CLASS #4: Vegan Brunch!

Vegan breakfasts are easy and delicious. With the easy availability of vegan cream cheese, a toasted bagel with a "shmear" makes for a quick bite.

There's also vegan waffles in the frozen food section, and many of your favorite cereals are already "accidentally" vegan. (Just read the label.)

But it's also easy to make more hearty breakfast and brunch items! On the menu today:

Tofu Bacon

Tofu Scramble (with potatoes, peppers, and onions)

Blueberry Pancakes

...and Carrot Cake

SCRUMPTIOUS TOFU BACON

Ingredients

1 14-ounce package extra firm tofu (prepared & pressed as described below)

1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup maple syrup (or maple-flavored brown rice syrup)

3 Tablespoons liquid smoke hickory seasoning

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)

Prepare the Tofu: Freeze the package of tofu, then thaw completely. (Freezing changes the texture of tofu, making it drier and more absorbent.) Remove thawed tofu from package and gently press between your palms to squeeze out water. Cut tofu into 12-15 thin slices.  

Press the Tofu: Lay tofu slices on a flat surface between two clean, absorbent kitchen towels. Place a cutting board or other stiff item on top (such as a book), add some weight (such as a bag of potatoes, jug of wine, or a couple of heavy books), and allow to press for at least 30 minutes.

Make the Marinade: Combine all marinade ingredients in food processor/blender or whisk by hand. TASTE and adjust to your desired preferences (sweeter? smokier? saltier?). Pour into shallow container and add the sliced, pressed tofu. Make sure each piece of tofu comes in contact with the marinade; then refrigerate for 1 hour (minimum) or overnight (better). 

Bake: If desired, cut tofu slices lengthwise to make thinner strips. Arrange tofu on baking sheet (I line mine with parchment paper) and bake in a 350° oven for 20–30 minutes, turning pieces over halfway through. Check toward the end of cooking time to ensure that bacon does not become too hard—this can happen quickly! Bacon is done when pieces are brown, lightly crisp on the edges, but still mostly chewy. 

Bacon is great for snacking, as a side dish with breakfast, or in a BLT sandwich. See recipe below to make your own mayo for BLTs (and other uses!)

EASY VEGAN MAYONNAISE (EGG- AND OIL-FREE)

Ingredients

½ package soft tofu (about 6 ounces)

½  teaspoon salt

¼  teaspoon garlic powder

¼  teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon agave nectar (or other sweetener)

1 ½  teaspoons cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons cold water

Mix all ingredients in blender until smooth and creamy. Makes approximately 1 ½ cups of mayo.

TOFU SCRAMBLE

Ingredients

1 package soft tofu

1 Tablespoon vegan butter and/or oil

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon tamari, optional

1/2 teaspoon (or to taste) kala namak ("black salt"), optional

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Heat butter/oil in large skillet. 
• Add tofu, crumbling it into desired size, and stir while the tofu heats through. (If you like well-done "eggs," allow to brown slightly. 
• Add nutritional yeast and turmeric and stir to blend well (this will color the tofu).
• Just before removing from the pan, add tamari and kala namak, if using. Stir one more time, adjusting seasoning if desired. 
• Serve hot. 

EASY PANCAKES

Don't be afraid to "veganize" your favorite recipes, especially something simple like pancakes. In this version, all I've done is substitute a vegan "egg" for a chicken egg and used vegan butter instead of dairy butter. The results are wonderful!

Original recipe, veganized:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I use white whole wheat flour)

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 1/4 cups milk (I use unsweetened, unflavored soy milk)

1 egg (I use Ener-G Egg Replacer)*

3 Tablespoons butter, melted (I use Earth Balance)

Instructions

• Preheat a griddle or large frying pan over medium heat. Grease lightly, just enough to prevent pancakes from sticking. 
• In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In a 2-cup glass measure, pour milk, egg, and butter; blend well. Pour liquid all at once into dry ingredients; stir together just until all flour is moistened. 
• Pour batter, about 1/4 cup for each pancake, onto a hot griddle. Cook until bubbles form and edges appear dry. Turn pancake with a wide spatula to lightly brown the other side. (Turn pancake only once). 

*Vegan egg equivalents: 

1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G powder plus 2 Tablespoons cold water = 1 egg.

1 Tablespoon ground flax meal plus 3 Tablespoons hot water = 1 egg. 

SUPER MOIST VEGAN CARROT CAKE

I found this recipe online at http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegancakerecipes/r/vegancarrot.htm