriental tossed salad: romaine lettuce, napa cabbage, carrots, onion, garlic, shredded beets, cucumber, bean sprouts topped with mixed grilled shitake mushrooms, been noodles, tofu & seasoning. $6.95

seitan wrap: grilled seitan, avocado, lettuce, tomato and alfalfa sprouts in chapatti bread, served with tahini sauce. $5.95

blt sandwich: crumbled tempeh bacon, tomato and vegan cheese on bread slices. $3.95 (i substituted the cheese for avocado!)

the service is pretty hit-and-miss at the vegan joint, the atmosphere is kinda blah and the portions are small, but the food tastes great and it’s cheap as hell. if you wanna eat at an asian vegan place, i definitely recommend the joint. i’ve been pleased with everything i’ve tried on their menu.

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as many of you may know, i’m on a quest to eat the entire pure luck menu…one item at a time (with the exception of maybe one salad that really isn’t my style). sorry, no jackfruit carnitas in this post, but i promise to feature some next time.

avocado, chips and salsa: sliced ripe avocado and fresh pico de gallo salsa served with made-to-order tortilla chips. $3

pure luck césar rolls: avocado, tofu, onions and romaine lettuce rolled up in a flour tortilla, topped with our césar dressing. $5

césar salad with tofu: romaine lettuce with grilled tofu, sliced avocado, onions, croutons and lemon-garlic césar dressing. $8
(they forgot the avocado!)

in pure luck fashion, of course, all this food was amazing. the appetizer was hearty for 3 dollars, and the homemade chips were soooooo tasty. you can tell these weren’t from a bag—they were flour tortillas cut into triangles and cooked (fried probably, but i try not to think about that). i wish all restaurants would take a tip from pure luck and prepare their chips this way.

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on the way home from the airport after my trip to seattle, i decided to swing by m café to pick up something light and healthy—a salad, maybe, to make up for all the sinful vegan food i’d been enjoying over the past few days. i pulled up the m café menu on my mobile device and picked out what i thought would be a healthy salad. tons of vegetables and something called “tofu chevre”. i had no clue what that meant, but it had to be healthy, right? i’m pretty sure i was mistaken.

 
the bistro: organic mixed baby greens, slow-roasted beets, portobello confit, house-made tofu chevre, candied walnuts, red wine & shallot vinaigrette $10.95

the salad was pretty incredible, but i had no idea it would be covered in huge pieces of breaded and fried tofu! ugh, there went my healthy-dinner plan. of course the tofu was so delicious, i had to eat every last piece, despite its fat content.

i don’t know what m café does to their salads, but they are always flawless. the produce was top notch, and the red wine vinaigrette was a light, refreshing contrast to the heavy, filling tofu. a creamy dressing would have totally overpowered it, but as always, m café got it right.

oh, and for the record, i still think it’s better to get m café food to go (there was a huge line and tons of rude people when i picked up my food. it probably took about 15 minutes, even though my meal was pre-ordered)!

i promise to tell you when i decide to be brave and dine in again. 😉

P.S. doesn’t that picture of the salad in the take-away container look like a tofu ghost suffocating to death? or is it just me?

there’s nothing like a really great breakfast scramble, and seattle seems to do it best. cafe flora, in particular, offers up some amazing vegetable scrambles that can be veganized by changing out the eggs for tofu. they even come with a delectable piece of vegan coffee cake!

spinach scramble: scrambled tofu with organic baby spinach, leeks and caramelized onions with roasted potatoes and coffee cake $11

grilled asparagus scramble: scrambled tofu with fresh basil pesto and sundried tomatoes with roasted potatoes and coffee cake $11

cafe flora isn’t the typical kind of scrappy vegan-friendly restaurant i gravitate towards. it’s expensive, has a long list of complicated opening hours, and several different menus depending on the time of day. it’s actually only open for breakfast (or “brunch” as they call it) on saturday and sunday.

but when they serve the food you see pictured above, that tastes way better than it looks, it’s no surprise that cafe flora was completely full on sunday morning, within ten minutes of opening its doors.

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seattle is sooooo the land of wonderful vegan food. if only it had better weather and an industry in which i was employable, i’d surely move there. even without those things, it’s so tempting to leave my sunny so-cal atmosphere and job stability for the rainy pacific northwest—with its overabundance of meatless eateries and brew pubs where cask ale flows (that seem to be inevitably taken for granted by locals who’ve grown accustomed to such pleasures).

EXAMPLE: while in seattle, i stumble into a random hotel restaurant for some late-night eats, and the menu happens to brag about it’s vegetarian options. it doesn’t stop there—the friendly server knows all about the difference between vegetarianism and veganism, and assures me that i’ll be taken care of. even in liberal hollywood, i’ve not seen this type of vegan acknowledgement. sure there are some la omnivore establishments that cater specifically to my kind, but other than that, whenever i ask about animal stock in my entree, i’m greeted with a completely clueless dumfounded gaze…to the point at which i don’t even bother eating at places that aren’t specifically vegan-friendly, for the most part.

but in seattle, even in the confines of a hotel bar/restaurant, i still feel completely safe, and possibly even understood. for instance, dragonfish.

tofu veggie roll: tofu, cucumber, kaiware, avocado, cilantro, and yama gobo $8

dragonfish yakisoba: soba noodles tossed with vegetables and your choice of chicken or tofu $13

this food was bloody incredible. i’m talking “11pm, late night snack, hotel bar food”…not “6 pm, i sought this really cool vegan restaurant out, and wanted to try it food.”

yeah, this shit was on-point…and hassle-free for a passing hotel-diner vegan-customer like myself. the food itself tasted good, i trusted it, and it arrived in no time. what else could i possibly ask for when my meal was pushing midnite?

plus, i’d never even tried tofu sushi before. forget that lame, boring avocado & cucumber roll—finally some sushi i can identify with! my only guff with these rolls is that they may have spoiled me; hopefully i can continue to appreciate old school sushi from here on out.

yep, dragonfish totally brings it….especially for so little $$$$ in the late night hours. if you want a post-dinner snack in downtown, or if you are a vegan dining with picky omnivores, this is definitely a spot to add to your list.

long beach is great place to hang out in the spring. it’s got pleasant weather, tons of cool bars, a historic transatlantic relic, and now (i’ve finally found) the zephyr vegetarian cafe.

mf burger: homemade patty, tofutti cheese, sprouts, tomato, onion, romaine, mushrooms, avocado & vegan mayo

grilled tofu sandwich: tofu, grilled onion & mushrooms on toasted bread with vegan mayo $5

zephyr cafe is a funky little vegan paradise tucked in between the busy streets of downtown long beach.

the inexpensive fare, serene atmosphere, and all together tastyness of the food make zephyr a must on the list of places for vegans to hit-up when visiting the LBC.

i, myself, was very reticent to even try out the zephyr cafe. the immediate association with a red hot chili peppers song was enough to turn me off…not to mention the hippie vibes and lack of burritos on the menu. however, being in long beach overnight surrounded by chain restaurants and fish joints was enough to make me swallow my pride and give zephyr a chance…and boy, i’m sure glad i did!

i’ve heard a lot of complaints on reviewy type websites about the parking difficulties at zephyr cafe. well, i know from personal experience that those problems can be avoided by parking in the lot next to the rock bottom brewery just a short walk away. not only will you be able to park in downtown long beach for free, you’ll have time for a nice pint of cask ale before heading over to the organic-bottled-beer-only zephyr cafe. (i prefer to get my drinking done at a real bar and letting the nice vegan food soak up my drunkenness…rather than eating tons of lovely food with tasteless “healthy” beer—but suit yourself!)

now, more about the amazing food.

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