High Protein Vegan Breakfast Sandwich
Make this $16 Erewhon Sandwich for Just $5 at Home
Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes
This vegan breakfast sandwich is a copycat recipe inspired by the vegan breakfast sandwich served at Erewhon. Erewhon is the trendiest health food market in Los Angeles, famous for $20 smoothies, gourmet prepared foods, and eye-popping prices that make their recipes perfect for copycats.
A powerhouse of flavor and nutrition and packed with high-protein curried tofu this sandwich is perfect for a lazy weekend morning and filling enough to keep you satiated on a busy work day.
At Erewhon it costs $16 with tax but you can make it at home for just about $5 and I dare say the homemade version is even more delicious-plus you will have leftovers for a special treat during the week.
Ingredients
1 14-ounce block of tofu - use firm or extra firm tofu
1 tablespoon avocado oil
3 tablespoons soy milk or any unsweetened and unflavored plant based milk
1/2 tablespoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1&1/2 teaspoons paprika (smoked)
1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup of hot water
2 cups of raw spinach
4-6 slices of tempeh bacon (see notes and adjustments below)
Sliced tomatoes (optional but recommended)
2-4 English muffins
Instructions
Drain the water from the tofu container and lay the block of tofu so it is laying on the widest part of the tofu. Cut the tofu into 3 equal size portions and press in a tofu press to remove excess water. (See Notes and Adjustments if you don’t have a tofu press.) Let the tofu press for about 20 minutes.
While the tofu is pressing mix together your tofu marinade by combining the following ingredients in a bowl and mixing together until well combined:
1 tablespoon of avocado oil
3 tablespoons soy milk or any unsweetened and unflavored plant based milk
1/2 tablespoon Turmeric
1 teaspoon chili powder
1&1/2 teaspoons paprika (smoked)
1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
1/4 cup of hot water
Remove the tofu from the press and cut into equal sized cutlets about 1/4 inch thick, one block of tofu should make about 7-8 cutlets
Put the tofu cutlets in a shallow container and pour the marinade over them. Be sure all the cutlets are coated, you can flip them occasionally to be sure they are well coated.
Let them sit in the marinade for at least 20 minutes, they can sit for up to several hours. The longer the tofu marinates the better the flavor, but cooking the tofu in the marinade as instructed in this recipe will also help the tofu absorb the marinade.
Spray a saute pan with cooking oil spray- I use avocado oil spray and turn the heat to medium low
Place tofu cutlets in the saute pan and cover with the marinade. If the tofu has marinated for several hours you don’t need to cook it in the marinade you can just cook them for a few minutes on each side to crisp up the tofu a bit. (see notes and adjustments)
Let the tofu cook over low to medium heat in the liquid marinade for about 10 minutes - it will absorb some of the marinade, be sure to flip the cutlets occasionally.
After about 10 minutes you can turn the tofu off and remove them from the pan, be sure to scrape off any thick or extra marinade (see notes and adjustments)
While the tofu is cooking, in another pan, cook up the tempeh bacon according to package directions, after about 2 minutes on each side it will become crispy. Once it is crispy remove it from the pan.
Tear the spinach leaves in half with your hands and add to the same pan you cooked the bacon in (this saves dishes!) with a small amount of water(1/8 cup). Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder and let it wilt down, this will happen quickly, it should take about 2-3 minutes.
Put it all together!
Cut an English muffin in half, toasting is optional
Lay down two pieces of tofu on the bottom of the English muffin
Top the tofu with wilted spinach
Cut 2 strips of tempeh bacon in half and place them on top of the spinach
Top with thinly chopped tomatoes
Place the top of the English muffin on top to finish it off
Enjoy!
Notes and Adjustments:
I use Lightlife Tempeh Bacon for this recipe, however if you want to make your own tempeh bacon this is a great substitution recipe
If you don’t have a tofu press you can place the block of tofu on a large plate and put another large plate on top of the block. Then put a heavy book or a few canned goods on top of the top plate. The weight will press the liquid out of the tofu. I didn’t have a tofu press for years, but now I would never go back to pressing the old way. I have linked a very economical tofu press below.
In general the longer you marinate tofu, the better the flavor. Cooking tofu in the marinade will help it absorb the flavor but if you do cook the tofu in the marinade be sure to scrape the extra marinade off before serving as the tumeric in the marinade, when thickened, can make it bitter.
https://amzn.to/42a9JcT Easy to use and inexpensive tofu press
https://amzn.to/4lOgsAf My favorite pan of all time - All Clad Cookware is worth the price.
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