Mango-Blackberry-Coconut French Toast

Did I go on a tropical island getaway? No, not so much. Just another Saturday morning in snowy New Hampshire. Saturday mornings have become all about getting up to make a big breakfast, leaving the dishes for later, cuddling with the dog, catching up on Dexter, and not "officially" getting out of bed until noon. Now all I need is someone to come make this for me so, I don't have to get up at all. Until then, here's a quick recipe that won't take away too much of your laze time and proves you don't need dairy or eggs to have a delicious breakfast. What more can I say about french toast? Oh yeah: It's freaking delicious!

Go ahead, have it with a mimosa. You deserve it. It's the weekend.

Ingredients:

(serves 2, or 1 large serving) 

4 slices soft, vegan whole wheat bread (just make sure there's no eggs, dairy, or honey in it)

1 cup almond milk

1 tbsp all purpose flour (arrowroot or cornstarch will do)

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

Fruit Topping

1 small mango, skin removed and cubed

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/8 tsp coconut extract (or vanilla if you want)

1/4 cup fresh blackberries (frozen is fine, *see directions for instructions)

2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes

powdered sugar, sifted, for garnish

Directions:

Cut each slice of bread, vertically into 4 pieces, if desired. Set aside. In a small bowl, toss the mango, syrup and coconut extract together. Set aside. Set the blackberries aside in a small bowl. If using frozen blackberries, thaw them in 2 tbsp warm water and let them soak and turn the water red (you can pour this liquid on the toast when it's done, to turn the syrup the red color shown in the photo). In a shallow bowl, whisk together the ingredients for the batter.

Spray a non-stick pan with oil and heat on medium low. Place the bread in the bowl with the batter, making sure each side, including the edges, is lightly covered. It is very important that you not soak the bread through! Place each slice in the pan and fry until golden brown on each side and crispy. Remove from pan and stack the bread on individual plates, 3 slices laid vertically on the bottom, then 3 on top of that horizontally and so forth. Arrange the fruit topping on top of the bread, sprinkle with coconut flakes and sifted powdered sugar. Serve with additional maple syrup and/or vegan butter if desired. Enjoy!

Curried Asian Sweet Potato Lentil Stew: Two ways!

About a month ago, my wonderful newly vegan mother (I'll never tire of saying that), in an effort to help with my cooking endeavors, cooked a massive amount of brown lentils. And then a few weeks after that, she bestowed me with an Asian sweet potato. Mothers. What would we do without them? Starve, probably. Anyway, since then, I've been saving lentils in my freezer not exactly knowing what to do with them. Since I've never been a fan of lentil soup, I thought that would certainly be out. But then it occurred to me, that the reason I've never liked lentil soup wasn't because I didn't like lentils, the flavors just never appealed to me. So, I decided to get creative and play with the flavor of my favorite cuisine, curry, and this is what came of it!

If you can't find Asian sweet potatoes, that's okay. I think this would be absolutely fabulous with regular sweet potatoes, if not better, as they're much sweeter. Also, you can chose to use vegan bouillon cubes, but if those aren't available to you, feel free to substitute the stock with canned or homemade low sodium vegetable broth instead.

This is delicious and you can serve it however your kind vegan or soon-to-be vegan heart pleases! Also, be aware that this recipe makes a lot. You will have leftovers, so freeze some, have a party or better yet, bring some to your dear ol' mom!

Ingredients:
(makes about 8, 1 cup servings)

4 cups water
2 vegan vegetable bouillon cubes, I used Rapunzel Vegan Vegetable Bouillon with Sea Salt
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch rounds
1 large Asian sweet potato, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed, reserve 1/2 cup of chickpea liquid prior to rinsing
3 cups cooked lentils
1/4 bunch red kale, de-stemmed and cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp curry powder
1/4 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp ground ginger
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:


In a large stock pot, add the water and bouillon cubes (or just the veggie broth if using) and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, potato, onion and garlic and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes until carrots and potato are tender and can be pierced with a fork. Next, add the chickpeas, the chickpea liquid, and lentils, stir, and simmer for another 10 minutes until the lentils begin to break a part and thicken the soup. Add the kale, spices, salt and pepper, and stir well. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir, and serve in individual bowls or accompanied with brown basmati rice.

S'mores Pops!

Now all you need is a flashlight and some ghost stories.

It's been snowing like crazy this winter and it's seriously making me feel like summer is never going to get here, let alone spring. One of my favorite activities every year is camping and canoeing with friends along the Saco river in Maine. It always ends up being a memorable time, and part of that good time and any camping trip is: the s'more. So, in a fit of nostalgia and wishful thinking I decided to make a version of the delicious, gooey dessert treat you would eat on a sandy bank along the river or in the deep dark woods of bear country. And let's face it, who doesn't like eating food on a stick? It's virtually mess free! That being said, this is a great treat for kids!

A little note about the ingredients:

This recipe deviates from the original s'more in that I don't toast the marshmallows because that would render them shapeless and too soft to be dipped in the melted chocolate. And, I used Back To Nature Madagascar Vanilla Wafers because vegan graham crackers have proven to be rather elusive for years (almost all brands contain honey). I've been informed by some friends lately that Nabisco makes a graham cracker that is honey-less and that Health Valley makes a vegan amaranth graham cracker that you can find at some Whole Foods stores or online at Vegan Essentials. I can't wait to try them!

You may be wondering, "But what about the chocolate? Is it vegan?" and "Don't marshmallows have gelatin?" The answer to both of these is "yes." But vegan chocolate is available online, at stores like Whole Foods, and virtually anywhere gluten-free foods are sold (many large chain grocery stores have dedicated "gluten free" aisles). I used Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips which can be found in most grocery stores. Vegan marshmallows are a little more tricky. I recommend using Dandies Marshmallows by Chicago Soydairy. They're delicious, they melt in your mouth, and taste like the marshmallows you grew up loving. You can buy them online or use the site to search for a store that carries them near you. Lately, they are becoming more readily available in large specialty grocery stores like Whole Foods.

Now on to the goodies!

Ingredients:

1 package vegan marshmallows (see note)

10 oz semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips

1/2 box vegan vanilla wafers or graham crackers

lollipop sticks (found in bakery/party decoration stores)

Directions:

First, poke a hole through the center of one marshmallow with a lollipop stick. Repeat with two more marshmallows to create a stack of three (or one or two depending on the length of your lollipop sticks). Set aside.

Crush the cookies by putting them in the bowl of a food processor and pulsing until they are finely chopped. Don't go too crazy, you don't want them chopped so fine that you've made cookie flour. Alternatively, you could crumble them with your hands. Pour out the cookie crumbles onto a flat plate and set aside.

Next, in a double boiler, or in a small metal bowl over a sauce pot containing about 3/4 cup water (see picture), melt the chocolate chips, on medium low heat, stirring frequently with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, to avoid burning. Once the chips are all melted, remove the bowl from the sauce pan immediately and pour the chocolate out onto a flat serving plate.

Roll the sides and the top of the marshmallow in the chocolate sauce, letting any excess drip off. Then roll just the top (or the whole thing if you want) in the cookie crumbles. 

Place the final product on a piece of wax paper to cool and dry. Or better yet, prop them up in a small bowl that's fitted with something in the center to keep them upright and in place. If you happen to have a block of styrofoam lying around, you can poke them into it. Serve slightly cool and gooey, or refrigerate for 5 minutes so that the chocolate hardens a bit. Either way, enjoy!

Tofu Vegetable Quiche with Herbed Crust

Look Ma, no eggs! That's right. It's another quiche recipe, this one is bigger and more badass than a mini quiche can ever hope to be. I've got way more things going on this week than there is time in a day so, I have to make sure my mind doesn't wander to the kitchen when it should be studying. Solution? Make a massive quiche and eat quiche for dinner all week. Why the heck not? While most young whipper snapper college students are eating pizza, I'm the old lady who's enjoying a delicious quiche because "it's kind of like pizza." And it is, except it's a lot healthier.

Anyway, here's a tasty, savory, eggless dish that's sure to make your life a lot easier and your dinner guests amazed that it you could accomplish a quiche without eggs. Quiche is not only time efficient and delicious, it's flexible too! Add whatever vegetables you want, or omit the ones you can't stand. The crust recipe is arranged, but adapted from the Healthy Happy Life blog. My only issue with this recipe is that the crust isn't as soft as I would like it to be. I used sorghum flour which can be pretty rough stuff once it's baked, but softens up nicely over time (read: leftovers). Even if you have a gluten allergy, I recommend using other flours (bean or oat will probably be fine).

Ingredients:
(makes an 11 inch quiche)

Crust:
1/2 cup water
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp agave nectar
1/3 cup all purpose flour (any variety works)
1/4 cup sorghum flour (or chickpea flour, oat flour, white whole wheat, etc.)
1/3 cup ground flax seeds
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 tsp ground sage
cornmeal for dusting
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, for glaze
1 tbsp agave nectar, for glaze

Veggie Saute:
1/2 small zucchini, chopped small
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup baby spinach, chopped
1 cup red kale, chopped
3/4 cup broccoli, chopped very small
5 to 6 baby bella mushrooms, stems removed, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped, reserve a few slices for garnish
2 small tomatoes, chopped, reserve one slice for garnish
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste

Tofu Filling:
1-12 oz package firm tofu, drained and pressed to get all the moisture out
1/2 cup almond milk (or any non-dairy milk)
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 tbsp sesame tahini
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)

You will also need:
parchment paper
dried beans (or dried rice)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray an 11 inch tart or pie pan with oil. Dust the inside lightly with flour.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the crust (water through sage) and work into a kneadable dough. You may need to flour your hands or sprinkle some flour on the dough a few times if it sticks to the sides of the bowl or your hands. Once it's clearing the bowl and your hands, lay it on a well floured surface and knead it until it's a smooth and uniform dough ball. Sprinkle more flour on top and with a floured rolling pin, roll it out until it is thin - but not paper thin - and a little larger than the circumference of your tart/pie pan. Lay it aside on a flat, floured surface and sprinkle the area you were just working in with a little cornmeal. Drag the bottom of the dough in the cornmeal and then lay it in your pan. Shape the dough into the pan, trying to get the edges to be as uniform as possible by pushing the dough from the edges and up the sides. You may need to remove any excess dough hanging off the edges and use it to create edges if one side of your crust has smaller edges. Brush the dough with the agave/oil glaze. Poke three small holes in the center of the dough then cover with a piece of parchment paper and place some dried beans (or dried rice if you don't have beans) on top to prevent the dough from rising.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, remove parchment paper and beans/rice, and set aside to cool while you prepare the quiche. Turn the oven up to 375 F.

Heat a non stick pan on medium heat and add a little bit of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Next, add the onion and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, and pepper and cook until the mushrooms begin to exude their juices and the broccoli is bright green and soft. Add the tomatoes and cook until they exude their juices and deflate, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and kale and cook until just wilted. Add in the oregano, and the salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

In the bowl of a food processor, add all the ingredients for the tofu filling, except the salt, and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the salt and adjust to taste (if you're salt conscious, remember that there's salt in your veggies already). Blend again and then pour into the veggies. Stir the tofu filling and the veggie saute together until well combined.

Pour into the crust. Garnish the top of the crust with the pepper slices and tomato. Bake at 375 F for 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown in color. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Update: If you end up having an overflow of quiche filling, you can make crustless mini quiches! Pour some of the leftover filling into small baking tart pans or into a muffin tin and bake at 350 F for 50 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Let them cool for about 10 minutes. Serve alongside steamed veggies!

Apple-Chamomile Tea Cookies

Ah, the art of the tea cookie: a delicate, dignified mouthful. Or just a great excuse to make cookies for breakfast. Here's a recipe I stumbled onto whilst doing an online search for who know's what, and then decided to veganize. The original post had typographical errors and even left out some measurements so, I did my best with what I thought was supposed to happen. I've never had a tea cookie, or any tea dessert and I've definitely never thought to bake with tea or chamomile! If you like chamomile or any herbal tea for that matter, think of this as a great way to enjoy the soothing comfort of tea without having to actually drink tea. Or, you can double fist it with a cup of tea in one hand and a not-so-dignified handful of cookies in the other. Either way, you'll feel relaxed and perhaps, even ready for bed. Unless, like me, you become frantic and can't stop eating these cookies in one sitting. Perhaps that was attributed to the fact that these cookies aren't crunchy, they're chewy. Making them all the easier to eat.

Leave the chocolate for the chocolate enthusiasts. All those decadent, too sweet flavors have their place. Just not here. This cookie isn't your typical cookie. It doesn't even pretend to be. The flavors are probably something you would never taste anywhere else and that being said, you're probably not used to them. Am I saying, "proceed with caution"? Well, yes, if you expect an over-the-top sweet cookie coma to follow after eating these. But no caution need be taken if you like to try new things and are open to interesting flavors.

Chamomile can be a little tricky to find. Try your local health, natural foods store or, any store that has loose leaf tea. I used organic German chamomile in my cookies, but regular chamomile will do. If all else fails, buy some chamomile tea and break open about 10 bags.

Bon appetit! Oh, and don't forget to put your pinky up! You might as well look fancy.

Ingredients:
(about 2 dozen cookies)

1 medium sized organic Granny Smith apple (about 1 1/2 cups), cored, peeled, and finely chopped
1 Tbsp organic sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
1 1/3 cup organic brown sugar
1 Tbsp agave nectar
1/2 cup So-Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk Beverage (any non-dairy milk will do)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 flax egg (1 Tbsp finely ground flax seeds with 2-3 Tbsp water)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup dried chamomile flowers (or the contents of 10 opened chamomile tea bags), finely chopped

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the apple, sugar, and cinnamon. Mix well and set aside. In a separate bowl combine the flour and salt and set aside.

In large bowl combine the Earth Balance Butter, brown sugar, and agave. Mix until well combined, pale, and fluffy. Mix in the milk, vanilla extract, and flax egg. Add the flour to the butter mixture in small batches and mix until evenly combined. Fold in the apple mixture and chamomile until well combined.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden.  Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely. Serve with tea, coffee, or your favorite non-dairy milk.

Breakfast Polenta with Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausage and Daiya Cheddar

For all you hungry Mexican food aficionados who enjoy a hearty, (a bit spicy) and savory breakfast or brunch, but have grown tired of the omnipotent tofu scramble, I give you this: The power of polenta - for breakfast!

Call me a fat kid, I don't care, but when I couldn't decide between oatmeal and muffins, I made oatmeal cakes, and when I couldn't decide to only eat oatmeal cakes for breakfast - I made this too. And thank the vegan kitchen gods I did! I couldn't stop eating it. In fact, I made enough for two (so I could save some for later), but I ate the whole thing! Oh boy.

This was inspired by my recent trip to NYC where I had brunch at a little restaurant in the lower east side called, Caravan of Dreams. I got the french toast. My best friend got the polenta. When our food came out, it was obvious I would be secretly seething with jealousy no matter how good my french toast was.

Need I say more? Oh yes, on thing more: enjoy!

Ingredients:

(makes 4 servings)

1 cup Daiya Cheddar Style Shredded Cheese

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

3/4 cup water

1 cup polenta (or regular cornmeal - I used Bob's Red Mill)

1 - 15oz can organic corn, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages, crumbled

1 pint organic cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 small red onion, chopped

1/2 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Tofutti Sour Cream, to serve, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Put the Daiya Cheddar and the cilantro in a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside

In another bowl, mix together the water, polenta, and corn. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a 13 x 9, 2 quart glass baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, until water is absorbed and polenta is tender, but not too dry.

In a non-stick skillet, add the olive oil and the sausage and cook on medium-high heat, until browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Lower the heat and add the tomatoes; simmer until they exude their juices, stirring occasionally. Add the onion and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes. Don't let them become translucent, you want them to still be colorful and a little crunchy. While this is happening, place another non-stick skillet on medium high heat and warm the black beans. Remove from heat after about 4 or 5 minutes.

Cut the polenta into squares and serve on individual plates. Top with sausage mixture, then beans, then cilantro and Daiya. Add Tofutti Sour Cream, if using.

Banana Almond Butter Iced Pudding with Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Dough

Remember those Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies from my last post? Of course you do. Well, this is what happens when you only need to make a half batch, but you make too much and have extra cookie dough left over and don't want to just eat it all for breakfast (even though you secretly do). Make cookie dough ice cream! Or rather, ice cream without an ice cream maker - ice pudding. It sounds weird, I know, but I swear it's really good! It's not the most decadent of desserts, but if you like desserts that hit the spot without being overwhelmingly sweet, you'll like this.

Ingredients:

(2 servings)

2 ripe bananas, sliced and frozen overnight

2 Tbsp almond butter (you can use peanut butter)

1 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)

1/2 to 1 cup banana chocolate chip oatmeal cookie dough, refrigerated

organic brown sugar, to garnish

Directions:

Put bananas, almond milk, and almond butter into a blender or food processor. Puree. Turn off the motor and stir the mixture a few times until smooth and creamy. Do not over blend!

Place cookie dough by the teaspoonful in the bottom of a serving bowl. Pour banana mixture over it and then place a few more drops of cookie dough in and stir to combine. Garnish with one teaspoonful of cookie dough on top and sprinkle with brown sugar. Serve immediately.