Category: breakfast

breakfast · daiya cheese · nutritional yeast · tofu

Vegan Grilled Breakfast Sandwiches

osuadamr1 Comment


Week 1: Browns vs. Titans

And we’re back! A long offseason punctuated by a perfect fall day, a new tailgate van and a full menu

Hard at work on the new grill table

of vegan fare. A tailgate breakfast can be a welcome treat and a life saver. Often when making a big meal it can be hours before you eat and no one wants to snack on chips and salsa for breakfast. So that’s why I love to incorporate a grilled breakfast item at the tailgate.

Last year Broccoli Rob made vegan break burritos ahead of time, wrapped them in foil and then tossed them on the hot grill first thing in the morning.  They were excellent! That got me thinking about other breakfast items we could make and naturally I landed on the Egg McMuffin.

This recipe combines the best of all worlds: marinated tofu, vegan sausage breakfast patties (there are countless brands to choose from), vegan cheese, whole wheat English muffins and a special blend of sauces. After you eat this sandwich you will ask yourself, “why can’t I eat this every day?” Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • For the marinade:
    • 1/3 cup tablespoon vinegar (any kind but Balsamic)
    • 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard (or less, if using ground mustard powder)
    • 1/3 cup tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 1 tablespoon turmeric
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • Sriracha Maple sauce

      1 teaspoon black salt (Kala Namak is a must!)

    • 1 teaspoon onion powder
    • dash of white pepper
    • 6 sandwich-sized slab of extra-firm tofu, cut into circles
    • Rest of sandwich:

      Directions

      1. The tofu should marinate AT LEAST overnight, then the rest of the recipe takes under 10 minutes to execute. 
      2. Marinade: Mix the marinade ingredients in a small plastic container with a lid. It will be thick! If it looks dry, cut with a bit of cold water. Once you have a paste, toss in the tofu, close the container, and shake to cover tofu completely. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, and even up to 48!
      3. Tofu butcher is in the house!

        Prepare the grill for direct heat.

      4. When grill is hot, give the tofu a final shake in the container, then place in grate along with the sausage patties. Keep most with any excess marinade. Grill the first side about 3-4 minutes. Flip tofu over, and grill another few minutes. When you flip the sausage over, place a piece of vegan cheese on top. Tofu is done when it’s a goldenrod color on both sides and has nice grill marks. When the cheese is melted, pull the sausage patties off the grill. 
      5. Meanwhile, prepare the bread to toast. Spread with a little vegan butter if you wish. Toast the bread right after the tofu and sausage is off. 
      6. Now once the bread is toasted, spread some of the sriracha maple sauce and vegan mayo on the bread. You can assemble the sandwich and then place it on the grill, or just eat right then and there! 

      Time to grill!

       

      Grilled to perfection! 

      Eat me!

      avocado · beans · breakfast · field roast · hummus · lentils · newbie · quinoa · salsa · soup · thanksgiving

      Top 5 Vegan Starter Recipes (that’ll leave you full and satisfied)

      osuadamr1 Comment

      Salad, not included!
      Today, I had a friend ask me for my top 5 vegan recipes.  That question is harder than it looks 
      because the answer hinges on who is asking and what they hope to discover. 
      If you are a newbie vegan, then it means I have to give my favorites at all 3 meal times so you have a full days worth of food.  If you are a vegetarian looking to cut out cheese and eggs, then I want to include things with cashew cream or flax eggs to make it seem like nothing is missing.  If you are a seasoned vegan looking for meat 
      substitutes to grill, then I can get into the nitty gritty of seitan or veggie burgers.  The degree of kitchen skill also plays a role too, as you don’t want to scare anyone off from trying a plant-based diet with complex techniques or obscure ingredients.
      My friend today was looking for  my favorite vegan starter recipes.  I thought about this long and 
      Stir Fry, not included!
      hard and have come up with a list, including 2 breakfasts, a sandwich, a soup and main dish as my top 5.  (Honestly, spinach chickpea salad and stir-fry are my go to dishes for lunch and dinner respectively, but since I make it different every time and there is no wrong way to do it, I didn’t include these in the top 5).  Enjoy!  
      THE TOP 5

      1.    Kale Strawberry Banana Smoothie
      2.    Loaded Oatmeal
      3.    Spinach Mushroom Hummus Panini
      4.    Lentil Soup (with Field Roast)
      5.    Black Bean Brown Rice Bowl

      Recipes after the jump…

      1.  Kale Strawberry Banana Smoothie
      Picture taken pre-vitamix
      Put the ingredients in this order into a blender (Note: if using a vitamix or any other super-power blender, put the ice on top)
      ·      1 cup water or soy/almond/hemp/rice milk
      ·      1/2 cup ice
      ·      Optional supplements (in order of most important for me)
      o   1 scoop unsweetened plant protein 
      o   1 tbsp ground flax 
      o   1 tsp ground chia 
      o   1 tsp spirunlina 
      o   1 tsp raw maca 
      o   1 tbsp goji berries 
      o   1 tbsp cocao nibs
      ·      4 big leaves kale (Note: Spinach might be more palatable to a first timers palate)
      ·      Banana
      ·      Handful of strawberries (frozen work the best!!)
      ·      Optional flavor additions:            
      o   1 tbsp nut butter
      o   1 pitted date
      Blend until smooth.  You may have to adjust the liquid/solid ratio depending on your blender.
      Tastes better than it looks! Its all about how full and great you feel after… 
      2. Loaded Oatmeal (adapted from Livestrong.com’s meals for vegetarian athletes)
      ·      1 cup of oatmeal,
      ·      1 cup water or soy/almond/hemp/rice milk
      ·      1 tbsp. of flaxseed
      ·      1/2 cup frozen blueberries
      ·      1 banana, sliced
      ·      2 tbsp. of sliced/crushed almonds or walnuts
      ·      I tbsp peanut/almond butter
      ·      ¼ tsp cinnamon
      Cook oatmeal according to instructions along with flaxseed and blueberries
      Stir in cinnamon and nut butter.
      Fold in nuts and banana and top with a little more cinnamon.
      3. Spinach Mushroom Hummus Panini (adapted from Engine 2)
      ·      4 tbsp hummus of choice
      ·      2 slices Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread
      ·      1 medium Portabella Mushroom
      ·      1 1/2 cups Spinach, Raw
      ·      1 Green Onion, diced
      ·      Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or soy sauce plus water to sauté
      Panini bliss
      Sauté the mushrooms on medium heat in a nonstick skillet for about 5 minutes or until soft. (Note: you can sauté in any liquid, so oil isn’t necessary! I like soy sauce for the flavor.  Add water as necessary)
      Spread bread slices thickly with hummus. Sprinkle one side with green onions and reserve the other as sandwich top.
      Using a slotted spoon to allow any liquid to drain away from the mushrooms, place them on top of the green onions.
      Put spinach on top of the mushrooms. Smush it down!
      Top the sandwiches with the reserved piece of bread, and press to seal.
      Carefully place the sandwich in a nonstick skillet.
      Place a heavy casserole dish on top of the sandwich to flatten it. (Note: if you’re locuky enough to own a Panini press, use it!)
      Cook the weighted sandwich on one side over medium heat for about 5 minutes, taking care not to let it burn.
      Flip sandwich and cook the other side in the same way.
      When done, the panini will be quite thin and browned on both sides.
        
      4.  Lentil Soup (with Field Roast) 
      Serves 4
      A one-pot meal
      ·      2 carrots
      ·      2 celery stalks
      ·      1 medium onion
      ·      4 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
      ·      4 cups veggie stock or broth
      ·      4 cups water
      ·      1 and ½ cups green lentils
      ·      Bay leaf
      ·      3 cups spinach/chard/kale
      ·      Salt and pepper to taste
      ·      Optional: 2 Italian field roast sausages
      In a large pot, sauté coarsely chopped carrots, celery, onion and garlic in a little water or stock until soft. (Note: no oil needed!) 
      Then pour in the veggie stock/broth and water
      Rinse and pick through lentils add to the broth and veggies.  
      Throw in a couple bay leaves and pepper and bring to a boil.
      Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes.
      If you want, sauté chopped field road for a few minutes until browned and add to simmering soup.
      Add the greens to the simmering soup in last few minutes. 
      Serve hot!  I like a little sriracha in mine. 
      5.  Black Bean Brown Rice/Quinoa Bowl
      Serves 2
      ·      1 cup dry Rice/Quinoa cooked according todirections
      ·      1 can Black Beans 
      ·      1 Large Green Pepper
      Plant rainbow
      ·      1 Large Red Bell Pepper
      ·      1/2 Small Red Onion
      ·      4 oz. Mushrooms
      ·      1 cup Canned Corn
      ·      2 Tomatoes
      ·      2 sprigs Cilantro, Fresh
      ·      1 Avacado
      ·      1 tbsp Chili Powder Generic
      ·      1 tsp Ground Cumin
      ·      2 cloves Garlic Clove
      ·      1 tsp Liquid Aminos/soy sauce
      Heat the beans with water or stock, along with corn, green pepper, Bragg’s, cumin and chili powder.
      Cook rice/quinoa according to directions with mushroom, red pepper, onion and garlic
      To serve, place several big spoonfuls of rice/quinoa onto large plates and ladle beans on top.
      Add generous of tomato, avocado and fresh cilantro on top
      Add hot sauce and bam!