No, this is not a hilarious dance performed by the natives to this continent--it's a tofu scramble made with local ingredients, namely wild rice and acorn squash. I like to imagine this as the Thanksgiving Breakfast, pilgrims and natives alike feasting cruelty-free on tofu and native crops. No one gave anyone smallpox and everyone lived happily ever after. The end. Manifest Destiny only required that the food was delicious.

We made this for a brunch this morning (well, this afternoon). This being the Year of the Brunch, it's been a real challenge to make a sufficient variety of breakfast foods without (a) repeating ourselves and (b) overlapping with what others are making. Remember that brunch where you all made potatoes?

This was inspired by a scramble we had some time back at Seva, a local vegetarian restaurant. It's a little labor intensive for your usual breakfast, so it's more ideal for a brunch-type scenario. Accordingly, this recipe is for a double batch--so be sure to halve everything if you're only feeding a few people and/or don't want a ton of leftovers.

Indigenous Scramble

  • 2 medium-sized white onions, diced
  • 2 lbs of tofu, drained
  • 1/2 medium - large acorn squash
  • 1 cup (uncooked) wild rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp herbs d'provence
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • high heat cooking oil

Preheat your over to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the acorn squash in half and place on baking sheet in a small drizzle of high heat cooking oil (like Safflower). Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, until you can remove the skin, but the squash is still solid enough to cut into pieces. Don't worry too much about overcooking it--it'll still be awesome, but you'll lose a little something in texture.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized saucepan, heat 1 tbsp cooking oil over high heat. Add in the wild rice, tossing, and cook for about 3 minutes. Add in the water, bring to boil, then reduce heat and cover, cooking until the water is gone and the rice is done.

Meanmeanwhile, saute the onion in oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the onions are soft, add in the tofu, crumbling. Now add in the nu yeast and the turmeric. When the squash is done, peel the skin off and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Add it to the tofu. When the rice is done, add that too, Finally, add in the spices, salt, and pepper. Mix it up. Eat it up.