Tofu Scramble - Why does everyone alway put turmeric in it?

I love tofu scramble, but if you look at a dozen recipes for it, ten of them will probably use turmeric. As far as I can tell, the turmeric is just to add a yellow color in order to make the tofu look more like scrambled eggs - it certainly doesn’t add anything to the flavor, and actually detracts from an otherwise yummy dish in my opinion. To be honest, the sight (much less smell) of scrambled eggs makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little, so I can’t understand why anyone would want to make yummy tofu look like something so disgusting. I’ve tried several of the better known recipes out there, but I find I do my best cooking on the fly (except for baking - I always stick fairly close to the base recipe when baking). So here’s my favorite way to make tofu scramble, with a decidedly tex-mex flavor:

- Saute onion, fresh garlic and diced new potatoes in olive oil (or vegetable stock, if trying to reduce fat) until the potatoes are about half done.
        
- Add sliced mushroom - I prefer baby portobellos - and saute until the mushrooms are almost done.

- Add two Field Roast Chipotle links (or a milder sausage if you’re not into the spice), sliced into small bite-size pieces, and saute until the sausage is warm through.

- Crumble one package of drained extra-firm tofu into the skillet.

- Add your favorite salsa, starting with about one third cup, and adding more if you like. At this point the mix will be fairly wet, but it will cook down fairly quickly.

- Next add your spices (see below) and about a half a cup of nutritional yeast.

- For spices, I like to add black pepper, garlic salt, cumin, and smoked paprika. I couldn’t tell you the exact amounts if I tried, but if you absolutely need quantities, try starting with 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp garlic salt, and 2 tsps each cumin and smoked paprika. I think those are probably a little less than I actually use, but it’s always easier to add spice than to remove it.

Simmer over the same heat level used to saute until enough liquid has evaporated to suit your preference. I like mine fairly moist - but that could be just because I’m ready to chow down already!

To complete the tex-mex flavor, serve with sliced avocado and corn tortillas. For another variation, try adding corn and black beans in the first couple of steps, and top with fried corn tortilla strips (the small bits at the bottom of the tortilla chip bag work pretty well too).