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February 8, 2010

A Proper Vegan Brunch


















You would not really know it from reading my blog, but I love cooking breakfast. In fact, it is a Saturday morning tradition at my house. In the past I have not posted about very many of my breakfasts, because while I enjoyed my regular rotations of skillets, omelets, and pancakes, I did not feel that I had anything ground breaking to add to the mix.

As you might recall, several weeks ago I decided to give up my weekly cheesy, eggy, and buttery breakfasts as part of the 10-day cleanse. I was surprised how easy it was to give up eggs and dairy, and not just for my Saturday morning breakfasts. The cleanse ended 10 days ago and I have continued on without eggs and dairy without looking back.

So what of my Saturday morning tradition then? It was high time that I made a proper vegan brunch, so this weekend I set out to do just that. It seemed only appropriate to go for an eggs, meat, and potatoes combination for this venture.

Now this, I could get used to.


















First up, Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches. If you are a skeptic on replacing your morning eggs with tofu I urge you to try this recipe. Baking these quiches results in a firm, yet fluffy result (very eggy!), and the chopped herbs and veggies within pack them with flavor.


Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches
(from FatFree Vegan Kitchen)

olive oil spray
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup bell pepper
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (or one green onion)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed)
black pepper to taste
1 12.3-ounce package lite firm silken tofu, drained of water
1/4 cup plain soymilk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon cornstarch (may sub another thickener such as arrowroot or potato starch)
1 teaspoon tahini (preferred) or cashew butter
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray 12 regular-sized muffin cups well with non-stick spray.
Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with olive oil and sauté the garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms over medium heat until the mushrooms just begin to exude their juices. Stir in the chives, rosemary, and freshly ground black pepper, and remove from the heat.
Place the remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth and silky. Add the tofu mixture to the vegetables and stir to combine. Spoon equally into the 12 muffin cups: it will fill regular muffin cups about halfway.
Put the muffin pan into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 F. Bake until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the middle of a quiche comes out clean--about 25-35 minutes depending on your oven and muffin cups (silicone will take longer than metal, so if you're using a metal pan, check it at 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. (Serves 3)






















Chorizo Sausage 
(from Vegan Brunch)

Moving right along, for the meat in my brunch I decided on chorizo sausage. Can you believe these babies are plant based? They were spicy and meaty and perfect! This one comes from Vegan Brunch, and you'll just have to get your hands on a copy to get at this recipe. This is the first recipe that I have tried from this book, and there are several more I can't wait to try.






















Lastly, my own contribution to my first vegan brunch, Rosemary-Sage Homefries with Kale. These were a huge hit, and a welcome change from the potato-and-seasoning-salt variety. Amazing things happen when you have fresh rosemary on hand.


Rosemary-Sage Homefries with Kale

2 cups russet potatoes, chopped in 1/2 pieces
2 cups kale, stems removed and roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1-1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add onion and saute over medium heat for 4-5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in garlic and saute for another minute. Add in your potatoes next and give it a good stir. Now stand back and let the potatoes brown for a few before stirring again (if you are impatient you can cover them to speed this along a bit). Brown the potatoes for about 15 minutes, stirring often. The cooking time here will depend a lot on how big your potatoes are. Stir in the rosemary and sage about half way through the browning process.

When the potatoes are at an edible point, tender, but still a few minutes from optimal crispness, stir in the kale. Give it another 2-3 minutes over medium heat stirring constantly, or until the kale is properly wilted (but not droopy!) and the potatoes are crisped to your liking. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Serves 3)


...brunch is served!

23 comments:

  1. beautiful plateful - I love to make the occasional brunch - but particularly love a brunch when eating out and I find that there are meat free and egg free options - I have tried those quiches and they didn't look so perfectly - maybe I will have to try them and follow the recipe a bit better

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  2. I love brunch too! Your quiches are beautiful!

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  3. DROOL! Those eggless quiches look to die for, and what a great idea for a healthier, yummier homefries! Sounds like an absolutely perfect savory brunch menu.

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  4. Perfect brunch food! I really love those quiches.

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  5. Yum, yum!!! I'm intrigued by that "sausage"...I might just have to buy that book! Everything looks delicious, and is plated so beautifully!

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  6. YUM! I have yet to have vegan brunch! :) Well, I have had tofu scramble in the afternoon if that counts? ;)

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  7. Oh wow, now THAT is a brunch! YUM. I'm going to have to give those quiches a try and search out the Vegan Brunch recipe. Looks delish!

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  8. Your brunch looks fabulous. I love your idea of add kale to home fries.

    Alicia

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  9. A perfect brunch!!!! adding Kale to home fries is a great idea. Following your great blog!
    Cheers,
    Rachana

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  10. Lovely brunch, lady! Those taters look fantastic.

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  11. Love it! Breakfast is my favorite meal. And Fat Free Vegan Kitchen "eggy" recipes are the best. I've not tried Susan's quiches yet, but her tofu omelet is delicious (just as good as the one in Vegan Brunch, except the black salt in the VB omelet kicks it up a notch).

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  12. Certainly a good looking plate of food. I think I could get used to it too.

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  13. That looks and sounds like a perfect brunch! What a great idea to add kale to home fries.

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  14. This breakfast looks delicious! I'm excited to hear the chorizo worked out nicely. Unfortunately I tried the same quiche recipe and thought it was a bit too turmeric-y and had to throw it all out. I'm hoping the vegan brunch quiche is as good as the reviews!

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  15. *SWOON*...this is the most excellent brunch, Sarah--thank you for so many great recipe ideas! Your tofu quiches are just what I've been looking for as an elegant side with a salad, or like here for a breakfast/brunch....DELICIOUS! :o) Wishing you a sweet Valentine Weekend ahead ((HUGS))

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  16. Fantastic spread you have going on! That's one serious brunch- Usually I'll just make a stack of pancakes and call it a day. I want to have brunch at your place next time! ;)

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  17. Those potatoes and kale are calling to me;)

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  18. Yummy...yum...yum...yum!! It all looks wonderful!!

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  19. Those quiches were one of my mainstays during my early vegan days, and I still make them for Mom/daughter brunches all the time! Lovely plate :)

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  20. What a fabulous brunch! I love making breakfast/brunch food. I actually just made my first tofu frittata last week...although it kind of turned into tofu scramble when I tried to transfer it to the plate.

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  21. Yummy! Love your recipes and photos:)
    I have a healthy living blog too. I hopt to have more time to post recipes in between my reviews

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  22. Wow! Looks awesome! I love that quiche recipe.
    Great entry to DMBLGIT.
    LL

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