Oh I went there… please give a big round of applause to the vegan soft boiled egg! Yes, it can be done. Admittedly, I think the vegan egg creations are getting a little out of hand on the internet. But I also see the fun side in recreating all the old faves us vegans ate when we were omnivores. I mean, I’ve made a living off of it!
These vegan soft boiled eggs legit taste good because I’ve added flavor to them on purpose. A lot of the recipes I’ve seen seem bland as hell, not to mention… gritty. So while this does take a heck of a lot more work then soft boiling actual eggs, if you make them in advance then they’re ready to go. Eat them solo or placed delicately on this vibrant vegan BLTA grain bowl. It’s got quinoa, portobello mushroom bacon, avocado, blistered cherry tomatoes, green leaf lettuce, and a creamy vegan ranch dressing! If you’re interested in trying out other egg-like vegan creations, check out my tofu scramble and tofu benny recipes.
Now let’s get to the VBLTA bowl goodness!
vegan soft boiled eggs
you can make a vegan soft boiled egg! Top these on the vegan BLTA bowl, or try them in a bowl of ramen, in the hot for food korean bibimbap or anything else your heart desires!
Ingredients
vegan egg white
- 225 g silken or soft tofu (about a 1/2 block of tofu drained from package)
- 1 tbsp white distilled vinegar
- 1 tsp white miso paste
- 3/4 C water
- 1 tsp agar agar powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp kala namak
vegan egg yolk (makes about a 1/2 cup)
- 1 C diced carrot
- 1/4 C melted vegan butter
- 2 grape tomatoes
- 1/4 C reserved carrot cooking water
- 1/4 C unsweetened nondairy milk
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ¼ tsp kala namak
Instructions
-
To make the vegan egg white, use a nut milk bag or a nonstick bamboo steamer cloth to squeeze out as much moisture as you can from the silken/soft tofu.
-
Add tofu to a small food processor, along with white vinegar, white miso paste, water, agar agar powder and sea salt. Blend until very smooth and let it sit for 5 minutes at room temperature.
- Pour the egg white mixture into a saucepan and heat over medium. Stir using a rubber spatula until the mixture comes to a low simmer, for about 5 to 7 minutes. It should thicken up slightly and start to resemble a thick pancake batter. Remove from heat and whisk in kala namak, off the heat.
-
Pour the tofu mixture into an egg mold. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes and then transfer the mold to the fridge for at least 90 minutes until set.
-
To make the vegan egg yolk, boil diced carrots in a small saucepan until a fork pokes through the pieces easily. It takes about 6 to 8 minutes, once the water is at a boil. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water and drain the carrots.
-
Add carrots to a high-powered blender along with the reserved cooking water, melted vegan butter, grape tomatoes, unsweetened nondairy milk, nutritional yeast, and kala namak. Blend until very smooth and set aside.
-
To finish the soft boiled egg, remove the egg whites from the fridge. Use a melon baller to carefully scoop out where the yolk will sit, being careful not to scoop all the way to the bottom.
-
You can either pour the warm-ish egg yolk mixture right from the blender into the egg whites or if you want you can pre-make all the eggs with egg yolks and keep them chilled in the fridge for serving later. It’s personal preference on which texture you like better!
Recipe Notes
Kala namak is also known as black salt and is common in Indian cooking. It smells of sulphur and tastes like eggs. You will need a devilled egg tray or an egg mold tray to make these, which I’ve linked here or you can maybe find them at a bulk or kitchen supply store.
VBLTA grain bowl
This vibrant vegan BLTA grain bowl comes complete with portobello bacon, blistered cherry tomatoes, ranch dressing, and incredible vegan soft boiled eggs!
Ingredients
portobello mushroom bacon
- 2 portobello mushroom caps (sliced 1/4-inch thick)
- 1/4 C low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
grain bowl
- 3/4 C / 127 g quinoa
- 1 C water
- bay leaf (optional)
- pinch sea salt (optional)
- 1 pint whole cherry tomatoes
- 4 to 6 green leaf lettuce leaves, thinly sliced into ribbons
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
- ground black pepper, to taste
vegan ranch dressing (makes about 1 cup)
- 1 C vegan mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp unsweetened nondairy milk
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- To make the mushroom bacon, add the soy sauce/tamari, maple syrup, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, and vegetable oil into a mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Add the sliced mushrooms and toss with your hands to coat them well. Set them aside to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the mushrooms in one layer leaving some room for the grape tomatoes. Use reserved marinade for brushing during baking. Add the cherry tomatoes to the baking sheet and use some foil to separate them from the mushrooms. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, then flip the tomatoes and mushrooms. Brush more marinade on the mushroom slices, and bake for another 12 to 15 minutes. You might need to remove the cherry tomatoes before the mushrooms are done baking.
- To cook the quinoa, add quinoa, water, bay leaf, and a pinch of sea salt to a medium saucepan and heat over medium. Once it begins to simmer, turn the heat down to low and cover with a lid, cooking for about 12 to 15 minutes. Once cooked, remove the lid and fluff with a fork to let residual steam escape and set aside.
-
To make the vegan ranch dressing you can whisk everything together in a mixing bowl or jar until well combined. If you blend it together, just be sure to fold in the fresh herbs after blending so it doesn’t turn green. Refrigerate the dressing until ready to serve the grain bowls.
- Begin assembling the bowl with about a cup of cooked quinoa per serving. Add lettuce, avocado, portobello bacon, and blistered tomatoes. Drizzle the ranch dressing generously on top. Then place 2 vegan soft boiled eggs on top per serving, and garnish with fresh ground black pepper.
Recipe Notes
the vegan ranch dressing listed here is adapted slightly from the recipe in the hot for food cookbook with the addition of garlic powder and lemon juice. You can also make the one in the cookbook, but thin it out with a bit of nondairy milk or water to make a thinner dressing consistency.
2 thoughts on “VBLTA grain bowl with vegan soft boiled eggs”
amazing packed away for a lunch! I made the bowl without the fake egg, doesn’t need it!
Svidjaju mi se svi Vasi recepti,ali ovde ne mogu
da pronadjem Portobelo pecurke. Da li mogu da
koristim sampinjone – male, bele pecurke? Njih
Mirjana Petrovic Beograd Serbia