Venezuelan inspired tofu scramble stuffed inside warm arepas. Perfect for breakfast or brunch!
When I was planning my editorial calendar for February, I was having a little trouble coming up with new recipe ideas. Whenever I am lacking in ideas, I ask Hector what he thinks. Usually, he says I have no idea; I'm not good at thinking of recipes. This time I rephrased the question and asked him if he thought that the blog was lacking in general recipes categories like breakfast, entrees, desserts, etc. He said you need more breakfast recipes.
He was right. I have a few breakfast recipes on the site but clearly not enough. I thought about it for a few days then the idea for Vegan Breakfast Arepas came to me.
On the weekend, I like to make arepas for brunch. I usually stuff them with simple fillings like black beans and avocado. Hector prefers his with lots of vegan cream cheese. I remembered one time when I was over at my friend Angie's house, she told me about Perico Venezolano: a popular Venezuelan breakfast recipe that has scrambled eggs with onions, tomatoes and bell peppers.
I thought that a vegan tofu scramble inspired by Perico Venezolano would make a delicious and satisfying vegan breakfast option. The tofu scramble and arepas can be made at the same time. I like to start the tofu scramble and then cooking the arepas. If the tofu scramble is done way before the arepas, just reheat the scramble.
What makes this tofu scramble unique is the achiote oil that I shared earlier this week. The achiote oil infuses an earthy flavor to the tofu. Plus, it gives the tofu a beautiful reddish/orange color.
For serving, open up the warm arepas and stuff with the tofu scramble and any optional filling. I love adding avocado slices and some chopped cilantro.
These Vegan Breakfast Arepas are:
Filling
Satisfying
Packed with protein
Perfect for breakfast
or a weekend brunch
Vegan Breakfast Arepas
Venezuelan inspired tofu scramble stuffed inside warm arepas. Perfect for breakfast or brunch! The tofu scramble and arepas can be cooked at the same. I like to start the tofu scramble first and then cook the arepas.
Ingredients
For the tofu scramble:
- 2 Tablespoons Achiote Oil
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
- 1 Bell Pepper, diced {green, red, or orange}
- 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 14 ounce Package Soft Tofu, drained
- 2 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and diced
- ¼ Cup Vegetable Broth
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
- 2-3 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
For Arepas
- 2 Cups P.A.N Harina
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2¼ Cups Warm Water
- Additional water if needed
- Vegetable Oil
Instructions
For the tofu scramble:
- In a large, deep skillet heat oil over medium heat and add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook for 10-12 minutes until soft. Crumble the tofu into the pan and add tomatoes, vegetable broth, and salt. Increase heat and bring liquid to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium.
- Cook the tofu, stirring occasionally for 20-22 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
- Add in nutritional yeast and lime juice. Taste and add more salt or lime juice if desired. Turn off the heat.
For the arepas:
- In a mixing bowl, add the P.A.N. Harina and salt. Mix together. Stir in the warm water and knead the dough with your hands until it comes together. You want the dough to be really moist. If it starts to crack, add in a little of the additional water as needed. Squeeze out any lumps that might have formed in the dough. If the dough is too moist, add in a tiny bit of more flour. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
- Divided the dough into 6 equal portions. Roll each dough portion into a ball. Then form the dough ball into a patty that is apart 3 to 4 inches in diameter by using the palms of your hands. If the dough is drying out and cracking when you roll it, add a little warm water to your hands before forming the disks.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Lightly oil a large skillet over medium heat. Let the skillet get hot before adding the arepa dough. In batches, add the formed arepas disks to the skillet. Cook each arepa about 4-6 minutes on each side, or until they start to get light brown spots. Transfer to the baking sheet.
- Once all the arepas have been browned in the skillet and transfered to the baking sheet, place in the oven and cook for 14-18 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time. They will finishing cooking in the oven. When they are done, the outer part will sound hard and hallow when tapped with your hand. They should also be a nice golden brown color. Remove from the oven.
- Let cool a few minutes before handling. Carefully slice the arepas ¾ way through, creating a pocket. Fill them with the tofu filling. Serve right away!
You can find the recipe for the achiote oil here.
P.A.N Harina can be found at your local Latin grocery store or online.
Xo Jeni
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