breakfast focaccia

Brunch

Yum! Yum!

I love that this whole wheat focaccia has turned out delicious for a second time and it only takes two hours to make, including the rise. Focaccia tends to call for at least a half cup of olive oil, but I am cutting down and was able to make this still taste great with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.

I topped the focaccia with my Breakfast Scramble of tofu, onions, garlic, nutritional yeast and added roasted peppers (still have lots!) and fresh herbs from my kitchen garden. I encourage everyone in the coming season to plant one - I have basil, rosemary, sage, parsley, oregano, lavender and thyme growing right outside of my back door. I tried growing in pots, but I do not have quite the success with it because I would need to feed the pot regularly - I tend to forget doing that and the plants stay small and compact. 

This brunch was great and it called for hardly any work from me.  

Cost Breakdown:

flour: $1.50

herbs: $0

tofu: $2

nutritional yeast, onion, garlic: $1

pepper: $1

Total to feed a family of 6:

$5.50

Whole Wheat Focaccia Recipe

banana french toast

The family has loved the 'Fronch Toast' recipe out of Vegan With a Vengeance, so when I saw 'Banana Rabanada' in Vegan Brunch, we had to give it a try. It is French Toast with bananas and cocoa. Now those two are a match made in heaven, so this recipe was bound to be great.

It was. Very simple to make. The only problem I had was with my cast-iron griddle - I should have used a little more fat to keep them from sticking. The sugar in the bananas were caramelizing the toast and making them stick too much.

Cost Breakdown

bread: $3

almond milk: $1

bananas: $1

cocoa: $.25

maple syrup:  $2

Total to feed a family of 5:

$7.25

dulce de leche crepes

Okay, so this isn't exactly brunch fare, but I've seen plenty of people serve crepes for breakfast, so why not?

This recipe from Terry Hope Romero from Viva Vegan! was sensational. (Link is through Vegan.com) Not only does she have an excellent crepe recipe, but also a fabulous caramel sauce. I think my kids could have eaten that sauce all by itself!

As I have already blogged about not having a nonstick pan, I don't mind saying I was a little apprehensive. I used my cast iron griddle and it worked great! I don't believe Indians have nonstick for their dosas, so I figured cast iron would work for me, too. It did. I couldn't tilt the griddle like I have tilted a skillet while making crepes before, but even that didn't prove to be an obstacle - spreading the batter with the back of the ladle was efficient.

We served ours with Rice Dream ice cream and everyone was bouncing off the walls in no time (sugar rush :)

Sometimes you can and should have dessert for breakfast.

Cost Breakdown:
Silk creamer: $1.50
brown rice syrup: $1
sugar: $.50
flours: $1.50
  plantains: $3
lime and Earth Balance: $2
Total to make 5 servings:
$9.50

chocolate chip waffles

Cat's theory about cooking is, 'when in doubt, make waffles...or pancakes or french toast.' And when really in doubt, add chocolate chips.

Well, she did make some great waffles. What is more, she makes better waffles than I do. She made her batter thinner than I did, so I adjusted the Waffle Template Recipe I have on here.

What else is there to say, really? Waffles are tasty, the kids ate heartily and not a vegetable was in sight. Except the ones in my salad.

Go Cat!

Cost Breakdown:

flour: $.50

almond milk: $1

chocolate chips: $1

baking powder, salt: $.10

sugar: $.25

Total to make 6 waffles:

$2.85

 

hungarian scramble

Brunch

I had Welsh Rarebit on my menu for today, but since Kate chose to make a Cheese Sauce for her baked potatoes, I decided there is such a thing as too much cheese. So, I made a Hungarian Scramble. Hungarian because they add paprika, onions, green peppers and sausage. I used a Tofurkey sausage (Whole Foods had them on sale this week.) and lots of nutritional yeast. The scramble turned out fluffy -as fluffy as tofu will ever get - and soft and moist. Don't forget to let your tofu steam (add a few tablespoons of water if you have to), covered to get this texture - that of eggs - and add some black salt. I found my receipt for an Indian market where I bought some a few months ago: $1.15 for a medium package. Cheap. 

We had some bagels so I gave making Korozott a try - a Hungarian spread made of cheese, onions and paprika. I used some grilled onions for the spread, a clove of garlic, 1/2 slab of soft tofu and a package of Tofutti cream cheese. This was something my dad would make every Sunday and my version is pretty close to it. Creamy,a  little spicy and the flavor of the paprika (Szeged brand) is nice and prominent. The kids loved it! I was surprised; as a kid this was not a favorite of mine - I thought it too bland. There are more and more benefits to this vegan thing.

Cost Breakdown:

bagels: $3

cream cheese: $2

tofu (scramble and spread): $4

pepper and onion: $2

Tofurkey: $3

spices: $1

Total for brunch for 8 people:

   $15.00

blueberry waffles

Brunch

My kitchen is full of waffles!

Strawberry, blueberry and regular. I made some blueberry syrup, too. I suppose by now it is somewhat telling that I have a bunch of berries.

And I do! Thanks to my CSA box.

Berries, berries everywhere! This is the first time I made a fruit syrup, and it was as easy as, well..., pie. Actually, it was easier; pie is more difficult. Just plop two cups of berries on your stove, add a few Tablespoons of sugar, which I am certain is optional, and cook them on low for 15 minutes. Oh, were they ever good!

To make waffles, it is quite useful to have a sink full of dirty dishes, because those little suckers can each take about 10 minutes to cook. Even though I have two waffle makers, I still have a family of five, do not make waffles all that much, so freezing some is an awesome idea, so my kids tell me, it still took me about an hour to make three batches of these goodies.

There was definitely a basic formula to follow, I was sure, and since I am - was- quite in fear of waffles, I had to find it. It really is pretty simple, and there is nothing to fear but fear itself, so the saying goes.

I now have waffles ready to be devoured for at least... a few days?

 With kids, you never know.

Cost Breakdown:

flour: $.50

almond milk: $1

berries: $1

baking powder, salt: $.10

sugar: $.25

Total to make 6 waffles:

$2.85

Waffles, template Recipe

breakfast burritos

Mikel is the cook for lunch. He chose Breakfast Burritos. Super simple to make: soft tofu, pan sauteed with some onions, and then simmer, covered, (important! makes it taste better) with turmeric (color), nutritional yeast (flavor and B12), black salt (flavor), and some ground pepper. To accompany the burritos, some refried beans and Daiya on whole wheat, regular or chile tortillas.

Easy, quick, nutritious and flavorful. Have some salsa handy or guacamole to make it even tastier.

Cost breakdown:

tofu: $2

beans: $2

tortilla: $2

Daiya: $2

onions, garlic, nutritional yeast, spices: $2

Total to make 9 burritos:

$10.00

courico tacos

This recipe came straight out of Vegan Brunch. I know I'm not the first to cook and blog about this dish, but seeing all the rave reviews, I put it on my menu.

Let me tell you, the raves aren't exaggerated - this is highly delicious. I defy any meat-eater to by-pass this fare. It is spicy and smoky thanks to the chipotle peppers, sweet owing to the tomatoes, pungent because of the hint of vinegar and the soy curls are a great choice in this. In fact, I am sold - it is soy curls from now on. The difference between Soy Curls and TVP is that TVP is defatted soy beans and Soy Curls uses the entire bean. I like that idea much better. I am totally into whole foods, and this is in line with that philosophy.

Cost Breakdown:

soy curls: $2

tomato: $2

onion, garlic, chipotle: $1

pineapple salsa: $2

shells: $2

Total to make 8 tacos:

$9.00

banana-chocolate chip pancakes

Kate made today's lunch. She not only loves pancakes, but she thinks the flipping is out of this world! The only thing better than flipping pancakes, is eating them. She wanted to do something different with her pancakes today so she blended bananas with her wet ingredients. Of course, she used whole wheat flour.
Yeah, breakfast for lunch.
Why not?

Cost Breakdown:

white whole wheat flour: $1.50

almond milk: $2

chocolate chips: $1

bananas: $2

maple syrup: $3

Total to stuff 5 people:

$9.50

Banana-Chocolate Chip Pancakes Recipe

summer scramble

Brunch was for lunch.

I made a seasonal tofu scramble, complete with summer yellow squash, Hungarian peppers, tomatoes, carrots and onions. I wanted some starch to accompany it -like home fries or hash browns - but, tonight's meal has potatoes. So I made a Home Fried Butternut Squash. The two squashes from opposite seasons complimented each other very well. The kids loved the scramble as well.

Two for two.

Cost Breakdown:

tofu, 2 :$4

vegetables: $3

spices, nutritional yeast: $1

butternut squash: $2

toast: $2

Total to feed a family of 5:

$12.00

benedict

Happy Father's Day! David chose Benedict for his Father's Day lunch. He feels just awful that I have to blog about something we've so recently eaten, but I think he's getting over it :)

Needless to say, we love Benedict. I used to make Eggs Benedict only on special occasions, since it required so much butter and so many eggs. Now we make it once  a month or so. It is almost all soy, but then Eggs Benedict is almost all eggs.

Update: I have not been able to confirm that black salt is not sodium. In fact, there is dispute on the web since no one has done a chemical analysis on kala namak. Although in India it is used at times for medicinal purposes (as most Indian spices are), there is considerable debate regarding the chloride content. To be on the safe side, treat black salt as regular salt and go easy.

Cost Breakdown:
Veganaise: $1
Earth Balance, almond milk: $ .50
tofu: $2
English muffin: $2.50
Soy protein: $3
Nutritional yeast and spices: $2
Total for 12 Benedicts:
$11.00

fried vegan omelet sandwich

RECIPE UPDATE: this recipe has been tested and revised and will be featured in the upcoming cookbook "Everyday Vegan Eats," by Zsu Dever.

One of my fondest food memories is my mom making fried egg sandwiches. She'd put mayo, raw onion slivers and tomatoes on them. Childhood memories. In fact, food wise, that is one of my hubby's favorite recollections as well. Raising second-generation vegans (yes!) means that I, too, am laying the foundation for their comfort foods. 

Cat and Kate have loved our 'omelets' since we have been vegan - almost nine years now. We've improved it over the years, but one thing remains the same: Cat eats it with just ketchup and Kate likes it in a sandwich with veganaise. David loves it, too, although he thinks it stands on its own. 

I named it what I did because it had to be called something; if I called it a 'fried tofu' sandwich, something completely different comes to mind. If I said 'fried "egg" sandwich', I'd have been very misleading: there is no yolk to break.

In any case, if you are fond of the 'egg' flavor, add some black salt (Kala Namak) , otherwise stick to our family's tradition: veganaise, slivers of red onion and tomato slices.
 Comforting, delicious food. 

Cost Breakdown:
2 tofu: $4
nutritional yeast: $1
bread: $2
onion, tomato, flour, rice milk: $2
veganaise: $.50

Total to feed a family of 5:
$9.50

    

corned seitan hash

I always have some seitan in the freezer - easy to do because when I make a batch, almost 1/3 does not get used in the recipe so into the freezer it goes. I got up this morning and put a bag of frozen saitan in a bowl of warm water. It was defrosted in about a half hour. Of course, you can use tofu, soy sausage, or a vegetable instead of the seitan. (We like to vary our diet and not have any one, soy or seitan, more than a few times a week.) I used raw potatoes, so there was no need to have them pre-baked and cooled. For the 'corned' part, I added ground pickling spice to the seitan when I sauteed it. I think it took about 20 minutes to make today's brunch. Oh, and the toast and jelly...a must.

Cost Breakdown:

seitan: $1

potatoes: $1.50

onion: $.50

toast and jelly: $2

broccoli: $3

Total to feed a family of 5:

$8.00

CORNED SEITAN HASH PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

french toast with caramel apple sauce

The best French Toast recipe we've found so far is in Isa's Vegan With a Vengeance. We topped it with some Caramel Apple Sauce using Granny Smith apples. Yum. Easy brunch meal.

benedict

Eggs Benedict used to be a favorite of ours. Using tofu to replace the poached eggs can be a stretch...until this recipe. Now Benedict is a family favorite that gets requested at least once a month. However, since it is not exactly a health-nut recipe, it gets made at most once a month. There are a few tips here: to mimic the experience of eggs, use black salt (Kala Namak), but please only purchase it online if absolutely a must - any Indian market will have it for a fraction of the cost - I think I paid $2 for a bag last week. Second, after pan searing your tofu slices, simmer it just covered with water, some nutritional yeast, turmeric, black salt. Drain before putting it on your Benedict. And lastly, the Canadian bacon can be replaced with anything - Fakin Bakin, Bologna from Yves, Tofurkey - as long as it is given a quick sear in your pan. Sprinkle a little more black salt on the assembled dish since the flavor gets lost somewhat during cooking. No worries, black salt is not sodium; it is potassium.

Update: I have not been able to confirm that black salt is not sodium. In fact, there is dispute on the web since no one has done a chemical analysis on kala namak. Although in India it is used at times for medicinal purposes (as most Indian spices are), there is considerable debate regarding the chloride content. To be on the safe side, treat black salt as regular salt and go easy.

cheeze tofu and potato skillet

We are still camping.

For this morning I had precooked the hash browns, and the 'egg' tofu, the cheezy sauce. I heated up the components on the fire (no need to wait for coals - love that!), and assembled them in a skillet. This was inspired by American Vegan Kitchen by Tamasin Noyen. The tofu, however, is mine. I like to fake eggs using black salt - a mineral rock Indians use in their cooking; it has an unusual sulfuric flavor and smell - perfect to imitate eggs. The tofu should be pan fried in soy margarine (Earth Balance is best), then add 1/2 c. water, 1 t. turmeric, 1 t. black salt, 2 T. nutritional yeast to the pan, cover, and simmer for ten minutes. Simmering the tofu changes the texture, very much like freezing tofu changes the texture. Drain from the cooking liquid and serve over the skillet of hash browns.