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vegan brunch

Simple Tofu Scramble + Breakfast Taters | Plant-Based Weekend Brunch

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When your tastebuds are demanding you to chomp down on something savoury, eggy & satiating, PRONTO…here’s the cure-all.  This super simple tofu scramble with all the fixin’s is a 10 on the brunch-o-meter.

After a busy first week of September action, Saturday is the day to take a moment in the kitchen to whip up this yumminess.

These breakfast taters satisfyingly pop in the mouth.

Adding the hummus to the scramble helps soak up those spices to create a flavourful smorgasbord.

I used to love cheese eggs before I became vegan. You know that melted cheese all over a scramble? It was our go-to on camping trips. If you like the cheese + egg combo, spruce this recipe up a bit by melting some vegan cheese over the scramble in the pan for the last few minutes with the lid on (drooling just thinking about it).

 

The meltiest vegan cheeses? Gusta block (grated), Violife cheddar, or Sheese Cheese.

Vegan food is not a compromise.

Let’s get into it!


Simple Tofu Scramble with Breakfast Taters | Plant-Based Weekend Brunchin'
 
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A simple tofu scramble you can whip up this weekend to cure that savoury breakfast craving!
Author:
Recipe type: breakfast, brunch
Serves: 3
Ingredients
  • ½ large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 6 white mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp Hawaiin black salt (for sulfur/egg taste!)
  • ¼-1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 block of organic medium or soft tofu (about 350g)
  • ½ cup hummus of choice or this Roasted Garlic Hummus

  • Taters:
  • 4-5 russet potatoes, scrubbed clean then diced (into small ¼ inch cubes)
  • 1 tsp avocado oil
  • 1 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt

  • Extras:
  • Sliced tomato
  • Sliced avocado
  • Hot sauce
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 425°F
  2. Coat the potatoes with avo oil, onion and garlic powder. Then lay them out on a parchment-covered (or silicone sheet-covered) pan, making sure they're barely touching each other (you may need 2 pans).
  3. Bake potatoes for 20-30 minutes, flipping half way. They should be golden on all sides.
  4. Oil-free sauté your onions: Bring pan to medium heat, throw onions on and let heat until they brown. Then add a bit of water to de-caramelize the pan. Do this until they are translucent (about 5 minutes, adding water if they stick).
  5. Add mushrooms, pepper and garlic. Let sauté a couple of minutes.
  6. Add the spices and a bit more water (about ¼ cup)
  7. Crumble the tofu with your hands (trying to get the tiniest crumbs possible) into the pan.
  8. Add the hummus.
  9. Mix it all together and let sauté for a couple more minutes.
  10. Serve it up with the potatoes, avocado, fresh tomato, and Sriracha hot sauce!

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This week’s email was all about eating this, not that for weight loss on a vegan diet.

 

Vegan Quiche with Smoked Tofu & Cauliflower Crust

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Diner-approved vegan brunchin’. This comfort-style vegan quiche has Father’s Day breaki written all over it.

An egg-y texture, with smokey bits and creamy hollanadaise, all on a cauliflower crust.

Comfort food with benefits… and lots’a tastiness.

Plus… it’s soy-free, gluten-free & oil-free (triple bonus).

I’ve been pumping out the treats over the last few weeks… cardamom muffins, cookies, parfaits, matcha cheese cake, so I had the urge to share some savoury goodness with you so you can create a masterpiece for your Pa this weekend.

Depending on the preferences of that Dad in your life, either take the savoury route with this quiche, or this omelette, or sweeten things up for the special occasion with these simple pancakes.

‘Quiche’ …the first thing that came out of Davey’s mouth when I asked him for a savoury comfort food recipe idea. Davey’s my professional taste-tester and cuts all BS when it comes to telling me whether it tastes good or not… And as the ‘cheese egg king’ before we went plant-based, he gave this quiche a 10/10 for eggy-ness and tastiness.  Winner.

The lemon-y hollandaise takes it to the next level on the brunch-0-meter.

When I told my G-Ma I was whipping up a vegan quiche, she didn’t get it. Quiche usually means eggs, cheese, butter, bacon. It’s pretty much an oxymoron. But the code is cracked, folks.

Plus, the cauliflower crust brings this quiche to a new level. It’s a cake-y crust with zero gluten and a good dose of cruciferous awesomeness.

Benefits:

  • Cauliflower is so versatile. Cauliflower Roast, Buffalo Cauli Wings…and this crust is totally usable for pizza crust too. Don’t let the white colour fool ya, cauli is packed with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals. Plus it’s part of the cruciferous fam-jam (known for cancer prevention).
  • Chickpea flour is the magical ingredient in the filling to create that egg-y texture. It’s packed with amino acids, and gluten-free for those with sensitivities.
  • Veggies!!! They’re good for ya. Duh. You can pack in as many veggies as you want in the filling and they’ll be surrounded by delicious egg-like texture and go down real easy.


Vegan Quiche with Cauliflower Crust
 
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A quiche for an occasion... veganized! A flavourful filling all on top of a gluten-free cauliflower crust.
Author:
Recipe type: breakfast, brunch, lunch, comfort food
Serves: 8
Ingredients

  • Cauliflower Crust: (or use any other kind of crust you like)
  • 3½ cups cauliflower, chopped, steamed 10 minutes (until soft)
  • 3 flax eggs (1/4 cup ground flaxseed meal + ¾ cup water in a jar, let sit for 5 minutes)
  • 1 cup flour (I used amaranth)
  • ¾ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper

  • Filling:
  • 1½ cup chickpea flour
  • 1¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • pinch of black pepper
  • 1 tsp black salt (optional - but an amazing ingredient for that 'eggy' taste)
  • 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 4 cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
  • ¼ cup red onion, diced
  • handful spinach
Instructions

  1. Make Crust:
  2. Pre-Heat oven to 400°F
  3. Place steamed cauliflower in a cheese cloth or nut milk bag. Let sit in the fridge for a few minutes (until you can handle it without yelping). Then squeeze as much liquid out of cauliflower into the sink as possible.
  4. In food processor, pulse the cauliflower, flax eggs, flour, nutritional yeast, tahini and spices until a creamy dough forms.
  5. Press and spread dough with a spatula on a 9-inch pie dish (non-stick, or lined with parchment paper) along the bottom and up the sides about ¼ inch thick.
  6. Bake crust for 20 minutes.
  7. At the same time, spread the mushrooms, red pepper, and cherry tomatoes on a parchment-lined (or reusable baking sheet-covered) baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
  8. Meanwhile, make the filling: blend or whisk together chickpea flour, water and spices until smooth. Then stir in the roasted veggies, spinach, onion (and if you're fine with soy, add in ¼ cup of chopped smoked tofu YUM)
  9. Pour filling into the crust.
  10. Bake for 45 minutes.
  11. Remove and let cool for at least 10 minutes.
  12. Serve each slice with a drizzle of the hollandaise sauce from this recipe and a basil leaf or two:)

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This week was all about celeb vegan Dads 🙂

Vegan Omelette (what?!) + Cashew Hollandaise Sauce

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We be BRUNCHIN’!  This vegan omelette shows up with the texture, taste and look you’re wanting when you dig into that savoury fave of a dish.

Finally, an egg-free version of one of the best breakis around. Drizzled it with this Hollandaise Sauce and call it a Sunday.

When it comes to veganizing old faves, it’s all about re-creating that texture, pleasing the taste buds, and replicating the sight of that nostalgic dish you used to devour over and over again…but this time, with plants.

I used to love cheese & avocado omelettes so much that they’d grace the plate for breakfast and dinner. Finally, I can sink my fork into that same omelette, without having anything to do with an animal 🙂

It even got a thumbs up from my hard-to-please fiancé/taste-tester. Davey’s specialty used to be cheese eggs, so needless to say, he’s got high standards when it comes to comfort-food brunchin’. I’m happy to report that this recipe passed with flying colours.

The black salt used in the recipe is a magical ingredient that gives the omelette that ‘egg-like’ suflur taste. If you can get your hands on some, do it. If not, your vegan egg mixture will still be delicious, but not quite as egg-y tasting. I ordered mine online from Vegan Supply (pick up some Jules Fuel while you’re at it!). You can also order it through Amazon or find it in any other natural food store these days.

Tapioca flour (from the Casssava root)  is another magical ingredient that gives the omelette a egg-like texture. It creates the chewiness and helps it all stick together. Cornstarch can replace this, but, if you don’t have either in your cupboard for this recipe, don’t stress, it’s not the end of the world.

I used Alligga Flax Oil for the cooking oil. When it comes to the beauty of this omelette, a little oil goes a long way to give it that crisp, brown outer layer.

Flax oil, you ask?! Yup.

Usually you wouldn’t be able to cook with flax oil. But, these guys are the first to figure out a way to filter the oil so it has a ‘high-smoke point’. This means that you can cook with this flax oil with the omegas will staying in-tact, and the healthy fats in there won’t turn into trans-fats. This is a great way to get in your omega-3 fatty acids (which is an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid that we all need to balance out our omega 6 to omega 3 ratio) for brain power, memory, arthritis, mood, and overall healthy function.

Benefits:

  • Tofu isn’t something to be afraid of. It’s super nutrient-dense and plant-protein packed. The phytoestrogens that come with it aren’t anything to worry about. These are plant estrogens that act completely differently than human estrogens. There’s no need to worry about about ‘man-boobs’ or hormone imbalances, when it comes to soy. Dairy on the other hand…cut that stuff out.
  • Chickpea flour is also packed with protein! Chickpeas are also packed with manganese for bone health and antioxidant function.
  • Nutritional yeast is an amazing source of Vitamin B12 for your nervous system, neurotransmitter signalling, and cell reproduction (great for hair and nail growth).


Vegan Omelette + Cashew Hollandaise Sauce
 
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A veganized omelette! The texture, taste and look are on point with this recipe. Wow your egg loving friends with this egg-free version of the beloved omelette.
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine: comfort food,
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups (350g) firm tofu, patted with tea towel to remove excess liquid
  • ⅓ cup chickpea flour
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 tbsp tapioca flour
  • 1tsp garlic/onion
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp black salt
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • Dash of Pepper
  • 2 tsp Alligga flax oil (for cooking)

  • Filling:
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp flax oil
  • Choice of veggies, diced (mushrooms, peppers, spinach, red onion)
  • Vegan cheese Chao, Black Sheep, Gusta are all good options
  • Avocado
  • Hollandaise Sauce
Instructions
  1. Sauté garlic and veggies in flax oil
  2. Blend all omelette ingredients, except for flax oil, in your blender until it’s as smooth as a baby’s bottom.
  3. Test the texture: dip a spatula in the mixture. Does the mixture stay on the spatula, but it’s on the verge of dripping? Perfect.
  4. Turn a pan to medium heat and oil it up.
  5. Pour half the mixture onto the oiled pan and set timer for 2 minutes 30 seconds. DO NOT TOUCH.
  6. When the timer goes off the omelette should be darkening on the top, maybe with a few bubble holes. Cover half of the omelette with half of your fillings. Then fold one side over to create your vegan omelette!
  7. Place lid on the pan and let cook for a minute to melt that cheese.
  8. Serve with avocado slices and a mega-drizzle of hollandaise sauce. Helloooooo Brunch.

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