On Friday and Saturday last week, I worked all day and night at a conference my job hosted.  Due to the long hours, the panelists, participants and staff all received breakfast, lunch and dinner.  But what’s a vegan to do in a non-veg world??  Luckily, I was able to order special meals in advance for lunch and dinner.  For breakfast, (my fave meal of the day) I was able to scrounge up homefries sautéed in oil and some fresh fruit.  Not a bad meal, but not exactly an inspiring one either.  Everyone else dined on French toast, pastries, scones and scrambled eggs.  It made me yearn for a decadent hot breakfast too.  So I decided to prepare my own hot breakfast at home!

You can cook one of these recipes or all three like I did for a delectable breakfast or brunch.  The vegan French toast I adapted from a recipe by Emily Barth Webber in the June ’08 edition of VegNews Magazine.  I’ve used vanilla soymilk before in a stuffed French toast recipe I cook and it’s a wonderful substitute for eggs.  Using soymilk in the batter makes the toast taste lighter while the vanilla and the blended bananas impart a subtle sweetness.  The tofu scramble I adapted from a recipe created by Lindsay Nixon, blogger at Happy Herbivore, featured in the January ’10 issue of Vegetarian Times.  A hearty meal full of protein and bursting with fresh veggies, the turmeric, mustard and nutritional yeast give it a yellow color (albeit a bright one) reminiscent of scrambled eggs.  You can also make this meal portable by putting in a wrap.  And the homefries are a simple recipe that my boyfriend and I whipped up.  I like the sweetness of the rosemary and he adores the cayenne’s heat…together they create a harmonious bite.

You’ll be ready to start your day and take on the world after you’ve devoured these delish dishes!

Vegan French Toast

1 loaf French bread, sliced
1 1/2 cups vanilla soymilk
1 1/2 bananas, sliced
3 tablespoons non-dairy butter (Earth Balance rocks)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:

In a blender or food processor, combine soymilk, bananas and cinnamon.  Blend until smooth.  Pour batter into large dish.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter on medium-high heat.  Dip bread on both sides into batter.  Place battered slice into skillet.  Continue with more slices to place in skillet.  Fry until golden brown on one side, then flip and cook on other side.  Continue in batches adding 1 tablespoon of butter with each new batch.

Yields 3-4 servings

Homefries

3 large Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon rosemary, dried & crushed
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, dried
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on high heat.  Add potatoes.  Sprinkle with cayenne pepper, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Sautée for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown.

Yields 3 servings

Tofu Scramble

1 16 oz package extra-firm tofu, drained and crumbled
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (you can buy at Whole Foods)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tomatoes, diced
1 cup baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 cup spinach leaves, chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Stir tofu, nutritional yeast, mustard and turmeric together in a bowl.  Mix well and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil on high heat.  Sauté onions and garlic until onions are translucent.

Pour tofu mixture into skillet.  Add mushrooms.  Cook for approximately 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and spinach.  Cook for a few minutes more until mushrooms are golden and spinach has wilted.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Yields 3-4 servings

Bon appetit!