Loaded Hash Browns

As I have mentioned in previous posts, eating has been a challenge in my pregnancy. Many times, I have just been eating to nourish myself and the baby. John has had to be the gentle, and sometimes not so gentle, reminder to me that I have to eat. I learned the hard way that not eating can bring on nausea. One of the hardest things for me to learn how to do was to eat through the feeling of nausea. In the past, when I would be nauseated my impulse would be not to eat. When you are pregnant, you have to eat as you have another life to nourish. 

To help make this all easier for me, John has been cooking a lot more than before. Sometimes he asks me what I want and others he makes something and sets it in front of me to see if I could stomach the meal. The tactic turned out to be smart. I do not always know what I want or could stomach until it was put down in front of me. John knew my aversions each week and was respectful of them. 

One of his creations turned out to be a hit with me- loaded hash browns. Potatoes have been one of the few items that have been more appealing than other foods. I think it is the starch that helps settle my stomach. I have always been a huge fan of hash browns, but we usually have made them as side dish. John made them into a main dish by adding different combinations of veggies and proteins. He has added tomatoes from our produce box or garden, spinach, tofu, tempeh, pepperocini, salsa, carrots, vegan cheese, and other items from our refrigerator.

He has repeated this dish for me several times, often with a salad on the side. I smother mine with ketchup. I know, I know, it isn't a nutritious food- but I like it and it isn't too bad of a splurge for a pregnant woman. 

Thank you to John for caring for me and the future little vegan one. The one thing that I can say for sure is that I would not be able to do this without your love and care. Future little vegan one is lucky to have a caring father, like you! 

McMuffin Cravings

The title of this blog post is a bit misleading. I didn't actually crave the meat filled, gluten filled, dairy filled, egg filled, artery clogging, cruelty ladden breakfast sandwich seen on a popular fast food chain. I craved a vegan version, of course (and crave is a strong word here, I just knew I wanted to try it)! Some omnivores love to ask if I crave meat (more so when I wasn't pregnant- odd, huh?). I'm quick to point out that food is more than just taste to me, it is about the where it comes from, why it is being used, and how it was treated. I cannot ignore the treatment of animals in my meal. Since I was 14, I have believed that an animal should not have to suffer and die for my benefit. There are so many options out there that didn't have to suffer.

When I discovered The Edgy Veg video for the McMuffin, I did start to want this creation! The version on screen was not gluten free, but I knew I could easily make it that way. For the English Muffin, I used Food for Life and for the veggie meat, I used Sol Veggie Breakfast patties. I didn't use an orange vegan cheese, like cheddar, because I had some provolone flavored vegan cheese. If making this again, I'd use cheddar and melt it on the bottom of the bun. Since the muffin and egg mixture was warm, most of the cheese melted. 

This was probably the first thing I cooked after morning sickness set in. I was able to get through making this whole meal without any incidents. I even was able to eat the sandwich.! I had only wished that I also bought hash brown patties to serve with it. The "egg" mixture looked so much like the original. Once it cooked it got bright yellow giving it a real egg look. The texture was interesting and I wouldn't have liked it on its own. I think I would also like to try this sandwich with firm tofu, flavored to be "eggy". It was fun to use the top of a mason jar lid to form the egg. It really made it seem like the real thing.

While I done it yet, this made me want to transform other fast food menu items to be vegan and gluten free. I don't know what because it has been many, many years since I have eaten fast food. I am not even sure I remember the flavor of most products. My parents didn't rely much on fast food when I was growing up, which I'm thankful for. My family focused on home cooked meals with a lot of vegetables! :-)

Vegan Chorizo and "Veggs"- MoFo Post Eleven

Post #11 for Vegan MoFo 2013.

Chorizo is a dish that I tend to hear about quite a bit. I see it on restaurant menus, hear about it online, and have seen it on television. I have never had the meat version of the dish, but have had the pleasure to have vegan chorizo on many occasions. I have had it at vegetarian restaurants and have purchased at various grocery stores in the area. Trader Joes has a brand that is particularly flavorful and gluten free. It comes in a plastic casing and is reasonably priced. 

The final dish. Chorizo and "Veggs"

While I enjoy the flavor, I prefer to have homemade items so that I can control the sodium levels in our food. As you have probably noticed from previous posts, I am not a huge fan of salt. I almost never add it to any dish, other than baked goods. I seem to get a more than adequate amount of salt by consuming copious quantities of hot sauce. Have I mentioned that it is an addiction of mine? To lessen the amount of hot sauce that I consume, I try to add more no-salt spices to our food. It is sort of working. Ok, I am lying to myself, it isn't working at all. I still use way too much hot sauce!

Spice blend used for the chorizo.

In honor of my Latin cuisine theme, I wanted to attempt making chorizo. When we usually get the store bought kind, we serve it with scrambled tofu with a lot of vegetables.  On this occasion, I wanted to focus on chorizo and scrambled Vegg's. What is scrambled "Vegg's" you ask? It is scrambled tofu made using The Vegg which is a product that is all plant-based replacement for an egg yolk. It mimics the texture and color of the egg without cholesterol, animal ingredients, cruelty to animals, or allergens. 

Chorizo and colorful spices cooking

I served the chorizo and Veggs with roasted potatoes and steamed broccoli.  he end result of the dish did not mirror the vegan chorizo purchased in stores, but I was pleased with the taste and texture of the dish. I also enjoyed the vegan scrambled eggs alongside of the chorizo.I have become a huge fan of The Vegg! I have created several recipes using it and even had one published on The Vegg's website and in a recent cookbook published by the company called "Cooking with The Vegg"

Have you recreated any store bought vegan items? Have you purchased and tried The Vegg?
 
Vegan Chorizo and "Veggs"

• 1 pound tofu
• 1 c water*
• 4 tsp Vegg powder
• 1/4 c red wine
• 1 large clove of garlic, minced
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• 1 c TVP granules
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1/2 tsp minced dried onion
• 1/8 tsp salt 
• cilantro (optional)

Press the tofu using a tofu press or wrapped in a kitchen towel and placed between two plates with a weight on top. If using a tofu press, the pressing will take about 15 minutes. If using plates, press for about a half hour to 45 minutes. While the tofu is pressing, boil 1 cup of water. When the water comes to a boil, pour it over the granules and let them sit for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile heat the red wine in a skillet over medium heat. When warm,  place the minced garlic into the red wine and cook for 3 minutes. When the TVP is finished sitting mix in the parikas, coriander, cumin, black pepper, ground cloves, oregano, thyme, granulated garlic, dried onion, and salt. Then mix in the TVP into the wine and garlic mixture in the pan. Add in the tomato sauce and mix. Let simmer for 5-7 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set aside. 

In the same pan, crumble the pressed tofu and let warm in the pan for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the water with The Vegg mixture using a blender*. When mixed, pour over the tofu. Let the tofu cook for 5-7 minutes until the mixture becomes thick.  

When finished cooking, sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with your favorite breakfast sides like potatoes, salsa, tortillas, and vegetables. 

*If you like less runny scrambled tofu, use less water. For more runny scramble use 1 cup or more of water.

Tempeh and Avocado Arepas- MoFo Post 9

Post #9 for Vegan MoFo 2013.

I have several friends who are from Colombia and have been fortunate enough to experience some of their cooking recently.  They have invited me into their home have shared authentic dishes like coconut rice, patacones, and guacamole with me. One of them celebrated a birthday recently and I was invited to enjoy a breakfast meal that included arepes, which is a Colombian corn cake.  The person who hosted the breakfast is not Colombian, but purchased the arepes from a Hispanic grocery store in the area. 

The morning included arepas, tofu, potatoes, lattes, pineapple and two delicious birthday pies. I was the first of the group to arrive, which for those of you who know me is not surprising, and I was put to work to help warm the arepas. After being given instructions, one of my native Columbian friends arrived and I was quickly pushed away for her to take over. What a relief! I had never seen an arepa before, so I had no clue how to cook them!

The final and delicious product!

This birthday breakfast was perfect timing as I had already planned to make arepas for MoFo as I had heard my friends speak about them so fondly. The arepas purchased from the store were a bit thinner than the recipes that I had seen online, but they were still delicious! I was now excited to make the recipe that I had set aside from a recent issue of Veg News for Grilled Tempeh & Avocado Arepas. I do not personally subscribe to the magazine, but get old copies from a friend who subscribes. 

Hand formed arepas ready for the iron skillet

  I had spoken of my arepas MoFo plan to another friend, who kindly purchased a bag of masarepa for me as a thank you for watching her friendly companion dog. Once I had my masarepa flour in hand, I was all set to cook! The dough for the arepa was simple. It contained the flour, salt, and water. It only took minutes to create, was formed into balls, flattened, and cooked. The cooking started off in a cast iron skillet on the stove and ended in a baking sheet in the oven. The recipe for the filling was a cubed tempeh that was simmered on the stove in a rich and smokey broth. I could not believe how easy this recipe was and our home smelled delicious! 

Arepas browning in the skillet before going into the oven

The last step was assembly. The arepes were cut almost in half, to create a pocket for the filling. In addition to the tempeh, there was sliced avocado, tomato, and a sprinkling of vegan cheese. We enjoyed the arepas while they were still warm and the cheese had a chance to melt.  I had a feeling that the end result was going to be flavorful and I was right! It went beyond my expectations! The arepa pocket held up well to the filling. The masarepa flour seemed to be ground more than masa flour and therefore the arepa was not so grainy, but had more of a smoother, dense dough. The tempeh was filled with mild and flavorful spice. The heat level was mild and to remedy that we added some habanero hot sauce.

Smokey Tempeh Filling

As I was putting together the arepa recipe, it had me thinking of other MoFo ideas that I could create using this flour. I have used polenta and cornmeal in previous recipes, but had never heard of masarepa before researching arepas in preparation for this dinner. Now that I have used the masarepa flour, I can see how it differs from corn based flours. This dinner has been the most successful creation for MoFo 2013. I have truly enjoyed all of the recipes that I have shared, but this was completely new to me. I was not sure if I was going to post about a failure in the kitchen. Instead, I am left wanting to make this a regular dinner dish for us. 

What has been your biggest cooking/creation success recently? 

Plantains Two Ways-MoFo Post Seven

Post #7 for Vegan MoFo 2013.

One of my favorite cooked fruits is the plantain. It is enjoyable both salty and sweet and can pair well with many different entrees. They are also versatile enough to be served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. In Puerto Rico, we had fried sweet plantains for breakfast one day and another we had boiled green bananas with onions and oregano. Which reminds me, I have to get my hands on some green bananas. 

Plantains that are not quite ripe

John and I have enjoyed plantains for years. We made up our own recipe which we enjoy, but are not likely authentic. For this MoFo post, we purchased four plantains and made them in two different way. The first way was tostones or patacones. Tostones is the Puerto Rican word for the dish, while patacones is the Colombian word. I believe the recipes are similar, however; I followed a recipe for tostones. Tostones are traditionally fried in quite a bit of oil, but we are not a fan of deep frying food and only used a small amount of oil (a couple of tablespoons for two plantains).  

I did not mash them well enough after the first pan fry, so they are not as large as traditional tostones. I think in the future, I will make the plantain slices larger. Even though the shape was not what I expected, I enjoyed the taste. We usually make plantains sweet and I tend to prefer savory items for dinner. 

I should have used a spatula to smash the tostones

The second plantain dish that we made had a citrus and sweet element to it. We generally use water or olive oil spray to pan saute the plantains. The end result is a crispy and browned plantain. The sweet element is usually agave nectar, however; we were fresh out of it and used maple syrup instead. We often have this as a dessert or wait and enjoy it after dinner. It is a simple dessert and minus the sugar, is healthy. 

My attempt at tostones

Sweet Sauteed Plantains

• 2 plantains, ripened to a brown-almost black color, and cut into slices
• 1 lime, cut in half
• 2 tsp of agave nectar or maple syrup
• Olive oil spray or water 

Sweet Sauteed Plantains

Prepare a large frying pan over medium heat. Spray with olive oil or with water. When warm layer the plantains in the skillet, do not overlap. Cook for about three minutes, flip over and cook three minutes more. When finished squeeze the lime juice over the plantains. Then drizzle the agave nectar. Let caramelize for about a minute and then flip over and cook for about a minute more. Serve immediately while warm.

Vegan Bed and Breakfast- MoFo Post Six

Post #6 for Vegan MoFo 2013.
 

Happy Day 6 of Vegan MoFo. My MoFo plan is to post during the weekdays and to take a break on the weekends from posting blogs. I still plan on coming around and reading all of your posts though! Today will be my last post for this week and I will pick up again on Monday. On this Friday, I would like to focus more on my Puerto Rico vacation as we had so many relaxing and rich experiences. 

Coconut Breakfast Muffin and Puerto Rican coffee

For half of our stay, we were at a beach house maintained by Maravilla Caribbean Veg Bed and Breakfast. We stayed at the house from Sunday to Wednesday, which is located near the town of Rincon on the northwestern part of the island. The owners told us that the bed and breakfast is by default vegan and guests can request eggs and dairy. Lucky for us, we fit the default. The owner was happy to comply with gluten free meals and charged us a fee per day for the extra ingredients. While it might have seemed excessive, I understand as she had extra preparation to do. 

Almond coconut rice and almond tarlets

After our first night in San Juan, we headed out to Rincon in our rental car. It was a nice drive and we spent the car ride laughing, singing, and interpreting signs in Spanish on the road. When we finally arrived, we were greeted by one of the owners who showed us around and explained our meals. She had made us breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for our entire stay. They were all housed in our refrigerator with a listing of suggested meals. In hindsight, I wish I would have taken the list to recount all of our meals.
 

View onto our balcony and out into the ocean

While I can't remember the exact meals, I remember the highlights. All of our meals were vegan and gluten free (there were a couple of questionable items in the fridge that we were concerned contained dairy- even though the default is vegan. So we just skipped those items). We had sweet potato and black bean chili with rice, empandillas, lentil soup, coconut muffins, cookies, brownies, blondies, black bean and walnut burgers, plantains, boiled green bananas, tempeh and sweet potatoes, mango tofu, papaya, star fruit, almond and coconut rice, almond tartlets, among others. Each meal was exciting to us as the host provided such thoughtful meals. It would have been nice to have our food fresh made each day, but that would have only been possible if we stayed directly at the house. And it was nice for us to eat when we were hungry, not when it was a meal time.
 

An approaching storm

The house was not anything luxurious, spacious, or private. We had booked a stay at a hotel for the last three days of the trip, so we felt fine with lodging that was not fancy. We had our own private balcony and a room that included a table, a kitchenette, and a futon. It was a beach house with a wonderful ocean view. I couldn't ask for much more being right on the ocean. My only real complaint with the place was that the stairs separating us and the apartment below was a glass door. The stairs were open which allowed noise and light in. Luckily, we only had one evening with guests in the downstairs apartment.
 

One of the best parts of the stay for me was the late afternoon storms. I enjoyed standing on the balcony watching the rain on the ocean. We had several evenings with lightening over the ocean. It was nice to be able to enjoy a storm and watch it pass. On one particular evening, we watched storm clouds for at least an hour. The peace that I felt by that was something that I had not felt in a long time. The peace was continued as we did not have a TV or a radio. There was a bar nearby that played salsa music and we were often serenaded by the music during the evening as we enjoyed dinner or watched the night sky. 

During the daytime, we had access to snorkel equipment and kayaks. We spent one afternoon kayaking in front of the beach house. In addition, we spent two mornings snorkeling at a nearby place called "Steps Beach" that was known to have beautiful reefs and fish. There had been quite a few storms, so the water was not as clear as normal. I was still happy to swim with the colorful fish and experience some of their world. One of the stands where we parked had snacks and food and we enjoyed a cocoa frio (coconut water). Which literally is water from a coconut. After the water is gone, the shell is cut in half with a machete and you are free to enjoy the rich coconut meat. Nothing compares to that fresh rich flavor. 

 
Thank you for sharing a special part of our vacation with me. I plan to give you more snippets as we go through MoFo. At some point, I plan to share some underwater snorkeling shots as well. How many of you have been to Puerto Rico? If so, did you stay at Maravilla?

Cafe Cultura- MoFo Post Four

Post #4 for Vegan MoFo 2013.  

   

Latte con leche

Welcome to day four of Vegan MoFo 2013! Today I would like to share more of my Puerto Rico vacation, which inspired my Latin cuisine theme for this year for MoFo. When we started planning for our trip, we began by looking for restaurant options. Many places had menus with both vegan and gluten free options. John's sister recommended a place called Cafe Cultura. She described it as having organic food and local ingredients. We took their recommendation with a grain of salt as they are not vegan or gluten free. I assumed there would be nothing for us to consume and passed the place off as a fruitless suggestion.  

I am not sure what made us think about it again, but John decided to call and see what options they had for us. We were unable to locate a website, so a phone call was our only option. I expected his call would be a dead end and we would continue our search elsewhere. Luckily, I was in for a surprise. The person he spoke to on the phone indicated that there were options for us and listed off some options. 

On our first morning we decided we would give it a try. We were unsure if they would be able to accommodate us for breakfast, but wanted to try it out for a cup of coffee. We had a back up plan if we were unable to find something satisfying for breakfast. When we walked in, the following sign greeted our entrance. I began to have a good feeling about this place. 

We choose to sit outside and our waiter was so friendly and helpful. He pointed out to us all of the vegan and gluten free selections on the menu and informed us that we were not restricted to the breakfast menu. We ordered a latte con leche and a tofu dish from the lunch menu. The plate interested me because it had sauteed fresh vegetables, a small salad, and tofu with a homemade spicy jelly. On the table was a bottle of homemade hot sauce. We would come to learn that most restaurants make their own hot sauce. Is this my kind of city or what?!?! One taste of this hot sauce and I was in heaven. If I would have been a shot glass, I imagine I would have done hot sauce shots to wake me up as opposed to coffee.

Our latte came out first and it was delightful. I was greeted with a design in my soy milk foam. The coffee was rich and creamy. It was a nice start to breakfast. Our meals came soon after and we both enjoyed our plates. John and I ordered the same thing, but he opted not to have the raspberry jelly and ordered his flavored with olive oil. His plate was delicious, but I was happy with my decision to get the jelly. The spicy jelly went well with the sauteed tofu. The vegetables were lightly cooked and crisp. The meal was a nice start to our day and filled us up as we got on the road to venture to our next location. Stay tuned for more on that....

I was so glad that we spent the time to explore this suggestion as it proved to be a delicious choice for breakfast!

Bull City Vegan Brunch Challenge Continued- Post 16

As I mentioned in a previous post, Durham is having a vegan brunch challenge for the month of October. I have been supporting the restaurants that have a vegan option that is also gluten free. The challenge has six participating restaurants and three offer gluten free options. 
 
This past weekend we went to Bull Street Market and Gourmet. To be honest, I have been most excited about this restaurant as they showed creativity in the two participating dishes.  For one dish they offered Tofu Hash consisting of white and sweet potato, rosemary, green beans, and a red pepper and tomato sauce. The other dish was potato, corn, and peanut cakes with a coconut and onion "cream and green beans. 

Photo courtesy of the Bull City Vegan Challenge Volunteers

John and I met a friend for breakfast before the farmers market. While eating, we ran into other friends. It was a nice morning of sun, conversation, local coffee and delicious food! John and I enjoyed both dishes, but we each had a favorite. Interestingly, we had different favorites. Mine was the tofu hash and John's was the potato, corn, and peanut cakes. 

Photo courtesy of the Bull City Vegan Challenge Volunteers

Even though I had a favorite, I would gladly eat either dish for breakfast or brunch. They were a delicious start to a beautiful day! After the market, we spent the remainder of the day in the yard working. 

On Sunday, we ended up at The Refectory with my parents and as luck would have it, I forgot to take a picture of the tofu taco scramble AGAIN. I do not want to to have to guess about this dish, so I am posting a photo that someone else had taken (to be honest, all of these pictures are from the BCVC Facebook page as my photos were not acceptable to post). The dish was even better this time around as I was able to get the homemade salsa to go on top. As a follow up to the meal, I had the vegan gluten free chocolate chip cookie. It was a nice ending to a filling lunch. 

Photo courtesy of the Bull City Vegan Challenge Volunteers

My wish is that all of the participating restaurants will keep their dishes indefinitely.  I have never been one to dine out for brunch, but if these options stay around I might reconsider.

Bull City Vegan Brunch Challenge- Post 11

For the month of October, Durham (the city I live in) is having a vegan brunch challenge. Six local restaurants have been offering vegan options on their brunch menus for the entire month. Each place must offer a sweet and a savory option and cannot do something mundane like oatmeal. 

I was ecstatic when I learned that three of the places were offering gluten free dishes. Those places are The Refractory, Daisy Cakes, and Bull Street Gourmet and Market. Those restaurants are offering tofu scrambles, cookies, cupcakes, tofu and sweet potato hash with green beans and red pepper sauce, and peanut-corn-potato cakes with caramelized onions. For the non-gf items there is French toast, bananas foster, and burritos. Everything sounds amazing!

Last weekend we tried The Refractory and had a delicious dal and rice dish along with a tofu scramble with pumpkin seeds and black beans. I regret that I did not take a picture of our dishes. The dishes were both hardy for a chilly fall morning. It was a nice start to a weekend day and kept us full until dinnertime.

This weekend we went to Daisy Cakes and had their North Coast Tofu Scramble that contained roasted veggies, garlic cilantro tofu topped with vegan mozzarella, cilantro, and scallions. We enjoyed this meal with local coffee with soy milk. We both enjoyed the scramble as the predominate vegetables were white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and red bell peppers. The scramble had a nice flavor and they get extra points for having hot sauce. I always eat my scrambles with hot sauce. 

Next weekend we plan on trying Bull Street Gourmet Market and I hope to post the pictures of their TWO gluten free, vegan dishes! Thanks to all of the organizers, restaurants, and chefs! 

Introducing "The Vegg", A Vegan Egg Yolk

I have noticed Facebook buzzing about a new product called The Vegg. The website touts itself as the "the world's first vegan fried egg." Upon first glance at this product I was fascinated. I have tried many substitutes for egg and they have all worked well, but none of them allowed for the substitute to stand alone as an egg yolk. Since going vegan, I have not ever really craved an egg, but after seeing this it made me think of the possibilities. 

One such item that came to mind, although not a stand alone egg, is vegan gluten free french toast. This might seem mundane for many of you, but to someone who lives their life as a vegan gluten freer, this is something that I have longed to enjoy. With the current egg substitutes available, the breakfast dish did not seem appealing. After hearing about The Vegg, I began to dream of a meal of french toast, sprinkled with powdered sugar, served with fresh berries. 

Since the product is not yet sold locally, I had the option of buying it online. A friend had recently tried the product and had positive reviews. As I was contemplating placing an order, I saw a Facebook status from The Vegg calling for bloggers to review the product. Within seconds, I sent an email and received a response that the product would be sent to me.

I received the product this past week and was delighted to see that the labeling stated that it is gluten free. Now, it was time for my desired meal. I decided that we would have french toast for dinner with fresh strawberries from our CSA followed by a salad, also using ingredients from our CSA. I have been dreaming of french toast ever since I heard of this product. As a gluten freer, this is not something I get to have often. In fact, I have never had french toast gluten free. Luckily for me, I would finally get to satisfy a craving. And, let me say this certainly lived up to my craving expectations! Gluten free bread is not the tastiest, but the soaking of the bread in The Vegg mixture did wonders for it! It was how I remembered french toast from my childhood. The product offered an egg-like flavor that was subtle and not too overwhelming. 

We have only tried this product once, but it was enough to get my creative juices flowing for other ideas. I imagine this will be something will always have on hand. I am hoping that it will become easy for us to have on hand by being sold in a store in Durham or Raleigh soon.

Vegan Gluten Free French Toast

• 6 slices of gluten free, vegan bread (I used a Rice Pecan bread) 
• 3 tsp The Vegg powder 
• 1 1/4 c soy, almond, or coconut milk
• 2 tsp corn starch
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp agave nectar
• Olive oil or canola oil spray
• strawberries (optional for garnish)
• powdered sugar (optional for garnish)

In a blender, or using a hand blender, blend The Vegg powder and 1/2 c of the non-dairy milk. Make sure to scrape down the sides to get the mixture to blend well. Add in the cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, remaining milk, and agave nectar and blend again. Place the mixture in a shallow bowl or pan, with enough room for two pieces of bread.

Place a skillet on medium heat and spray with olive oil or canola oil spray. While the skillet is heating, place two slices of bread into The Vegg mixture and let it soak for about 5 minutes. When the pan is heated, place two pieces of bread in the skillet. Place two more pieces of bread into the mixture to soak. Turn the french toast in about 3 minutes when it is slightly browned. Cook until it brown on the other side. Serve with sprinkled powdered sugar and sliced strawberries.

Breakfast Qunioa

Post number 21 for VeganMoFo. I met my goal to have 20 blogs during Vegan MoFo! Now I am exceeding it!

I am not all that exciting when it comes to breakfast on weekdays. I would like to be, but I do not want to wake up any earlier than I already do. I generally eat something quick like dry gluten free oatmeal (that may seem gross to you, but wet oatmeal often makes me gag), gluten free English muffin with peanut butter and banana or other toppings, or gluten free cereal. As you can see, weekday breakfasts are not very inspiring.

After visiting a B&B recently, I was introduced to the idea of quinoa in the morning. It blew John and I away. It was so delicious, filling, and nutritious. We have now incorporated it into our routine and sometimes cook it the night before. Not only is quinoa delicious and versatile, it is also healthy. It is rich maganese, magnesium, iron, copper, and is low in fat. Having quinoa in the morning is a good way to add some nutrients early on in the day. I also plan on adding fruit and vegetable smoothies, but I am taking it one step at a time.

We buy mostly black and white quinoa based on the availability in our bulk section. This week we had black quinoa, which looks more purple when cooked. They probably all taste the same, but I tend to prefer the black and red. This is the recipe we make, but you could add in any nuts and fruits.

Breakfast Quinoa
1 cup of uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups of water
1 Tbsp chopped pecans
1 Tbsp chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp dried cranberries
Fresh organic raspberries
Blood orange infused olive oil (you could use regular)

Bring the water to a boil and add in the quinoa. Simmer covered for 15 minutes. When finished, fluff with a fork. Place a serving in a bowl and sprinkle in the pecans, walnuts, cranberries, several raspberries, and a drizzle of the olive oil.

Blueberry Almondshake

Post number 5 for VeganMoFo.

Lately, I have been in a mood for shakes and smoothies. Not the kind with ice cream, syrups, and a lot of fat. I want something healthy and nourishing that adds to my fruit and vegetable intake each day. I find myself getting bored with breakfast and I want a way to liven it up a bit.

We have been experimenting with different flavors and textures. Our experiments have shown me that our regular name-brand blender just isn't cutting the mustard any longer (or in this case, chopping the nuts/seeds/berries/etc). Sure, it is pretty with a silver base, but I need more than looks. I want something that will chop up ice without throwing a fit and scaring the dog. I want a blender than can handle turning seeds or nuts into a flour. I want to have a smoothie or shake without unpleasant chunks.

So, we find ourselves contemplating the Vita-Mix. It is way too pricey for a blender, but I have seen the magic that it can create and I want in! This is, after all, our health that we are investing in. BUT...it is still a lot of money to throw down for a small kitchen appliance. I'll save this debate for another day.

Even though we do not yet own a Vita-Mix, I have been making due with our current blender. This is a recent that I made that proved to be a satisfying and delicious breakfast. I enjoyed drinking a beautiful purple shake. It was delicious to boot!

Blueberry Almondshake

• 1 c raw almonds
  
• 4 dates
  
• 2 Tbsp raw sun flower seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cold water (used ice cubes to cool the water)
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 quart of frozen or fresh blueberries (fresh are ok if you use ice)

Soak the almonds and dates overnight in water. Blend the almonds, dates, sunflower seeds, vanilla, and the water with ice. Once blended and the sunflower seeds are ground, add in the banana and blueberries. Blend until smooth and enjoy.

Chocolate Chip and Blueberry Pancakes

Blog #17 for the vegan MoFo 2010 challenge!

I have posted about blueberry pancakes before, but felt it was time again. Before going gluten free, we used to make pancakes from scratch with wheat flour. Now that I have made the switch to gf, we buy Bob's Red Mill Pancake Mix. I prefer to make food from scratch, but it has gotten more complicated at times and it is sometimes nice to use a mix that is premade. With this mix, you just add in your favorite non-dairy milk, a little oil, and egg replacer. To make these cakes my own, I add in blueberries, chocolate chips, a dash of cinnamon, and vanilla.

The process is quite simple. You mix the egg replacer with water and mix it in with the remaining ingredients. I usually use organic frozen berries, so the mix turns a purplish blue. When the pan is nice and hot, you pour enough batter out for your first cake. Then, you let them roll.

The best part is taking them out of the pan and onto your plate to enjoy. We serve them with fresh fruit, vegan margarine, maple syrup, cut up raw veggies, and sometimes tofu or tempeh bacon. It is a sweet treat that we don't eat often, but when we do we love them!

Even if your not gf, give this mix a try sometime. It makes fluffy and rich pancakes and you would never know that they were gluten free!