A Classic Favorite

I went to bed last night wondering what I would make for breakfast this morning. I know, I know! I really need to expand my thought patterns. I had some leftover home fries and sausage. Throw some scrambled tofu and a flour tortilla into the mix and you have one of my all-time favorite breakfast foods: the breakfast burrito. Voila! Breakfast is solved.

The breakfast burrito is so user friendly. You can add or subtract ingredients as you like.

Ingredients:

Flour or corn tortillas

Scrambled tofu

Crumbled cooked tator tots or hashbrowns

Vegetarian sausage links or patties, cooked and crumbled

Soy sour cream

Soy cheese

Salsa or Taco sauce

Olives, optional

Instructions:

Layer ingredients in tortilla. Roll and enjoy!

I made a Mexicali Tofu Scramble for my breakfast burrito this morning.

Ingredients:

1/4 of an onion, chopped fine

1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped fine

1/2 orange bell pepper, chopped fine

1 block water-pack tofu, crumbled

Turmeric, Cumin, Granulated Onion, Granulated Garlic, Soy sauce, Oregano, Salt

Instructions:

Saute onion and bell pepper in a little cooking spray over medium heat. Add crumbled tofu to pan. Add seasonings to taste and color consistency. I only used a sprinkling of turmeric, oregano and garlic. I like the taste of cumin so added more. The soy sauce is nice because it adds a touch of saltiness with a rich flavor.

You'll have to experiment for yourself, but that's most of the fun, isn't it?? :)

Enjoy!

Breakfast Today

So, last night I planned to make waffles for breakfast this morning. I usually use a modified recipe that my mom created with granola and other ingredients (super easy!), but I didn't have everything that I needed. My husband always talks about these incredible oat waffles that he used to eat, so I decided to try my hand at making oat based waffles.

I think I may have created a new favorite! It takes a little longer than your average white flour waffle, but it's definitely worth it. Not only for your heart and digestive system, but for your taste buds as well.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw cashews (you could experiment with other kinds of nuts if you wanted)

7 dates

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup corn meal

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

3 cups of water (plus a little more as needed)

handful of coconut (opt.)

1 T. flax seed (opt.)

Instructions:

Blend cashews and dates with 1 cup of water in blender until very smooth and creamy. Add rolled oats, corn meal, vanilla and salt ~ blending with the rest of the water. Turn off the blender and stir in the coconut, if using.

Spray your waffle iron with cooking spray and pour batter onto hot waffle iron. Bake for 11 minutes. Remove and enjoy with your favorite toppings! I made a mixed berry sauce for mine.

Yield: 3 large square waffles or 7 small round waffles (give or take depending on your waffle iron)

Something Different

I know...it's been a while since I've posted anything. There is a good explanation for that! Around the time of my last blog, I discovered the joys of morning sickness. I was sick for seven weeks straight, sometimes not able to get out of bed without being overcome with nausea. I couldn't think about food, much less cook, thus the quiet blog. (We are due in early October.)

Yesterday I was given a bag of plums. I've never cooked with fresh plums before, but I had seen a recipe in my recent Vegetarian Times magazine that sounded good, Plum Cobbler. Since I had most of the ingredients on hand, I decided I would put it to the test. The results? My husband thought, and I quote, " it was awesome".

My 3 year-old daughter enjoyed helping me make this dessert. She washed the plums and carefully placed most of the ingredients into the blender. It's a joy to watch her take an interest in something that I'm passionate about.

The texture of the cake-like topping is very moist due to the escaping juices of the fruit as it cooks. The cobbler has a nice contrast of sweet to tart.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. fresh or frozen, thawed, pitted and halved plums or apricots, or trimmed, halved figs

6 oz. silken tofu, such as Mori Nu, drained

1 Tb. cider vinegar

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 Tbs. cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray deep-dish glass or ceramic pie dish or 9-in. square baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange fruit in layer in prepared dish.

Blend tofu in blender or food processor until smooth. Add vinegar and 1/4 cup water, and blend until smooth. Add sugar, vanilla, and almond extract; puree 1 minute or until sugar dissolves. Add flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Blend again for about 2 minutes, or until a smooth thick batter forms.

Pour batter over fruit in baking dish. Bake 30-40 minutes, or until top is golden-brown and a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

*This dessert freezes well, too. Wrap the baked, cooled cobbler with foil and plastic wrap before freezing. Thaw frozen cobbler, remove plastic wrap and foil, and warm in a 350 degree oven 20 minutes or until filling is hot and bubbly.

You can find this recipe in the July/August 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times.