Recipe Tue Aug 07 2007

Blueberry Picking's Pancakes with Tofu Scram

I love the way steamy blueberries burst open from hot pancakes as you break off pieces to eat. It feels even better after using berries you picked for yourself. My pal Rose drove us to Billy Boy's Blueberry Barn in Michigan City, Indiana, on comfortable and humble back roads to avoid the daily interstate congestion. Much of a blueberry plant's fruit is easily picked within an arm's length, making it something to look forward to when you're crawling around picking strawberries inches from the ground earlier in the year.

My Daddy-O loves blueberries and he's a big fan of pancakes, too. He and my Mom came by for making blueberry pancakes with tofu scramble. For a change, I've switched the basic pancake recipe I've used before to whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose. If you're not fond of a heavy whole wheat taste, the berries help distract from it. I changed soy yogurt to 1 tablespoon tapioca flour because I didn't have any, something you could just as easily omit but tapioca makes for a pleasant slightly springy texture. You can very finely grind tapioca flour yourself from tapioca pearls using a clean coffee grinder.

Blueberry Pancakes
1 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
1+1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon tapioca flour or Ener-G egg replacer (optional)
3/4 cup soy milk (plus extra if needed to make an ever so slightly runny batter)
3/4 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
oil for the pan

Follow the pancake instructions from before, gently folding in your blueberries at the very end.

Savory Tofu Scramble
1 pound firm water-packed tofu (preferably locally made organic, like Mu Tofu)
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon dark sesame seed oil
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce, low salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 dashes of turmeric powder (for a yellow tint)
oil to coat pan

Drain the tofu and give it a good squeeze. In a bowl, combine all other ingredients, including the 3 tablespoons of water, which will make the sauce easier to mix the tofu into. Next, break hand-size pieces from the block of tofu and squeeze over the bowl of sauce until your handful crumbles through your fingers and into your bowl below. Mix well and sauté in a hot, oiled pan on medium-low heat. Give it a good stir every few minutes. Cook until it looks a bit dry. For a slightly browned tofu, use more oil - a few good glugs of it - and cook over medium heat while stirring more frequently.

Blueberry pancakes

Tofu scramble

— Chris Brunn / Comments (2)