Vegan scrambled tofu with tomatoes, onions and bell peppers (Greek kayanas)

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Kayanas or strapatsada. One of the quickest and most delicious dishes of Greek cuisine. It's served for breakfast or as an appetizer, but can also be the main dish.

The Greek word "kayanas" comes from the Turkish word "kaygana", which seems to have its roots in the Persian word "khagineh". Both Turkish and Persian words mean omelet. The alternative name "strapatsada" is used mainly in the Peloponnese and the Ionian islands. It comes from the Italian word "strapazzare", which means "to handle roughly", describing the intense stirring of the ingredients.

In this vegan version of the recipe we use tofu as the main ingredient and we add Greek cuisine ingredients, such as tomato, peppers, onion, parsley and thyme. It's a very simple and quick recipe to prepare and incredibly tasty and nutritious. The process is very simple. To be precise, just three steps are needed. We prepare the tofu, chop the vegetables, and then cook them all in a pan.

Bon appétit!

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Vegan scrambled tofu with tomatoes, onions and bell peppers (Greek kayanas)

Vegan kayanas or strapatsada. Quick, delicious, and nutritious! Ideal for breakfast and appetizer. In just three steps: prepare the tofu, chop the vegetables and then cook them all in a pan. Bon appetit!

4.89 from 18 votes

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Course: Main Dish, Appetizer, Breakfast

Cuisine: Vegan, Greek / Vegan, Italian, Persian, Turkish

Keywords: tofu, vegan, vegetarian, thyme, kayanas, yellow peppers, onion powder, lenten, fasting, tomatoes, scrambled, strapatsada, recipe, tomatoes, tofu, vegetarian, plantbased

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 appetizers

Calories: 478kcal

Author: Thodoris Tibilis

Ingredients

For the marinade

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp thyme dried
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp curry
• ¼ tsp sweet paprika
• ¼ tsp garlic powder (optional)

For kayanas

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 firm tofu (200 g/ 7 oz)
• 2 ripe tomatoes without the seeds, diced
• 1 small onion cut in half and then into thin slices
• ½ green bell pepper cut into thin slices
• 2 Tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
• ½ tsp thyme dried
• salt and pepper (optional)

Instructions

Preparation of tofu

• Put all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Stir well and allow the flavors to come together for 2 minutes.
• In the meantime, drain the tofu by squeezing it gently between your palms, to press out the moisture. About half to one minute is enough. But be careful so that it doesn't come apart. If you don't have the time or you're just bored of draining the tofu with your hands, you can use this little kitchen gadget 😉
• Then crumble the tofu with your fingers into the marinade bowl. Larger pieces should not exceed a small bite-size. Stir well and let it marinate for 5 minutes.

Vegan scrambled tofu (Greek kayanas)

• Heat a pan over medium to high heat and pour the olive oil.
• Once hot, add the onions and thyme and stir for two minutes.
• Add the peppers and stir for another minute.
• Next, add the tomatoes and stir for 3 minutes, until they are "caramelized". It's important that there are no liquids left in the pan.
• Finally, add the tofu (as it is with the marinade), parsley, salt, and pepper and stir for another 5 minutes.

Serving

• Serve immediately. You can serve it as breakfast, as an appetizer or even as a main course. It's served as it is or, if desired, accompanied with cherry tomatoes cut in half.
• Alternatively, serve on open Arabic wrap or a large, thick, toasted slice of bread. In the end, add freshly ground pepper or parsley.
• Another delicious idea is to use it as filling for wraps.

Notes

1. To save time, start with the marinade and while you wait, wash and chop your vegetables. Two minutes before the marinade is complete start heating the pan.
2. Taste before adding salt, because the soy sauce is already salty.
3. You can create many variations by trying out ingredients, such as red peppers, onions, coriander, cumin, sweet or smoked paprika, cayenne, or ginger.
4. For extra flavor, try adding a pinch of Indian black salt (gives egg flavor) and/or half a tablespoon of nutritional yeast (just a couple of minutes before you remove it from the pan)… you won't regret it 🙂

Nutrition

Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 524mg | Potassium: 465mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1624IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 296mg | Iron: 5mg