She's A B.A.D. (Breakfast All Day) Mamma Jamma

I haven't really cooked since mofo ended last week, but tonight I am back. I finally made "Mom's Morning Casserole" from Vegan Brunch and I know it will not be the last time I do so. I am so glad to have another brunch/breakfast option. I usually cook my morning meals on Sunday or Monday and eat the same thing all week. It sounds boring, but if I really like a dish, I have no problem eating it every day, or even twice in a day. I had been hesitant to make this because my sister didn't seem interested in it, completely forgetting I could eat the whole thing myself if I broke it into daily portions. Luckily I don't have to worry about being the only one to devour the casserole since my niece is also fan. I'm always happy when she likes my cooking since kids can be picky.

There are three layers so this can take some time if you are a slow poke like me. I only decided to make this in the afternoon when my niece vetoed my pumpkin pancakes and I had to come up with a Plan B. If I had planned on it, I definitely would have done some of the work ahead of time. To compensate for my slowness I mixed the tofu layer before I put the potatoes in the oven since I knew I would not get the tofu and tempeh mixtures ready in under 25 minutes, especially since that time had to include stopping to help with homework questions.

Dinner wasn't as early as I had hoped, but it was every bit as delicious as I was expecting, so that is much more important. I wasn't going to serve anything with the casserole, but when I read through the recipe I saw the suggestion of greens or salad as a compliment. I had bought chard to make with chicken fried seitan, but decided to make "Shredded Swiss Chard" as a side today. I used it before as an omelet filling and really liked it. I can buy more greens another day this week. I'm really trying harder to incorporate them into my eating. I'm also going to start chipping away at my food resolutions!

Vegan Mofo V Day 4- "You Don't Spell It Son, You Eat it!"

 I made my very first quiche today. It's "Red Chard Tofu Quiche" from an issue of VegNews. I am really starting to fall in love with chard. I think this is the third time I've used it ever, but it's the second time in two weeks. You definitely haven't seen the last of it! If you want the recipe, let me know because I didn't see it on their website.
 
I thought I would save myself some time and make the crust the night before. I'm so glad I did that because I still ended up taking a lot of time to make this. Anyone else could have done it in less time, but I am known for taking forever and with new recipes/techniques I can take even longer. I've never made crust from scratch so without any reference point, I was freaking out. I think I rolled the crust too thin so then I patted all the excess back into the pan after I was done. I think this is what I get for cheating on Isa/Terry and not making one of their pies or quiches first. They give the clearest (and funniest) directions so my food always comes out awesome even though I am learning as I go along. Check back in a few months to see my improved skills. Vegan Pie In The Sky comes out in a few weeks, perfect for when it is cool enough to use the oven more often.

Making the filling was a lot easier. There were only a few ingredients and not too many seasonings. I think next time I might add some paprika and a few other things to give it a bit more of the flavors I like, but it is good like this too. I've never had quiche in my pregan days, but I will say this is a million times better than the Spinach Pie I used to make with Bisquik when I first turned veg 11 years ago! While I was cooking the veggies for the quiche I also made some VB Diner Home Fries to go with it. They were an afterthought so there is no bell pepper but they are still a great compliment to the quiche. Next time I will make some fancier lemony herb potatoes!

p.s. Could you tell that I traced a heart into the quiche? I can barely see it but that's also because I know what I'm looking for.

Vegan Mofo V Day 2: Slam!



One of the things I truly miss about being vegan is being able to go out for huge breakfasts and brunches. Granted, there are a few places I can go to, but most involve a good amount of time on the freeway and they're way overpriced. We all need to hang onto our money a lot tighter these days, so why not make your own damn slam?!<br>It's a little, okay, a lot more work, but just think you are burning off some of the calories before you eat it. Also, doesn't it taste better knowing how hard you worked getting that plate out?! If you break the tasks down, it's a bit easier. Or if you are badass you can time it so everything finishes around the same time. Orrrrrrrrr if you are me, you make the omelets one day, the fronch toast the next day and on the third day you pile it all on a plate and go to town.

I have to admit, omelet day was a bit of a challenge. I did the home fries, omelets, chard, and cheesy sauce (all from Vegan Brunch) in an afternoon. It was my normal "cooking" day, but instead of making multiple meals it was components for one huge meal. Everything turned out great, but I am going to two bunches of chard next time. It came out so good I wanted more. I'm still working on my flipping skills, but I did much better than last time.Woo!

This was my third time making the  VWAV "Fronch Toast". I love this recipe. The first time I made it I didn't have soy creamer, and it was good, but it is so much better with soy creamer if you can spring for it. I don't drink coffee so it's an extra ingredient to buy, luckily my sister will use the remainder so I am not wasting. Since these are baguette rounds instead of the big slices of bread we are used to, sometimes we just pick them up with our hands and eat them. Another benefit of eating at home is you can do that kind of stuff without getting stares (unless you live with the manners police).

If I can pull this off anyone can, probably with less syrup/cheesy sauce comminglage too. I know I forgot the tempeh bacon, sorry!

Mofo Is Toast...But I Owe This Entry

Here is my "Chard Florentine on Toast Points" that I was supposed to make on Monday. I have never used chard before so I was kind of excited. It's nerdy but I always feel a bit proud when I try a new food since pre-vegan I ate almost no vegetables/plants at all. How did I survive?

This turned out to be quite yummy.Next time would be to toast the bread a bit before putting it in the oven, or not load so much cheesy chard on top. They were not as crunchy as I would have liked after the baking time, but I also was really hungry and did not have the patience to put them in for a few more minutes. The instructions do say to put them under the broiler for a few, so that might have done it, if I had only followed directions. I also would like to use a plain nondairy milk, but the only soy we had was vanilla, which I hate to use but I couldn't use plain almond since my sister is allergic and we were breakfasting together. I didn't want to open a quart of rice milk and waste it, so I'll have to drink rice milk around the next time I make this I guess.

Now that mofo is over, I can go back to slacking on cooking and blogging. Just kidding, but there won't be so much food I feel compelled to eat so I can get back on my program. Two packages I received today will help toward that goal: Appetite for Reduction and my Wii system. I haven't had a chance to play with either yet, but I'm sure I will exhaust them both soon enough. Time to take Dad and the dog for a walk!