Another Breakfast of Champions

As otherwise noted in these pages, my breakfasts are seldom cereal. Since returning from Alaska, I've had to feed my sourdoughs, so I had a Belgian waffle with fresh strawberries this morning, and buckwheat sourdough pancakes with banana yesterday. Mom often has an omelet or fritatta, my way of working a few more vegetables into her diet, and I eat them with her. But on the mornings Mom wants hot or cold cereal, I eschew usual breakfast fare and either rustle up an Asian rice or rice noodle stirfry, or make a breakfast burrito featuring leftovers plus wholewheat flour tortillas and Veronica's homemade-style fresh salsa from Hood River, which are always in the fridge, as is a hunk of tofu. I am not a vegetarian, but find I don't miss the meat, and it is on the menu much less these days. Whatever the time of day, it's always time for a stirfry or Asian noodles. Here is my "Daybreak Pad See Ew." Briefly stirfry chopped gai lan or broccoli in a wok with a little peanut oil and a dash of sesame oil, adding the chopped white part of a couple of scallions and two cloves of chopped garlic. Scramble in one egg. Add 2 T. soy sauce and 1 T. fish sauce to 1/2 package cubed extra firm tofu; place in center of the wok, moving vegetables to the side, then pour in about 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth, and add pre-soaked rice noodles. (Optional: Add 1 handful bean sprouts.) Stir together and cover briefly. Serve immediately with chopped green scallion. Other garnish options: chili sauce on the side, dried chili flakes or chopped chili (a jalapeno is fine) sprinkled on top, and the juice of a wedge of lime and chopped peanuts scattered over the dish. This can also be made with asparagus. If you prefer meat, replace the tofu with bits of fresh pork or chicken, cooking it in step one rather than later in assembling the dish.