Several years ago, when I was out of town at a health coaching conference, I ordered a tofu scramble for breakfast at the restaurant near my hotel.

I was not impressed. It was yellow like eggs, but the taste was bland and the texture mushy. Not like eggs at all.

I continued to ignore the tofu scramble recipes I came across, until the day my mom started raving about them.

My mom is a good cook. And a die-hard egg eater. If she said that a tofu scramble was delicious, then I really had to give it another try.

So I opened the PlantPure Nation Cookbook and made the Green Pepper Tofu Scramble. As I prepared it I realized the secret to transforming tofu – a blank slate, really – into scrambled perfection was seasoning. And lots of it.

Later I made the No Huevos Rancheros scramble from The Starch Solution. I loved the Southwest spin.

I also learned a trick to make it taste more like eggs: Use the sulfurous Indian Himalayan black salt, kala namak. I bought mine on Amazon.

So this whole food, plant-based recipe is my version of a tofu scramble, inspired by the recipes I’ve learned from, and the suggestions of others.

Swapping out scrambled eggs for scrambled tofu brings a host of health benefits. Scroll down to get the “low down.”

Tofu Health Benefits Compared to Eggs

Heart Healthy: Eating tofu (plant protein) instead of eggs (animal protein) lowers LDL cholesterol and decreases the risk of atherosclerosis and hypertension.

(A byproduct of choline, high in eggs, increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and death.)

Anti-Cancer: The main isoflavone in soy is genistein, which inhibits cancer cell growth. Regular whole soy intake may decrease breast cancer recurrence.

(Whereas just 1.5 eggs per week is associated with 5X colon cancer risk, and even moderate egg consumption is associated with bladder cancer.)

Diabetic-Friendly: Those who consume only plant-based soy protein excrete less protein in their urine, causing less kidney damage.

(A study showed that the risk of death for participants with diabetes who ate seven or more eggs per week was twice as high as for those who consumed the least amount of eggs.)

Bone Building: Worried about osteoporosis after menopause? Soy isoflavones decrease bone loss and increase bone mineral density. Tofu provides 44% of your daily calcium need.

Think you need eggs to keep you full until lunch? Have no fear. A half-cup serving of tofu provides 10 grams of protein, plenty to keep you satisfied for hours. It also supplies 40% of your daily iron and 9% of your magnesium. In only 94 calories!

Ready to dig in?

Tofu Scramble Rancheros

Serves 4

2 cans pinto beans, drained with liquid reserved
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. salt (use Indian black salt, kala namak, if you have it)

1 (14-16oz) package firm or extra firm tofu, drained
1/3 cup chopped green onion
½ cup chopped green bell pepper
½ large jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (optional)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos
1-2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
¼ tsp. ground turmeric

8 small corn tortillas

Salsa (optional)

To make the beans, in a medium bowl, combine the drained pinto beans with the cumin, onion powder, chili powder and salt. Add some of the liquid reserved from the can, and mash with a fork, leaving some beans whole for texture. Set aside.

To a skillet on medium heat, add the green onions, bell pepper and jalapeno and sauté with water or vegetable broth until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, nutritional yeast and turmeric, stir. Crumble the tofu into the skillet, then stir to combine and cook until hot.

To assemble, place a warmed corn tortilla on a plate and top with ¼ cup of beans. Place another tortilla on top of the beans, and top with another quarter cup of beans and ¼ of the tofu scramble. Add a tablespoon of fresh salsa if desired.

Please post any questions in the comments below.