Baked Sweet Potatoes with Tofu Scramble
I sometimes find that Friday’s are a kind of culinary conundrum. The long week is behind me and I’m ready to celebrate with a special meal, but I’m too tired to spend hours in the kitchen. Just the thought of slaving over a hot stove makes me cast lustful glances at the take-out menus on our counter, and for the love of God, do not show me a recipe that calls for more than three finely diced ingredients. I don’t have the brain-power for that sort of knife work.
Over the past couple years, evenings like this have inspired me to collect recipes heavy on the flavor, yet light on the prep work. They vary in the amount of time it takes to get from start to finish, but since it’s Friday and I don’t have to get up at 5:40am the next day, I’m happy to invest a bit of (unsupervised) time in the creation of a soul-satisfying meal. The recipes in this post exemplify the characteristics of one of these suppers, with a total of 5 minutes active-work going into the sweet potatoes and about 15 minutes going into the tofu scramble (not counting pressing time, see recipe below). That’s the kind of kitchen work I like at the end of a busy week!
Now before you start thinking, “Sweet potatoes? Tofu? As in the marshmallow mush I’m served at Thanksgiving and bean curd?”, hear me out. Having been raised in a steak and potatoes (Idaho potatoes, mind you) household I understand how any naysayers among you may be feeling. There was a time when no amount of cajoling could get me to eat either of these food items, and to this day I cannot convince my carnivorous brother that tofu can actually taste good. But believe me, it can, it really can, and sweet potatoes can be so much more than that saccharine sweet casserole foisted upon Thanksgiving diners.* Pan-seared tofu ‘steaks’ with chimichurri sauce and Mexican rice, chipotle mashed sweet potatoes, sweet potato fries – these are just a few of the possibilities. Don’t underestimate the power of tofu to assimilate your desired flavors, or the ability of sweet potatoes to satisfy with the barest of efforts. 
Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, protein, foliate, vitamin A (six times the recommended daily dose), have more dietary fiber than a bowl of oatmeal, and have twenty-three times as much beta-carotene as broccoli. They are the roots of a vine in the morning glory family and were among the culinary discoveries that Christopher Columbus brought back to Spain in 1493. According to Alton Brown, Henry VIII absolutely adored them – he had his first taste in the form of sweet potato pie and believed the tubers were an aphrodisiac. The king knew them as just “potatoes,” and across Europe the root was enjoyed under this appellation for over a hundred years. The word “sweet” was eventually appended to their name when Irish immigrants began bringing white potatoes to North America.
If you buy organically grown sweet potatoes then you can eat both the flesh and the skin, which is especially satisfying with a bit of sea or river salt. Baked sweet potato goes remarkably well with the cumin & turmeric spiced scramble recipe featured here, though if you’re looking for a super-quick weeknight meal the scramble is great on its own. On a Monday night when I don’t want to wait for the sweet potato to bake, I’ll often whip it up then serve the scramble hot, in whole wheat tortillas with some Mexican cheese and hot sauce.
*As you can no doubt tell, I’m not a huge fan of sweet potato casserole with marshmallows. I know this is very un-American of me, but what can I do? Alas, the trauma of past casserole experiences prevents me from exploring this topic further.
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients: Serves 2-3
- 2-3 medium sized sweet potatoes, all approximately the same size
- Olive oil
- Sea or river salt (optional)
- Butter (optional)
Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack of your oven and preheat to 410 degrees F. Tear off two large sheets of aluminum foil. Scrub the potatoes clean.
Pour about 1 teaspoon of olive oil in your hands, then rub onto one potato and tightly wrap in aluminum foil. Repeat for the other sweet potatoes. Make sure the seam of the aluminum foil is closed.
Place the wrapped potatoes directly onto the middle rack of your oven, seam side up. (The baking sheet is there to catch any juices that may escape the pouch during baking.) Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife passes through the center of each potato smoothly. I generally bake my potatoes for about 1 hour 15min. If your potatoes are noticeably different in size, then you may have to bake the larger one for slightly longer.
Using tongs or kitchen mitts, remove the potatoes from the oven. Test for doneness. Slice down the center, then across the width, creating a cross-hatch pattern. Gently peel back the skin, then slightly mash the insides with a fork. Top with about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle with sea or river salt.
Tofu Scramble
Adapted from The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen, by Peter Berley
Ingredients: Serves 2-3
- 3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 2 plump garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 pound firm tofu, pressed to remove excess moisture, and patted dry
- 1 large, ripe tomato, seeded and chopped
- Coarse sea salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Before you begin: 30 minutes before you plan to start cooking, remove the tofu from its container. Put on a large plate, on top of a thick stack of paper towels. Put more paper towels on top of the tofu, then place something moderately heavy on top of it to press out the liquid. I generally prefer a 24-oz can of diced tomatoes, or something like that.
Then: In a wide, heavy skillet over medium heat,warm the oil. Add the onion and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, pine nuts, red pepper flakes, and turmeric and saute for 2 minutes.
Place the tofu in a bowl and mash. (You can also just crumble the tofu into the skillet using your hands. I imagine children will prefer this method! I do too, actually…) Add the mashed tofu, tomato, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and lime juice to the skillet. Raise the heat and simmer, for 5 minutes to heat through and allow some of the moisture to evaporate.
Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot, with baked sweet potatoes if you wish.
29 Responses to “Baked Sweet Potatoes with Tofu Scramble”
Recent Posts
Hooray for sweet potatoes and tofu! I think that tofu especially needs louder and bolder cheerleaders. You could be the captain of the squad.
beastmomma’s last blog post -> Here and There
Oooh, sweet potatoes sound so good in this!
Sarah’s last blog post -> Chicken Waldorf Salad, Peach Streusel Coffee Cake, and a German Pancake
the sweet potatoes we have here are either purple or yellow, these orange ones look delicious!
kat’s last blog post -> foodie tuesday
Looks delicious. I’ve made your chipotle mashed sweet potatoes and they were a huge success. Now, I’m sure to try out this tofu scramble and sweet potato.
This is lot’s of work. Looks so good.
Hélène’s last blog post -> Enjoying a nice snack & sharing Tourtière recipe
Hi Ari,
What a great dish to make. I love sweet potatoes and tofu, just today I made a cauliflower-sweet potato cream soup. Yummy
I’m with you, Friday dinner should be easy. With a little one, I try to make every meal n easy, fast and nutritious 
I hope to start blogging again soon with some of my recipes…. but I have been hoping for that for a while. I miss it.
Take care,
M.
An interesting recipe! That dish looks delicious!
Cheers,
Rosa
Rosa’s last blog post -> CINNAMON APRICOT FLAN TART
beastmomma – Tofu certainly gets a bum rap! I suppose it’s not surprising because if it’s cooked badly tofu’s not the best dish, but when it’s cooked properly? Mmm mmm.
Sarah – Glad you like it.
kat – Oooh, purple sweet potatoes! I think we need to do a potato exchange, lol.
RuthL – Hope you like it!
Hélène – It’s actually not very much work at all, in fact, I think this is one of the least labor intensive posts I’ve ever written! The potato does take a bit to bake, but since when was wrapping a tuber in tin foil a lot of work?
Monika Korngut – Your soup sounds delicious, I hope you share it with us once you start blogging again. I can understand why you miss it, blogging sort of becomes part of your life .
Rosa – Thanks!
i don’t discriminate when it comes to potatoes, but i do prefer a baked sweet potato to your regular ol’ white. this looks like a wonderful meal.
grace’s last blog post -> "the status is NOT quo…
My parents love to eat baked sweet potatoes for breakfast. They add a little brown sugar and some butter and they are fabulous!
I love sweet potatoes and I often eat them with tofu! I hate how long sweet potatoes take to bake though. I was making tofu scrambles for a while before but I need to try again and add more flavour.
Ashley’s last blog post -> Onion Chutney: The Most Delicious Condiment That You Didn’t Know You Were Missing
I absolutely adore sweet potatoes, especially at thanksgiving! I could eat them every night, though I will cook up some canned yams with some butter, sugar and cinnamon if I just can’t bear waiting an hour+ to bake fresh ones.
The scramble sounds good though (never really been a tofu eater), so I’ll have to try it.
I’ve just recently – in probably the past year – discovered my love for sweet potatoes. I always thought I hated them growing up. And although I’ve never had tofu, this is enough to convince me to try it!
As someone who LOOOOVES sweet potatoes, I can’t even BEGIN to tell you how enticing your food photograph looks (and how delicious the recipe sounds) – YUM!!
Thank you for your kind comment on my blog as well :0)
VeggieGirl’s last blog post -> Red, White, and… Yellow?
I have Berley’s book but haven’t used it yet – you’ve inspired me!
I love sweet potatoes! And over here we have a variety
But simply baked like this is always awesome!
I am an everything-eater…so meat, sweet potatoes, fish, tofu, oatmeal…all welcome!
Tofu is great…I don’t even think of it as a replacement for meat or as a health food…it’s just another yummy thing for me 
joey’s last blog post -> Breakfast #22: Risotto Patty with Prosciutto and Egg and Pesto
I love a good sweet potato anytime of year.
peabody’s last blog post -> Rejects of the World Unite….
Two of my favorite things – baked sweet potato and scrambled tofu – yum!!! I love the cumin, tomatoes and lime in the tofu. I’ll have to try this combo!
CookiePie’s last blog post -> Healthy chocolate cake?
Thanks for the note on my blog!
I agree that more people should give tofu a chance! And sweet potatoes are one of my favorite foods! That meal looks delicious!
I love your blog!
Katy’s last blog post -> Tasty Tofu Tidbits
Thank you for your lovley compliment on my site about my video blog!
That looks like the best Friday night dinner ever! I loved baked sweet taters, and tofu scramble is always a good idea!
Shellyfish’s last blog post -> Thoughtful Fridays
Ari, I gave you and your blog a little award. Pass it along?
)
Tarie’s last blog post -> Brillante Weblog Premio – 2008
i was so delighted and surprised that you came across my blog! because i confess i’ve been admiring your site from afar for quite a long time!! you have the most beautiful photos and delicious sounding recipes.
mi’s last blog post -> banana sandwich
You have a beautiful blog! Great photos, creative recipes – you’re such an inspiration
Yum! I have no phobias of either sweet potatoes or tofu, so this looks great. I sometimes take a sweet potato to work and microwave it for lunch.
Kitt’s last blog post -> Homemade goat-milk ricotta
I have never thought of this combo but it look delicious! I make tofu scrambles a lot so I will have to give this a try =)
Shelby’s last blog post -> More Carrots?! Yep.
Grace – I don’t discriminate either, but I agree with you: sweet potatoes are among my favorites! I love how they have so many good things for you.
Darlene – Mmmm, that sounds like a delicious combo.
Ashley – Hurray for tofu & sweet potato! I know, I wish the potatoes cooked more quickly, but what can you do? At least you don’t have to be actively be doing anything with them,but can read a book or watch tv while they’re baking.
Emily – Canned yams with butter, sugar and cinnamon? That sounds like a quick and yummy dish! Give the tofu a try, you may just surprise yourself and come out a tofu lover.
Deborah – I was the same way: I only discovered how much I liked sweet potatoes as an adult. But better late than never! I hope you try to tofu scramble, it’s really delicious and so healthy.
VeggieGirl – Thank you! I was so happy to discover your blog the other day, I really love it.
Madam Chow – Oh you have to try that book, he has a lot of great recipes in there.
Joey – Sometimes simplicity is the best way to go, I wish I had the variety you do!
Peabody – Me too.
CookiePie – I hope you do and that you like it!
Katy – My pleasure, I enjoyed visiting your corner of the blogosphere. Thank you for your kind comment about my site!
Leslie – My pleasure! I’m always impressed by people who have great camera presence.
Shellyfish – Thanks! I’m glad you liked the dinner idea.
Tarie – Aw, you are so sweet Tarie, thank you.
Mi – How funny is that? I wish you had commented before, I would have known about your blog sooner! I look forward to visiting you again and thank you for the kind words about my site.
Katie – Thank you! What a kind thing to say. *hugs*
Kitt – That is such an awesome work lunch idea. Healthy, delicious and so satisfying!
Shelby – Thanks! I hope you like the scramble.