Tofu MarkMuffins

Occasionally you have to scratch the unhealthy itch. Today, that itch was Egg McMuffins(tm). Well, my 10-year old conception of what an Egg McMuffin might be like. I guess, the itch was the word “McMuffin”. Because I wanted to use the word “MarkMuffin”.

Now, this is a fairly easy itch to scratch–if you don’t mind using store-bought processed fakin. However: Amy found an awesome recipe on VegWeb for tofu fakin, so today was the day to rock it.

The Fakin Part

• 1 lb extra firm tofu
• soy sauce/tamari/shoyu/braggs
• my new best friend (aka Liquid Smoke(tm))
• maple syrup (optional)
• nutrional yeast

Cut the tofu down to about an inch thick (or as thick as your peeler will allow). Shave it into thin slices with a vegetable peeler. This is the magic step. You cannot substitute or change this step in any way. Unless you want terrible fakin. In a large, flat container of some sort, pour enough soy sauce to cover the bottom. If the pan is about 6″ x 9″, you’ll want to then add about 1.5 tsp of Liquid Smoke, 1 tbsp of nu yeast, and 1 tsp of maple syrup (I think I prefer it without this, but some folks like a tinge of sweetness in their fakin). The amounts will all go up if you’re using a larger container, obviously.

Toss as many slices of fakin as will cover the bottom of the pan. Swish the marinade over the top. Let these sit for at least 10 minutes, then fry them in a small amount of oil over low medium heat. This will depend on your pan, but if you cook at too high a heat, you’ll get crisp edges but slightly soft fakin–and most people want this crisp. Cook until it’s crisp.

Rinse, wash, repeat. Lather.

You can do this with several containers or use a lot more liquid if you want to speed the process up.

The “Egg” Part

• 1 slice of tofu, about 1/4″ thick, and 2 – 3 inches square
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• nu yeast
• salt
• pepper

Fry up the tofu in a bit of oil in a pan over medium heat. Sprinkle on sundry powders/granules. When the tofu starts to brown on the bottom, flip and sprinkle the other side with powdery sundries. When the part that was the top but is now the bottom starts to brown, it’s done.

The Preparation

Toast an english muffin (ideally Rudy’s) and slather with Earth Balance. Pop on the “egg,” then the fakin, then the top muffin. Outstanding!