Your Vegan Mom

Buttermilk Biscuits

Everybody's mama has a recipe for biscuits.  Here's mine.  Like I said on Tuesday, this one adds a bit of light whole wheat flour without making them taste at all good for you, plus there's much less fat than a lot of recipes out there.  So, this is now a semi-weekly treat rather than a semi-yearly one.  There is no better vehicle for good jam than a soft biscuit fresh from the oven.

Carrot Cake Muffins and Good Housekeeping's Simple Vegan!

I'm going to tell you right now, this cookbook is not for all of you.  What I think makes it noteworthy is its very existence.  Good Housekeeping published a vegan cookbook last year.  The vegans have arrived.  We have the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. 

Monster Milkshake

So, this is actually nothing but our current house smoothie - easy, action-packed nutrition all blended up into a creamy cold sweet treat, but that color makes it perfect for a Halloween breakfast or after school snack to fuel up for an evening of Trick or Treating.  Happy Halloween!  

Monster Milkshake
Makes: about 3 cups
Takes: about 5 minutes 

• 1 1/2 cups rice milk
• 1 seedless orange, peeled or 1/2 cup orange juice (depending on your blender)
• 1 tablespoon raw hemp seeds, or 1 teaspoon flax oil
• 2 leaves of kale, stems removed, or 1 big handful baby spinach
• 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks*
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks*

If you are using a high-power blender, blend the milk, orange, seeds and greens until you have a nice smooth brilliant green milk.  Add the frozen fruit and puree again until smooth.

If you are using a regular blender (and if you're not sure, then you're using a regular blender), blend the milk, orange juice, flax oil, greens, and frozen fruit until smooth.  

*Tip: For ease of measurement, 1 cup of fruit chunks will displace 1/2 cup of liquid, so add the pineapple until the smoothie level has increased by 1/2 cup, and then do the same with the mango. 

Pancake Taco

Start with Paul's Buttermilk Pancakes.

In a small bowl, stir together some almond butter and maple syrup with a fork.

Spread a big dollop of the sweet almond butter onto each pancake.

Arrange slices of fruit on one half - pears or peaches or raspberries or whatever you have are all nice.

Fold in half and devour.  

The Scrambling Spice and a Simple Tofu Breakfast Sandwich

You know the seasoning blend that you made for the toast cups on Easter?  Do you want to know what to do with the leftovers?  

I love having a jar of it in my cupboard.  It's my all-purpose scrambling spice.  Just saute whatever vegetables you have in the fridge.  Mash in some tofu.  Sprinkle on the spice.  Maybe add some salt and pepper.  When the toast pops up, you've got breakfast.    

And if you want to change things up a bit, make a breakfast sandwich.  Slice regular tofu into about 1/4 inch slices.  Over medium-low heat, melt some (non-dairy) butter in a cast iron or non-stick skillet.  Gently lay the slices of tofu in the pan.  Sprinkle each slice with your scrambling spice.  When the bottom is lightly browned, flip it over and sprinkle the other side.

When both sides are browned, remove the tofu to a plate, and pop some bread in the toaster.  Now saute a couple handfuls of spinach in that pan that you just used for the tofu.  You don't need to wash it or wipe it out or anything.  Any butter and seasoned bits will just make the spinach better.  Add a pinch of salt and stir that spinach around until it's nicely wilted.  If you have a lemon, squeeze a little bit in there right now.

Now, just layer your spinach and tasty tofu onto your toast and serve open faced with fruit and coffee and the Sunday paper.   

In case you've forgotten, here's the recipe again for the seasoning blend - 

Scrambling Spice
This is light on salt so that you can adjust as needed.  If you like the flavor of egg (I don't), you can add black salt at the end of cooking.
Makes: about 2 cups
Takes: less than 5 minutes

• 2 cups nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Place all ingredients in a jar.  Shake.  Use as needed.