Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Vegan Brunch


A few dishes I've made from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's
VEGAN BRUNCH:

Curried Cauliflower Frittata
the tofu, grated carrot, and spices mixture

I changed the direction of this frittata by skipping the curry and using other spices. My kids will eat a lot of spicy things but pass if they think it's too spicy. And I don't have time to risk making a multi-step (also this one was actually really quick and easy) recipe if they're not going to eat it, too.

the cauliflower, sauteed in a tablespoon of oil with minced garlic

After putting it all together and baking it, the frittata came out well-formed and delicious. We loved having a new way to eat cauliflower, which is one of my kids' collective favorite vegetables. And it's always nice to have a way to eat veggies at breakfast.

Old-Fashioned Chelsea Waffles
Another winner. This waffle recipe includes cornmeal along with flour.

I added my own Sugar-Free Raspberry Sauce. We were practically lapping this stuff up. I mixed frozen organic raspberries, water, a little organic cornstarch and lemon juice plus a bit of all-fruit spread.

Mom's Morning Casserole
The Bottom Potato Layer

So...I took a bit of a detour on the next layer. I have a "cooking with tempeh" aversion right now. I do like to eat tempeh, but I never like to cook with it myself. The "moldy" spots freak me out; I can't handle looking at them. I always end up wasting half of the package by cutting them off.

Early in my pregnancy, I didn't really have morning sickness, but I did gag and dry heave whenever something was unappealing to me (really dumb things like a glass that didn't get completely clean in the dishwasher or a gray spot on a baked french fry). I had a spell with tempeh, and I haven't been able to cook with it since (although I can eat it if someone else prepares it, which is weird). Sorry for the long explanation and mention of dry heaving in my food blog...all of that to say: that's why I used black beans instead of tempeh in this recipe. I also used carrots instead of bell pepper for the sake of my middle child.

End Result
Here's what it would have looked like with tempeh and peppers.

This was a great meal: filling and satisfying. We all loved it. The black beans were delicious, but I always love beans with tofu scramble. I'm sure the tempeh would make this a different kind of wonderful dish. Maybe I'll try it next with seitan.

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Speaking of great cookbooks, Friday night is the deadline for entering my Appetite for Reduction giveaway.

And, as always, go here for others' Vegan Month of Food posts.


11 comments:

  1. Looks super tasty, esp the last thing. I like the idea of subbing out the tempeh--tofu + tempeh just seems like too much to me in one dish. Kind of like vegan turducken or something.

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  2. I could see having an issue with tempeh. Sometimes I wonder if it's bad and I know it's not. The fewer spots the better ;-) I really want that cookbook - it's another one on my long wish list.

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  3. Those waffles look awesome! I'm going to be working my way through "Vegan Brunch" in December, looking forward to these, now!

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  4. Interesting tangent on the morning sickness symptoms. Must be nature's way of protecting Baby VASF from harmful agents.

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  5. I've had really good experiences with everything I've made from Vegan Brunch — all different from what you made. I've got to dig out that book again and make this stuff.

    I always had weird pregnancy-food reactions. With one, I'd become nauseated to the point of freaking out if I got a whiff of oil heating. This one really disturbed by husband, and necessitated getting an air-popper for his popcorn habit. Then there was the inability to stand the taste of rice — I was convinced it was all moldy. After the baby was born it tasted fine. Sigh.

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  6. "Vegan Brunch" is a very dangerous cookbook; I am one of those people who could live on breakfast alone! I think the casserole is really ideal during the fall / winter season.

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  7. OMG everything looks incredible! I LOVE brunch, it is my favorite meal ever. I made an amazing dish from The Ultimate Skinny Bitch cookbook that was so good but had everything that I limit myself on so I don't make it often. It is potato, Gimme Lean sausage, onion, mushrooms and topped with daiya cheddar. SO amazing.

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  8. Wow! I wish it was breakfast time instead of bed time. This looks so darn good. You have one lucky family. I've really been enjoying your blog and am looking forward to future posts. I awarded you with a Liebster. Keep it coming!

    http://growingupveg.blogspot.com/2011/10/liebster-awards-feeling-to-love.html

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  9. You've made some delicious looking food from Vegan Brunch, I'd love a slice of that frittata

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  10. Stacy, yeah, it reminds me of a dish my mom used to make called "Hamburger, Egg, and Cheese."

    Heather, the next one on my wish list is Pie in the Sky.

    Lizzie, thank you! I'd like to work my way through the whole book.

    SV, tangent? Am I talking too much about myself again? You're probably right about the harmful agents. I wish there was a built-in mechanism to help me avoid gaining all of this non-essential weight.

    Andrea, thank you for sharing your experience. It's all strange how that works. I feel very fortunate I've never had really bad morning sickness. Which is probably one reason I don't mind continuing to get pregnant. My sister-in-law was pretty much in bed her entire two pregnancies, and that was it for her.

    Ingrid, I could live off breakfast foods, too!!!

    vava, thanks! I haven't ever looked at that cookbook before. I need to!

    Celeste, thank you so much! I feel like I should be be giving YOU the award. I've loved reading your blog, as well.

    Mandee, it was good! I'm a big fan of frittatas, omelets, quiches, etc.

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  11. Looks like I need this cookbook too....what yummy looking food...especially those waffles! I could eat breakfast anytime of the day!

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