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 :)

Thai Yellow Curry with "Chick'n"

As I've stated on my blog before, I'm not a big fan of "meat posers" (aka vegan meat alternatives posing as meat). One - I think it's kind of gross. I mean I don't eat meat so why pretend like I do? And two - meat posers are usually much more highly processed than tofu or tempeh or other meat alternatives.

That being said I can't live without Field Roast and I do recognize that meat posers (such as Trader Joe's "chick'n") occasionally have an appropriate time and place.

Like in this yellow curry!

Using a meat poser in this context is great because it looks like meat and has a similar consistency but the complex flavors of the curry mask the slight flavor and textural differences (plus 20 grams of protein in one 110 calorie serving!!). I think this dish could have fooled a meat eater ;) Not that I would ever do that!

  

See the little "chick'n" pieces? Preeeetty convincing if you ask me. 

This was the first curry I've ever made and it turned out BOMB. I think with the right curry paste it's hard to go wrong, but I also attempted to make it a little lighter than normal curry (subbing light coconut milk and veggie broth for full fat) so I was concerned that it might not be as creamy or satisfying. 

My concern was unfounded - this curry tasted great, came together easily AND made killer left overs.

Thai Yellow Curry with "Chick'n"

• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 medium white or other starchy potato, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
• 2 carrots, chopped roughly
• 1 bell pepper (I used orange yellow or red would be fine too), cored and chopped
• 1/2 bag frozen peas! (I always keep peas in the freezer. They are the best)
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1-2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup yellow curry paste
• 1 Tbsp curry seasoning
• 2 tsp paprika
• Juice from 1/2 lemon or lime (optional - just a flavor enhancer)
• Cilantro to garnish (optional)

Begin by softening the onions in the coconut oil for about 4-5 minutes.

Add the potatoes and carrots and veggie broth as needed and cook on low for an additional 3-4 minutes before adding the bell pepper and peas.

Turning the burner up to medium heat, slowly stir in the coconut milk and about a cup of veggie broth and allow to warm briefly.

Stir in the curry paste and seasonings until well combined and creamy. Add more veggie broth if needed (I like my curries saucy!)

Allow the entire mixture to simmer for 20 or so minutes. You can add more spices or curry paste as you need throughout this process.

Squeeze in your lemon or lime, spoon curry over brown cilantro rice and top with fresh cilantro sprigs!

So easy and so satisfying.

Why go out to Thai food when you can make this at home?!

 

Live long and prosper! And don't be afraid to try something new - even if it involves "meat posers" ;)!

Kale Parsnip Potato Soup

Week 3 of my Organics to You Box! This soup was inspired by three of the start ingredients: Kale, Parsnips, and Potatoes (hence the post title!)

Also used: onion and leeks.

I love being inspired by fresh, local produce. Having beautiful local greens and veggies almost demand that you make something healthy with them. I just wouldn't feel right about frying or microwaving this food - it's just too clean and pretty!

Hence the soup! What a fabulously healthy recipe. I left my dad and step-mom a giant tupperware bowl full with very demanding instructions that they eat it because it "is good for you."

There is almost nothing more satisfying that a BIG bowl of homemade soup. It has to be one of my top favorite comfort foods (also making the list: creamy polenta and any kind of berry pie).

Kale Parsnip Potato Soup
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 1.5-2 hrs (mostly inactive)
Serves 6 to 8

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 leek, diced (use all parts!)
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly (you can add more if you love garlic like me)
• 2 medium white potatoes, cut into chunks (I didn't remove the skin but feel free to)
• 1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks
• 2 large carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 large parsnips, cut into chunks
• 4 cups (one box) of your favorite veggie broth (I use Pacific or Trader Joes)
• 4 additional cups of water + 2 bouillon cubes
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp curry seasoning
• 1 tbsp hot sauce of your choice
• 1 LARGE head of kale, chopped

Heat olive oil in a large soup pan (very large - as large as you can muster) over medium/low heat. Add in onion and leek and allow to soften up for about 5-10 minutes. 

Add garlic, potatoes, carrots and parsnips and saute for another 10 minutes or so (add in veggie broth to keep veggies from sticking/help to soften as necessary.

Dump in veggie broth and water and bring everything to a boil.

Add in bouillon cubes and spices, cover pot, reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer for anywhere from an hour to two hours depending on your time frame.

Ten minutes before the soup is ready, stir in your chopped kale and allow to reduce for the final ten minutes or so (you want it to be soft but not soggy).

Serve up a HUGE bowl (or two in my case) with freshly baked bread of your choice and enjoy a healthy and satisfying local meal :)

Live long and prosper!