Easter Brunch!

Spring has sprung!

Daffodils and cherry blossoms in bloom, sunshine abounds, chickens laying an egg a day AT LEAST, first official run without gloves and a hat AND first weekend in the garden planting!

And of course it was Easter weekend to top it off! I officially have spring fever.

Look how pretty and spring-y our table looked :)

So what's on this years Vegan Easter Menu?

• Fresh baked baguette
• Mojito Fruit Salad
• Deviled Eggs (Courtesy the lil' chick-peas who have been laying up a storm!)
• Vegan broccoli and leek "quiche"
• Mushroom, spinach and yam hash
• Field roast sausages
• Mimosas!

Got up early early to cut fruit and bake bread.

Nothing like fresh baked bread in the morning!

Except maybe a fresh fruit salad, of course.

This salad is kind of my staple - a close friend of mine made it in undergrad once and I have essentially co-opted the recipe as my own and use it frequently; it wins every time (Thanks, Jane!) :)

"Mojito" Fruit Salad
Basically, I cut up fresh:

• Strawberries
• Apples
• Grapes
• Blueberries
• Mangos
• Pineapple
• Banana
• (Pomegranate seeds -- not in season so I couldn't get them)

And toss all that beautiful fruit with

• A GIANT handful of mint, finely chopped
• Juice from 4-5 LARGE limes
• 2-3 Tbsp of Agave (more to taste but just to counterbalance the acidity from the limes - fruit is naturally sweet so don't overdo it!)

Viola! Mojito Fruit Salad! Perfect for potlucks, special occasions and especially Easter Brunch.

I know deviled eggs aren't technically vegan so I won't go into them too much but they were too pretty and delicious to leave out entirely. Plus, aside from the eggs from the girls - they are totally vegan so it kind of counts, right :)?

To make these beauties I just hard-boiled the eggs (poked a hole in the bottom with a needle prior to dropping them in to make them easier to peel), cut them in half and scooped out the yolks, vigorously mixed the yolks with Vegenaise, Yellow Mustard, Sriracha, Paprika, Apple Cider Vinegar and a lil' salt and pep and then using my piping bag to pipe the mixture back into the hollowed out whites.

This puppy is vegan though:

Broccoli/Leek Quiche - adapted from Vegan Brunch

This quiche uses cashews and tofu as the base and the texture was absolutely wonderful. Even though I eat eggs again, I can tell you this quiche holds its own and I didn't miss eggs in it at all!

Broccoli/Leek Quiche

• 1 prepared vegan pie crust
• 1 block tofu
• 3/4 cup raw, unsalted cashews, soaked for 2-3 hours
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 large white onion, diced
• 1 large leek, finely chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 giant head of broccoli, finely chopped
• 2-3 tsp dried spices of choice (tarragon, thyme, italian spices, etc...)
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 2 tsp prepared yellow mustard

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Partially cook pie crust (5-6 minutes as the oven warms)

Heat the coconut oil over medium-low heat and saute onion, leek and garlic for 8-10 minutes or until soft and fragrant.

Toss in broccoli and spices and cook for an additional 6-8 minutes. If it looks dry, feel free to add in veggie broth or water.

Meanwhile, in the food processor, combine cashews, tofu and mustard and pulse until fully combined. Add about half of the broccoli/leek mixture and process until you get an "eggy" consistency.

In a large bowl, mix together the remaining broccoli mixture with the cashew/tofu mixture and taste for salt.

Using a spatula, spoon the mixture into the par-baked pie crust and throw it back in the oven for about 30-35 minutes or until edges and top just begin to brown.

Let sit for at least 10 minutes if not longer! It will allow the quiche to firm up and achieve the correct consistency.

Mmmm quichey...

The next item on the menu was a little last minute but actually might have been my favorite thing.

I absolutely love hash.

I can't give you the exact recipe because I totally made it up and didn't write it down and don't remember to any degree of accuracy, but I will give you the general guidelines :)

Basically I boiled a couple yellow potatoes and two large yams for about 15-20 minutes or until they were super soft. When they were done I cut them up into squares - leaving the skins on (the yellow potatoes were much firmer than the yams which got mushier and actually combined to make an awesome texture).

Then, in my cast iron pan, I sauteed onion and oil for about 5 minutes and then added the chopped up potatoes and 3 large handfuls of spinach.

Pretty much after that I just tasted and seasoned continually until I had flavors I liked. I used lots of smokey salts, some hot sauce and some liquid smoke to create some layers of flavor which complemented the natural sweetness of the yams beautifully.

Top off with some salt and pepper and enjoy this power hash! Vitamin packed!!

Last but not least I cut up 2 each of the Smoked Apple Sage and Mexican Chipotle Field Roast Sausages (Hello Costco Mixed Pack!!) and sauteed them in just a touch of coconut oil until brown and crispy.

My moms (non-vegan) foodie boyfriend was impressed with the Field Roast (and, being an athlete - loved the protein content). Further evidence that Field Roast is awesome and is a great thing to serve up to meat-eaters and vegan or vegetarian-experimenters.

Delicious!


And the very best part about this brunch (other than it being cruelty free, low in cholesterol, fat and high in flavor) was that I got to share it with my wonderful family.

I'm so grateful for them every day and I absolutely love holidays because they give me an excuse to show my appreciation and re-center my crazy life to focus on what matters.

And the mimosas!!

I hope you all enjoyed your Easter as much as I did!




Live long and prosper! And remember to step back and appreciate the people you love :)

Christmas Brunch

  

Christmas morning brunch is in my family (as I'm sure it is in many) a tradition that has taken place since I can remember.

When I was little, my mom would get up in the morning before us kids and start prepping cinnamon rolls. Then, after we got up and saw the load we had received from Santa, we would open stockings, eat breakfast and then move to presents. 

The routines of holidays and what they mean for families are what make these occasions special and so now, every Christmas, I get up at 6am and prep cinnamon rolls and brunch stuff - my way.

Last year I made giant, Cinnabon like cinnamon rolls and this year I decided I would take a little lighter approach. I made pumpkin cinnamon rolls with pumpkin filling and pumpkin glaze. Because pumpkin is such a gooey, moistening ingredient to begin with, these cinnamon rolls taste a lot naughtier than they really are. 

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from Eat, Live Run

Rolls

•  2 Tbsp earth balance
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (So Delicious or similar brand - not canned)
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin 
• 1/8 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp Agave
• 1 Tbsp Flax + 3 Tbsp cold water, whisked together and placed in the fridge for at least 5 minutes
• 1/4 oz yeast (1 package)
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp jamaican or other all spice

Filling

• 2 Tbsp canned pumpkin
• Scant 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp Earth Balance, softened
• 2 tsp cinnamon

 Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tbsp canned pumpkin
• 1/4 vanilla or almond extract
• 2 tsp almond/coconut milk (IF NEEDED)

Heat the coconut milk and earth balance in a small saucepan over LOW heat until just melted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before adding in your yeast (I didn't let it cool enough the first go-around and I killed the yeast so I had to re-do it - the milk should feel like bathwater and the yeast should get all frothy when you add it in). Whisk in yeast and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Whisk together your dry ingredients before adding the pumpkin, agave, flax and finally yeast mixture (I added the last four ingredients with my KitchenAid Mixer on low speed).

Knead the dough with the dough hook attachment on the mixer for about 5 or 6 minutes

Then, cover the bowl with a warm, damp dish rag and place somewhere warm-ish to rise for an hour and twenty minutes (I put my oven on low for about 10 minutes, turn it off and then put the dough in the warm oven to sit).

After the dough rises, remove from the warm place and roll out into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface

Whisk together pumpkin, softened earth balance, brown sugar and cinnamon and (using a spatula) spread out over the entirety of your dough rectangle

Gently roll the dough up lengthwise so that it forms a long log shape

Using a very sharp knife or twine (to form a circle around the dough to pinch pieces off) - form 8-9 slices and place in a greased casserole dish (9 inches square)

Cover with your dishcloth and allow to rise for an additional 45 minutes.

Then, uncover and bake for 20-25 minutes.

While baking, combine the ingredients for the glaze in the mixer using the paddle attachment and beat together for a few minutes or until you get a satisfactory consistency. Add more powdered sugar or coconut milk as necessary.

Remove rolls from the oven, let cool slightly and then, placing your glaze in a plastic ziplock bag, cut off one corner of the bag and drizzle over warm rolls

Serve immediately!

I paired mine with mojito fruit salad, spicy field roast sausage and Crispin hard apple cider (better than a mimosa!)

Happy Holidays!!

Live Long and Prosper. And remember there is always a way to adapt traditions to a vegan lifestyle :)

Field Roast Scramble

  

As many of you know, I'm not terribly big on "faux meats" but man, oh man do I love Field Roast.

I especially love field roast when it comes in Costco sized packs of 12 sausages (which it now does, along with the Celebration Loaf - woo woo!)

The meal pictured above is pretty standard fare during busy law school nights and, since the field roast does most of the work, it's as simple as it is satisfying.

And, it is full of protein (each field roast sausage has 25 grams of protein!) fiber, vitamins and all the other delicious good things in the universe pretty much.

Wanna hear how easy it is to make?

Just take 2 smoked apple sage field roast sausages, one bell pepper, one head of broccoli and one onion and dice them all up. Then put a tsp of oil in a large fry pan and let it heat up before adding in all  your amazing ingredients.  Saute them all together for about 6-7 minutes.

Follow up with 4 cloves of minces garlic and two handfuls of spinach and let everything cook together for an additional 2-3 minutes.

Then plate and serve!

Hello delicious!

And because this post wasn't long enough - here is a photo of Wyatt in a fitting room at Banana Republic for your viewing pleasure.

 

See why I take him everywhere? So patient.

Live long and prosper! And get yo' self some Field Roast from your local Costco!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Okay so I know it's a little late but I couldn't NOT do a vegan thanksgiving post! (See what I did there? Double negative to distract you from how truly behind the times this post is. I mean it's almost CHRISTMAS)

A lot of vegans don't like thanksgiving because of the food culture and ideologies it represents but I LOVE it. In my opinion there is no better time to show off the versatility of vegan food and have an excuse to cook lots and lots of it than thanksgiving. Plus, because I insist on hosting and inviting lots of random people every year, I get to cook for people that wouldn't otherwise try vegan food and I will say (in my 3 years of vegan thanksgivings) I have yet to send anyone away hungry or dissatisfied :)

I cooked for 14 people this year! Phew! It was crazy but a total blast. Everyone brought a dish and a friend of the family's made some incredible vegan and non-vegan desserts.

I also got to shoot guns and hang out on a farm, feed horses and run around with my pups. It was an almost perfect day.


(That's me shooting a gun for the very first time!)

And more importantly:

The Spread (minus dessert!)

FOOD!!!!!

Field Roast!

Here's what was on the menu! (See: Top picture, clockwise starting at 12:00)

• Green Bean Casserole
• Big Green salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
• Roasted Asparagus
• Field Roast Celebration Loaf
• Mashed Potatoes
• Mojito Fruit Salad
• Roasted Chestnut, Granny Smith Apple and Sage Stuffing
• Rice Pilaf 
• Rainbow Roasted Veggies with fresh Rosemary and Thyme
• Homemade Spiced Cranberry Sauce (my own recipe - this was a total hit!)

And for dessert (not pictured unfortunately) was rum pecan pie! Absolutely incredible. I was blown away by this mans dessert making skills.

I'm not going to put recipes for everything up, but here is my acclaimed (by a total of 4 people, including myself) spiced cranberry sauce!

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

• One bag/box of fresh cranberries (I don't know the exact weight but they come pretty standard)
• 1 1/2 cups Concord Grape Juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup agave 
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp jamaican all spice (or regular if you don't have jamaican but try to get it!)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 scant tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan, bring to a boil and then simmer for a MINIMUM of 30 minutes. I did mine for about an hour and it was totally worth it, the more time it simmers the more time the flavors have to combine and settle in. Add more grape juice if you need it.

 And every year I make Colin green bean casserole. The old fashioned kind. With french fried onions. I think it's kind of gross but it's the one thing he wants every year. Last year I used Imagine's portobello mushroom concentrate to make it but this year I tried a new recipe and it was so simple and so much better. Oh and I used fresh green beans instead of canned. I just could not bring myself to used canned green beans two years in a row. He was still happy :)

Green Bean Casserole
Adapted from The Vegan Stoner

• 1 heaping Tbsp earth balance
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp mushroom broth
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 trader joes package button/crimini/baby portobello mushrooms (whatever look best)
• 4 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/4 cup soy cream
• 1 trader joes package fresh green beans, chopped into 1-2 inch segments
• Fried onions (to taste/decor)

Melt the earth balance with the soy sauce and mushroom broth over low heat.

Add in the onions and garlic and saute for 4-5 minutes.

Then add the mushrooms, flour and soy cream. Whisk together for 2-3 minutes or until the mixture begins to thicken.

Add in the green beans and stir the whole concoction constantly until nice and thick - the way grandma made it (not my grandma, but someone's grandma).

Add more mushroom broth as needed to keep the mixture from forming lumps/getting too thick.

After about 7-8 minutes, pour the mixture into a square baking dish, top with the fried onions and bake for about 15-20 minutes at 350.

It tastes just like it was made with good ol' fashioned Campbell's cream of mushroom soup!
Mmm Mmm good!

I even made Colin leftovers for lunch the next day :) (Left - greenbean casserole, veggies and fieldroast, Middle - cranberries and stuffing, Right - mashed potatoes!)

See why I love thanksgiving?! So wonderful. Plus the whole "Ellen-Degeneres-save-a-turkey" movement has really caught on.

Beautiful.

All right, live long and proper! And expect more posts to come now that finals are over and winter break is upon us!