Tofu Scramble, from Food

Dying for a tasty breakfast without eggs? This savory tofu scramble served up with home fries/hash browns and a fruit salad will give you a full dash of energy for the day.  

From: Food.com

  

(see red for our recipe modifications)

1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb firm tofu, crumbled (extra firm is fine, too) (we did not use "crumbled"--we used regular firm tofu and cut it into squares)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
1 tablespoon tamari (we did not use tamari)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon sage (I like to use dried rubbed sage)
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, chopped

more veggies: add more mushrooms, carrots, celery, spinach, peppers, and zucchini (empty your veggie drawer!)

Directions:

1.)  In a large saucepan on medium-high heat, saute the onions (and additional veggies except spinach) in oil until translucent.

2.)  In a medium bowl, stir together the crumbled tofu, garlic, nutritional yeast, tamari, mustard, turmeric, sage, basil, salt and pepper (and spinach) until well-mixed.

3.)  Add tofu mixture to onions and scramble until tofu is browned and all the liquid has evaporated.

4.)  Toss with tomatoes and serve immediately.

Vegan Almond French Toast from Whole Foods!

 Ah-yeah, vegan french toast that is amazingly delicious with an almond flavor and protein kick. Check out this recipe, from Whole Foods, it even comes with nutrition digits at the bottom. Don't forget to cut up some fresh fruit and serve it on the side.

Ingredients

1 cup vanilla almond milk
2/3 cup mashed plain firm tofu (about 1/4 of a pound)
2 tablespoons smooth roasted almond butter
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
12 slices bread (whole grain or white, as desired)
6 tablespoons lightly toasted sliced almonds
1/8 teaspoon powdered sugar for garnish

Method

Preheat oven to 200°F. Place a large dinner plate in the warmed oven. Combine almond milk, tofu, almond butter, almond extract and cinnamon in a blender. Puree until completely smooth. Pour into a wide shallow dish. Heat a non-stick skillet that has been lightly sprayed or oiled over medium high heat. Dip each piece of bread, one by one, into the almond milk mixture. Drain excess almond milk mixture before placing on hot skillet. Cook French toast until just browned on the bottom (a couple of minutes), turn, and brown the other side. Adjust heat to medium, if necessary, to prevent burning. Place in the oven on warmed plate while preparing the remaining pieces. Serve with toasted almonds and a light sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Nutrition

Per serving: 230 calories (80 from fat), 9g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 11g protein, 29g total carbohydrate (5g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 0mg cholesterol, 300mg sodium

Vegan Oat-Filled Pancakes

Thanks to the author of the (never home) maker blog, this recipe has become one of my FAVORITE pancake recipes (and we lovingly call them "colon-blow pancakes" because they are fiber rich). Loaded with oats (and not much flour) these vegan pancakes give you pure love. I think the mashed banana makes them taste a little like banana bread--another favorite! I have added a little Leasa personality to the original recipe (added in red). Enjoy!
 
What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (unbleached) OR 1/4 c. wheat flour and 1/4 c.buckwheat flour
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened) I only use 1/4 c. coconut and I blend it up with the oats
• 1/3 cup flax meal
• 1/2 cup rolled oats, processed into flour (just put 1/2 cup oats into your food processor and pulse until flour-eeeee)
• 1 ripe banana (the riper, the better)
• 1 cup soy milk OR rice, almond, or oat milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon agave
• 1/3 cup rolled oats (you may not need this...the last time I made them I forgot to add the un-blended oats and they turned out not as dense and fluffier...your choice.)

Method . . .

1. Combine all ingredients in the large bowl (fold in the whole rolled oats after everything is sufficiently mixed).
2. Add more milk if necessary (the mixture shouldn't be TOO thick, but it will be relatively dense).
3. Oil a pan (I used canola oil--I prefer safflower oil) and set over medium heat.
4. Do your pancake thing. I found it was easier to make these guys pretty small (4 to 5 inches in diameter) . . . cook them briefly on the one side, then flip and FLATTEN (because they'll tend to fluff up), continue cooking until nicely browned and done the whole way through.
5. Top with vegan butter and maple syrup. Walnuts. Fruit. Whatever else you enjoy.

Gwyneth Paltrow's Vegan Buckwheat & Banana Pancakes

Props to Gwyneth for sharing this delicious pancake recipe on her GOOP blog.

INGREDIENTS:

    * 1 1/4 cups fat free soy or rice milk
    * 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    * 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    * 1 tablespoon maple syrup, plus more for serving
    * 1/2 cup buckwheat flour

    * 1 teaspoon baking soda
    * 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour or white spelt flour (substitute rice flour to make pancakes completely gluten-free)
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 2 bananas, thinly sliced

PREPARATION:

   1. Mix all the wet ingredients together in a small bowl.
   2. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a slightly bigger bowl.
   3. Add the wet to the dry and stir just enough to combine – be careful not to over-mix (that’s how you get tough pancakes).
   4. Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-high heat (I love Jamie Oliver’s nonstick cookware – it’s so slippery that I don’t need to use any oil or butter).
   5. Ladle as many pancakes as possible onto your griddle.
   6. Place a few slices of banana on top of each pancake.
   7. Cook for about a minute and a half on the first side or until the surface is covered with small bubbles and the underside is nicely browned.
   8. Flip and cook for about a minute on the second side.
   9. Repeat the process until you run out of batter.
  10. Serve stacked high with plenty of maple syrup.

You are SO Granola!

Mark Bittman's Homemade Granola Recipe:

Makes: About 8 cups
Time: 30 minutes

6 cups rolled oats (not quick-cooking or instant)
2 cups mixed nuts and seeds: a combination of sunflower seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, etc.
1 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
Dash salt
1 /2 to 1 cup agave and/or maple syrup, or to taste (*I use less to make it a little more savory. Then, once I pull it out of the oven I squirt a little honey over the cooling granola.*)
1 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit (to be added after baking!)

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine the oats, nuts and seeds, the coconut if you’re using it, cinnamon, salt, and sweetener. Spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, stirring occasionally. The mixture should brown evenly; the browner it gets without burning, the crunchier the granola will be.
2. Remove the pan from the oven and add the raisins. Cool on a rack, stirring once in a while until the granola reaches room temperature. Transfer to a sealed container and store in the refrigerator; it will keep indefinitely.
Peanut Butter Granola. Any nut butter or tahini will work nicely here; toss in some chocolate chips if you like very sweet granola: Add 1/2cup peanut butter and mix with the 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup until blended. Proceed with the recipe; stir the granola every few minutes while it’s baking to prevent the peanut butter from burning.
Spiced Granola. Add another teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon each ground anise and cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon each freshly grated nutmeg and ground cloves, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Vegan pancake recipes (Brazilian Style)!

Now that the world knows about Leasa and Charlie's new revolutionary eating style, meat- and dairy- free, I'd like to share three recipes for vegan pancakes. These were collected from different websites a long time ago, but I can't remember which websites. I am not a vegan, but for the past 3 years am having difficulties with processing milk and decided to adopt a dairy-free diet.

There are no beautiful photos of the pancakes as they usually get eaten while they are being made. Let's see if the pancakes survive longer with Leasa, so that she can actually post a photo on this entry afterwards!

All recipes are for two people, or perhaps one very hungry person.

1. Basic /plain vegan pancakes

1 cup flour (white or wholemeal)

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup soy milk

2 tbsp oil (any except olive oil)

1 tsp soda

Mix all together until you get a smooth batter and make the pancakes in a non-stick frypan with some oil in it... which you already know. Sorry.

2. Apple cinnamon vegan pancakes

1 + 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tbsp sugar

1 + 1/4 cup soy milk

2 tbsp oil (any except olive oil)

1 apple, grated.

Blend all ingredients together.

Finally, add 1 tbsp baking powder. Mix well and make the pancakes the usual way.

3. Coconut vegan pancakes

1 + 1/4 cup wholemeal flour

1/2 cup grated coconut (dried)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

1/4 tsp soda

3/4 cup coconut milk

3/4 cup warm water

1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

1 tbsp vanilla extract - or 1 tbsp vanilla sugar.

Mix well until a smooth batter and make the pancakes the usual way. Serve with diced fruit and maple syrup sauce.

Frittata

Preheat oven to 400°F. Boil potatoes until soft and slice thinly. Mix eggs, milk, and salt and pepper. Saute onions, mushrooms, then spinach. Add thinly sliced potatoes and eggs and let simmer. Once the egg is solid, sprinkle goat cheese on top and put in oven on broil, until the top is cooked. Makes a beautiful & delicious frittata!

• 1 Diced Onion
• Fresh Spinach (1 bunch cleaned & chopped)
• Goat Cheese (1 log)
• 6-9 Eggs (depending on how many you are feeding)
• 2 Tbsn. milk (add to eggs)
• Mushrooms (1-2 cups diced)
• Potatoes (2 medium sized)

CRANBERRY ORANGE SCONES
[Williams Sonoma]

1/2 c cranberries or currants (softened slightly in boiling water in pot on stovetop, then drain well)

Combine:
2 c Flour
3 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Cut into mix:
8 Tbl butter softened in pieces.
Zest of 1 orange (very finely grated, no white)
1 egg
1/2 c cream

Preheat oven to 350'. Line baking sheet with parchment paper if you have some.

In food processor combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt pulse to combine.
Add the butter and pulse till pea-size. Transfer to a large bowl and spoon iin cranberries or currants.
In a small bowl whisk together the egg, cream, orange zest until blended.
Add to the Flour mixture.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and press the dough together with your hands (do not overwork). Roll out the dough until about 3/4" thick. Cut with a scone cookie cutter, or if you roll the dough into a circle, cut into 8 wedges. Place onto the baking sheet.

Bake 20-25 minutes. Don't overbake. Let cool slightly, serve warm with jam and butter.

Fresh Blueberry Muffins

Home Made Blueberry Muffins

[Food and Wine Magz] that is Luke Orris! Makes: 1 dozen

CRUMB TOPPING:

1/2 c Flour

1 1/2 Tbl light brown sugar

1 Tbl sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

3 Tbl melted unsalted butter

MUFFINS:

3/4 c + 2 Tbl Flour

1 1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c sugar

1 large egg

1/4 c (less) canola or vegetable oil

1/4c + 2Tbl milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 carton fresh Blueberries

Preheat oven to 375'. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

Make the crumb topping above. Combine all into a medium bowl.

Make the muffins above. In a large bowl combine the sugar, eggs, oil and beat with a mixer at low speed. beat in milk, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder and salt all at once and gently combine. until smooth. Fold in the fresh blueberries.

Spoon batter into cups and sprinkle with crumb topping.

Bake 25 minutes or till golden. Let cool slightly in pan. Enjoy!

Easter Egg Brunch Favorite....

Cube 8 bread slices
Cube 2/3 lb old English cheese
12 eggs
3-3/4 C milk
1/4 t dry mustard
salt n pepper to taste
OPTIONAL: cubed meat, veggies

Butter (9-1/2 x 11...or so) casserole dish. Add cubed bread, cheese, meat, veggies. Beat eggs, salt, pepper and mustard then add milk. Pour mixture over bread, cheese, optionals. (Can cover with wrap and refrigerate over night.) Bake @ 325 for 1 hour...or bubbling. Can crumble bacon on top. Let stand 10 minutes prior to cutting.