Before I decided to go vegan, one of my favourite quick ‘n easy meals was scrambled eggs on toast. I loved this when I was a kid and loved it just as much when I was a broke grad student. Quick, cheap, and yummy.

Of course, now that I have learned all the reasons why eating eggs is a terrible idea, scrambled eggs are no longer a part of my diet. I’ve found a scrambled tofu recipe that I like, but I didn’t ever see it as a substitute. Scrambled eggs and scrambled tofu are two pretty different things. Until now.

Enter The Vegg, “the world’s first vegan fried egg.” When I first heard about this I will admit that I didn’t know what to make of it. I am totally repulsed by eggs now (once you learn about the horrors of egg production it is pretty hard to unlearn), but the ability to create vegan versions of different meals fascinates me. Plus, once I found out that some of the proceeds of the sale of The Vegg goes to Compassion Over Killing I decided I had to give it a try! I ordered 3 packages from Vegan Essentials, but have now learned that Karmavore carries The Vegg–nice to have a Canadian option.

I’ve been reading some of the ways in which people have been using the Vegg. All kinds of interesting recipes starting to surface! (by the way, there is even a recipe contest!) I thought I’d start with just some straight-forward scrambled veggs to get a feel for how this stuff works.

Step 1

-put 3 teaspoons of The Vegg + 1 cup of water in the blender. Blend until well mixed.

Step 2

-put a little oil in a skillet and crumble in one 8oz. package of firm tofu. Cook for a few minutes, until the tofu pieces start turning a bit golden brown.

Step 3

-pour The Vegg mixture over the tofu and continue to cook. The liquid will start to reduce after you’ve been cooking it for a few minutes and the “veggs” will thicken up. Cook until it has reached the desired consistency.

And that’s it! Season, serve with toast, tomatoes, etc.

The scrambled veggs were pretty amazing–delicious and very similar to what I remember scrambled eggs being like (it has been a while!). We are already thinking of other ways to try out new new product. Next up will be french toast, I think!

*UPDATE: I threw the leftover scrambled “veggs” in a whole wheat tortilla with some salsa and some cheddar-style Daiya. Simply delicious!

The latest issue of VegNews arrived a few days ago. When VegNews shows up in my mailbox I drop everything and read it from cover to cover.

This month’s issue had a recipe for “Cheesy Twice-Baked Potatoes,” and we just couldn’t resist. This may be the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. No joke. Don’t be put off by the number of steps–this is totally worth it!

for the baked potatoes
-8 large russet potatoes, scrubbed
-2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
-1 teaspoon salt

for the cheese sauce
-1/3 c. vegan margarine
-1/4 c. chopped onion
-1 cup chopped potatoes, peeled
-1/4 cup chopped carrots
-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
-1 teaspoon smoked paprika
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 cup of water
-1/4 c. raw cashews
-1/8 teaspoon Dijon mustard
-1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

for the sour cream
-1 c. raw cashews
-1 c. water
-2 tablespoons miso
-4 teaspoons white wine vinegar

for the mashed potato filling
-1/4 c. vegan margarine
-3/4 c. unsweetened non-dairy milk
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for garnish
-6 scallions, thinly sliced, divided

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a sheet pan, place potatoes and rub with 1 tablespoon oil and salt. Pierce each potato several times with a fork. Bake for 70 minutes until soft.
2. For the cheese sauce, in a sauté pan over medium heat, add margarine and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots, garlic, paprika, and salt and sauté for 5 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Cover pan and simmer for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are very soft. In a dry blender, process cashews into a fine powder. Add mustard, lemon juice, and potato mixture. Process until cheese sauce is smooth and set aside.
3. For the cashew sour cream, in a blender or food processor, blend cashews, water, miso, and vinegar until completely smooth.
4. Remove baked potatoes from the oven and cut in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out potato from skins, leaving 1/4-inch layer of potato. Brush potato shells with remaining olive oil and return to preheated oven for 15 minutes.
5. For the mashed potato filling, in a medium bowl mash potato filling with margarine, milk, salt and pepper. Fold in half of the cheese sauce, half of the sour cream and half of the scallions. Fill each baked potato skin with mixture. Top with a dollop of cheese sauce and sour cream. Garnish with remaining scallions and pepper if desired.
6. Bake loaded potato skins for 15 minutes, until thoroughly heated and tops are browned. Serve warm.