Breakfast for One and Soup.

This morning I woke up and made the diner home fries from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Vegan Brunch again because they were so amazing yesterday. And to go with it, I made the tofu scramble from Vegan Brunch. Normally I make mine pretty plain-ish with tofu sauteed with onions and some salt, pepper, turmeric and maybe garlic and onion powder. The recipe from VB calls for fresh garlic, cumin, thyme, turmeric and nutritional yeast. These flavors were surprisingly good in the scramble. I wasn't sure about the cumin at first but it worked and gave a nice kind of smokiness. I served with Vegenaise/ketchup sauce.

I love Linda Mc's book "Linda's Kitchen". It's out of print now but you can probably find it on amazon marketplace selling for less than a fiver. I have a handful of recipes that I turn to again and again.

This soup is one of them. You must try it!

Here is the soup ready to simmer away. I substituted potato for turnip and seasoned with Maldon salt, freshly cracked black pepper and summer savory. Such a good soup.

More weekend eating.

I made another snack from Mary McCartney's book FOOD. It's the Pan-Fried Cheese, Tomato and Onion Sandwich. I used yellow and red cherry tomatoes and Daiya vegan mozzarella style cheese. It was delicious.

Gooey Daiya cheese.

Here we have a breakfast specialty of mine, a scrambled tofu sandwich. I added mushrooms today. Usually I have it on white toast but all I had was a loaf of Dave's Killer Bread which is full of whole grains. Worked out fine and was very satisfying with lots of Vegenaise and ketchup!

Vegans love cake too! Here is a tried and true eggless, dairy free date cake that I make often. It's so easy and so moist and sweet. Perfect with a hot cup of tea in the afternoon. Recipe here. (Substitute almond milk for the dairy milk!)

Scrambled Tofu Sandwich.

Tofu scrambled with mushrooms, red onions and red peppers served on wheat toast with Vegenaise.

Breakfast Burrito.

Scrambled tofu and onions, vegenaise/ketchup and homemade salsa. Cuppa tea not pictured.

After Thanksgiving Foods.

This morning I was in the mood for a fluffy stack of pancakes so I went with my go-to recipe from Vegan With A Vengeance (also in the Vegan Brunch book). The recipe makes PERFECT pancakes. No eggs or dairy necessary!


When I was little, I used to make scrambled eggs with slices of processed Kraft singles on top which would melt and make the eggs very cheesy. I recreated that today with scrambled tofu and Daiya vegan cheddar. I sort of mixed in small slices of Daiya into the tofu while it cooked in the pan. It got all melty and gooey.


Yesterday's lunch was a very simple congee (rice porridge) made with carrots, celery and leftover Tofurky bits. Sriracha is a must when eating congee.


Fast donuts made out of Pillsbury crescent roll dough. Deep fried and dunked in cinnamon-sugar!

"Full English", Vegan Style.

I've always loved the idea of the full english breakfast. Before I was vegan, I had one once in London. It had bacon, eggs, sausage, grilled tomato, mushrooms, beans and toast. I think there were potatoes or "bubble and squeak" too, I don't remember. Now that I don't eat meat or eggs, I have to improvise. Mine has scrambled tofu with onions, sauteed mushrooms, heinz beans (a british product), LightLife brand vegan sausage patties with some HP sauce on the side and tomatoes. I'm missing the bacon aspect because I really didn't want to add another protein to my dish! It was way too much food as it was!


Also included, hot ceylon tea and white toast with Earth Balance and apricot jam. This was a nice treat on my patio on this fine Labor Day holiday.

Tofu Scramble and Penne with Roasted Vegetables and Tunisian Pesto

For breakfast, I made a delicious tofu scramble with cremini mushrooms and red onions. Served with a blob of ketchup and HP sauce!


I'm going to a potluck today so I decided to make penne with roasted veggies and pesto. I used this tunisian style pesto that I got from a wonderful book, 'Classic Vegetarian Cooking from The Middle East and North Africa'. It's a delicious blend of fresh parsley, basil, almonds (I used walnuts), olive oil, garlic, butter (I used Earth Balance margarine), oregano, cayenne and parmesan (I used a vegan parmesan substitute). I added a squeeze of lemon for some brightness.


Tossed with the penne and roasted veggies. How festive!

Cooking out of the pantry: Breakfast Sandwich

Simple tofu scramble between two slices of whole wheat slathered with vegan mayo and topped with ketchup and hot sauce! I didn't have to delve too much into my pantry but it was nice to have these few ingredients for this delicious breakfast.

Pantry staples used:
whole wheat bread
herbs/spices: garlic powder, turmeric
ketchup
hot sauce

Other ingredients:
onion
firm tofu
Vegenaise

Ingredients I had to purchase: none

VeganMoFo: Mondays Ugh. And Breakfast in Bed.

Had such a nice weekend that went by way too fast. Dodgers playoffs on Saturday was amazing. We swept the Cards so onward to the National League Championship Series! I also didn't sleep well last night so I'm not feeling it today. Coffee, coffee, coffee! That was my morning. After a couple cups I thought maybe I should eat something too. I had half a block of tofu in the fridge so I scrambled it up with onions and made a sandwich on toast. When I used to be omni, I made them with scrambled eggs. This version is just as tasty with the advantage of no cholestorol. Yay. Happy Monday everyone, hope it speeds by.

Scrambled Tofu Sandwich

I woke up early this morning but didn't have anything for breakfast except coffee so I made this sandwich which combines both breakfast and lunch elements! I used to make these all the time with real eggs and white processed bread. This is a much healthier version which is just as tasty. I don't miss real eggs at all. I sauteed some onions and garlic first before throwing in some crumbled firm tofu, a handful of chopped spinach and seasonings (salt, pepper, turmeric, onion powder and paprika). I popped a couple of sesame whole grain sprouted toasts and spread Vegenaise on both slices (not very healthy!) and squirted some ketchup on top of the scramble. This was deeelicious.

Cheap Eats: Breakfast Burrito and Channa Masala

Today's eats are good examples of using a few cheap ingredients to create a tasty yet satisfying meal. In these tough economic times, a trip to the grocery store can be really depressing. Prices have gone up for just about everything. Luckily there are a few staples that are very affordable and will be of so much use to your bargain meal repertoire. Today was a good example of using everyday vegetarian staples such as tofu (around $1.29 per carton), potatoes ($2 for a 5lb. bag) and beans (in this case, chickpeas. I get mine at the 99cents only store for .99 cents for a large 28oz. can).


For lunch I made a breakfast burrito with some scrambled tofu and onions, potatoes and a delicious sauce which was simply a mixture of ketchup and mayo! I only used 1/4 of the tofu block, so I have 3/4 of it left to use for another recipe. Oh, and I got a pack of flour tortillas for .99 cents too!


Dinner was a simple potato and chickpea curry, otherwise known as 'Channa Masala'. I make this all the time and it is best served on top of hot, steaming jasmine or basmati rice. I always use this recipe. I only used half a can of the chickpeas, so I was able to save the rest to put on top of my lunch salad tomorrow.

VeganMoFo: Scrambled "Egg" Sandwich and A Survey.

Before I was vegan I used to make scrambled eggs, pop a couple toasts, slather them with lots of mayonnaise and ketchup, plop some scrambled eggs in between the toasts and eat that for breakfast. It was comfort food for me and so dang good. I got the craving for this last night and so I made a scrambled tofu "egg" sandwich which was just as good if not better than the original! It's also healthier, with no cholestorol and has the added benefits of soy. I added sauteed onions and a little chopped tomato to my scrambled tofu. Everything else was the same: white toast, mayo (Vegenaise of course), and ketchup! Yummy, yummy. My husband watched me eat this and said "That looks very egg-like."


Not the best lighting for a photo but you get the idea.


All closed up and ready to eat. It's a very messy sandwich but I think that might be the best part. A basic recipe for scrambled tofu can be found here. You can add or subtract any vegetable you like.

*******On to the survey!********

Survey by jdfunks at the PPK forums aka Jess from Get Sconed!

1. What was the most recent tea you drank?
A lovely dark red herbal fruity iced tea at The Veggie Grill.

2. What vegan forums do you post/lurk on? If so, what is your username? Spill!
postpunkkitchen forums, my username is kmouse

3. You have to have tofu for dinner, and it has be an Italian dish. What comes to mind first?
Lasagna, I would use the tofu for the "ricotta".

4. How many vegan blogs do you read on an average day?
I always read Vegan Dad, eat'n veg'n and Fat Free Vegan. And there are plenty others I read too just those three I never miss.

5. Besides your own, what is the most recent one you’ve read?
Vegan Dad's

6. If you could hang out with a vegan blogger that you haven’t met, who would it be, and what would you do?
I'd love to hang out with Diann from eat'n veg'n so I can get a chance to enjoy all those delicious veggie-ful dishes she makes. They always look so beautiful and healthy. I would like to cook the way she does. And of course, she seems like a very lovely lady as well! I'd also like to go cookbook shopping with her. :)

7. If you had to base your dinners for a week around one of the holy trilogy – tofu, seitan or tempeh, which would it be?
Definitely tofu. (Can you tell by the food post above?) I like tempeh and I enjoy seitan in small amounts.

8. If you had to use one in a fight, which would it be?
Probably the seitan because it's not my favorite and I wouldn't mind wasting it.

9. Name 3 meals you’d realistically make with that tough protein of choice!
Tofu Fish n Chips, Thai Red Curry with Tofu and Veggies, Joni's Tofu Egg Salad


Tofu Fish n Chips

10. What’s a recipe in vegan blogland that you’ve been eyeing?
Most of what Diann from eat'n veg'n makes. Once she made a "Breakfast Hippie Pizza" which had a tempeh sausage gravy base and was topped with fresh sliced tomato, green onions, seasoned crumbled tofu, and fresh parsley. Then she added alfalfa sprouts and pumpkin seeds after it was cooked. I would normally never eat something like this but she made it look so good!

11. Do you own any clothing with vegan messages/brands on them?
I don't actually, just a lot of band t shirts.

12. Have you made your pilgrimage to the 'vegan mecca' yet? (Portland, duh)
Not yet. I want to go so bad.

13. What age did you first go vegan? Did it stick?
I went vegan on Jan. 1, 2007. I was 30. A year and 9 months have passed and I'm still here!

14. What is the worst vegan meal you’ve had? Who cooked it?
The "Iron Yam" salad at Native Foods. It was a split yam stuffed with salad greens and cubes of bland tofu. I didn't like it at all. Everything else on their menu is wonderful though.

15. What made you decide to blog?
Everyone else was doing it and I thought "I could do that too!" as I am always cooking.

16. What are three of your favorite meals to make?
1. Channa Masala
2. Falafel
3. Enchiladas


Enchiladas

17. What dish would you bring to a vegan Thanksgiving-themed potluck?
A sheperd's pie and a pumpkin pie.


Sheperd's Pie

18. Where is your favorite vegan meal at a restaurant? How many times have you ordered it?
Hmm...When I go to Native Foods I always get the Native Reuben sandwich. It is heavenly. It's got fried blackened tempeh, cashew "cheez", sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. I've ordered it maybe 3-4 times. It feels so greasy and bad for you but it's not.


This is not my photo. It's ruby red vegan's. Just had to show you how good this reuben sandwich looks.

19. What do you think the best chain to dine as a vegan is?
Native Foods is great, The Veggie Grill, any Thai Vegan place like The Vegan Joint and California Vegan...Real Food Daily is good too but a little expensive.
Those aren't really chain restaurants are they? If you mean like fast food chain then I'd have to say...Chipotle! Their veggie burrito is great.

20. My kitchen needs...
a new blender, more cool looking dishes for my blog pics.


I want this. Anyone have $449 I can borrow?

21. This vegetable is not allowed in my kitchen!
I like all vegetables except bean sprouts!

22. What's for dinner tonight?
Don't know yet!

23. Add a question here!
Do any non vegetarians read my blog???? Please comment, I'd like to know. :)