Making the most of tofu

I get stir crazy in the winter. November and December are okay because I can focus on holiday decorating and feasting, but January is just cold. This year, we went to Cinnamon Bay, returning just in time for February, my favorite month. It's bookended with Alex's and my birthdays, nestling Valentine's Day in the middle. But that said, sometimes I have to spice up the cold, seemingly endless winter days to make it to February, and then to see myself through to the first crocuses in March.

So I made ground "beef" tacos.

Which I turned into scrambled tofu two days later.

And led to the perfect holed-up-in-the-cold game, Scrabble. Check out my hand!

Ground "Beef" Tacos with Guacamole

1 block of medium-firm tofu, drained

3 gloves garlic, as you like it, minced

Tsp or so of each: cumin (for a meaty flavor), turmeric (for the color), curry powder (for spice), cayenne pepper (for fire), and hot sauce or red pepper flakes (if it ain't hot enough)

Soy sauce or Bragg's liquid amino acids

1. Heat a large skillet on med-hi and add the tofu (no oil needed, I found). Spritz the tofu with the Bragg's or soy sauce and mash it with a potato masher. This gives it the crumbled texture of ground meat and works much faster than a fork.

2. Add the spices and garlic, to your taste, and just mash them all together until you like the flavors. More soy sauce may be needed to moisten the tofu and deepen the color.

3. Pile onto a hard corn tortilla with salsa, cheese, and homemade guacamole.

Never-fail Guacamole

The amounts of each ingredient may vary, depending on the size and flavor of your avocado, but these are my approximate ratios. I am a guac purist, so I only add these four ingredients, although you can try adding onions, cilantro, salsa, smoked paprika, etc for a different effect.

1 Haas avocado, ripened (indents when you press the skin)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 a fresh lime, juiced over the avocado

Salt to taste

I just halve the avocado and score it so it's already broken up when I scoop it into the mixing bowl. Then I add the lime to keep it from turning brown (the acidity blocks the oxidization), and then toss in the garlic. After mixing this up, taste to see if you need more lime juice or garlic, and then add the salt. Every drop of this that I have ever made was consumed within one sitting, hence the name.

Scrambled Tofu

To convert my ground "beef" leftovers for a brunch-ready meal, I just tweaked a few things and got rave reviews from the coffee table.

Mashed, seasoned tofu (see above)

1 yellow onion, diced

Leftover roasted potatoes (I just sliced them up for rustic homefries)

Turmeric

Saute onions in EVOO. Add the potatoes and tofu. Season as desired and serve piping hot.

Happy February!