so, i dedicate this blog to the morning intelligentsia, to those who know how amazing breakfast is and can be. especially the brunchophiles out there. you are my people. and this post is for you.
so, you may have noticed that i have been on vacation from eat yr heart (out). --> see almost 3 month gap between now and my last post... where have i been you might (or, might not be) wondering? well, i've been staying at a lovely and popular destination of mine - procrastination station.
a while back, i optimistically started this blog hoping to rekindle my creative spirit, which had laid dormant for quite some time. for me, law school has never been an all consuming endeavor so i figured i'd be able to keep up with it. which, i did... for a time. and then finals hit. rocked me like a hurricane, and i barely recovered. and then summer beckoned, a bit late for my liking, but nevertheless, it was hot, exciting, and fun. and, i was seduced by it. no time for staying indoors and staring at computer screens. i had trivia and poker games to play, karaoke to sing, concerts to attend, and cabins to chill at. then, summer left as quickly as she came. in part, because i took a part-time job, a part-time research position, another part-time research position, started summer school (yup, part-time too), and met a gorgeous girl... ah, but i digress.
my point is that lately i feel like i'm trapped in a scott turrow novel (read '1L' to get the reference) or perhaps a beastie boys song (rock out to 'no sleep til brooklyn' to get where i'm coming from). then, on top of doing a nose dive into an abyss of endless busyness... my damn electric stove has basically chilled my desire to cook creative, mouth-watering meals, which normally would function as the muses who whisper to me and ignite my blogging inspiration. and that, simply was the final catalyst that led to me abandon this blog. (sorry blog.)
Yet, despite my disdain for a certain cooking appliance, that can go to a certain undesirable locale, and my ridiculously chaotic schedule, breakfast is something that i still love to make. hence, the topic i choose to write about for my first go round back in the blogosphere. personally, i think breakfast rocks because it requires very little effort to make something delicious and seemingly fancy. plus, it takes practically no time at all. lord knows i am short on free time these days, but i gotsta eat nonetheless. and, w/o breakfast, i would not make it through my 7:30 am class every morning. so... i'm sharing my love of the day's first meal with you. what it comes down to is that i'm back. so, please, let's eat our hearts (out), together again. ready, set, go!
most of the breakfast foods i make are vegan or vegetarian, or can be. and, normally i can cook breakfast in under 15 minutes (from prep to table). add potatoes, which i almost always do (because they are my favorite food!) then breakfast may take 20-25 minutes, depending on how you like your potatoes.
DIY: the tofu is really the only thing that needs any attention in this recipe. sautee it up with some olive oil, splash it with bragg's and then sprinkle it w/the brewers yeast. flip and season to yr liking. i'm always experimenting with adding different spices (mostly from the spice house), like jamaican jerk seasoning, italian seasonings, paprika, or sweet curry powder. seriously, this breakfast sammie is so easy to make, and you can vary it in an infinite number of ways. Add roasted red pepper, make it vegan and take out the havarti, or add some fake bacon. Once the tofu is good and crispy, toast (or don't toast) your bagel, spread some toffutti cream cheese on one half, hot pepper jelly on the other, add tofu and cheese. and voila!
vlt & taters.
ingredients: potatoes (duh). bread, fake bacon, lettuce, cucumber, sriacha, TJ's reduced fat mayo (vegan), apple (optional)
DIY: this really doesn't need extensive explanation. slice and dice the veg. smear yr bread with sriacha & mayo (i like to mix em together first, so i don't blow my mouth out with spice because i added too much), sautee the fake bacon til crispy, and put it all together. if yr feeling fruity, add some apple slices (preferably granny smith).
for delicious taters, i sautee em up with olive oil, some braggs, garlic-salt, paprika... and when they're almost done, i put em in the oven and bake at a high temp for 5-10. it gets rid of some of that greasiness and really crisps 'em up just right.
"sausage"/"bacon"/arugula/pepper sammie
here's one more version of a delish morning sandwich.
pretty much the same as the others, but i added roasted red peppers, arugula, provolone, and gimme lean sausage. still got the tofutti cream cheese, hot pepper jelly, and fake bacon. soo good.
Ok, so i've mostly been on the savory kick for breakfast, but i do like it sweet every so often. when i'm craving sugary goodness in the morning, i make vegan stuffed french toast. (now, this picture doesn't do 'em justice but it's all i have for now... sorry. )
vegan stuffed french toast
ingredients, bread (usually sourdough works well), soy milk, bananas, cinnamon, vanilla, shredded coconut, honey, tofuttii cream cheese, raspberry (or whatever fruit floats yr boat) jelly, and raw sugar.
DIY: imagine yr making french toast, only instead of eggs and milk, your gonna mash up some bananas in soy milk (if yr high tech you could even do it up in a blender) and then just like regualr f/t, you add a dash of vanilla and cinnamon. i'm not big on measuring, so if i had to guesstimate, i usually use about 2 bananas and half a bowl (maybe more) of soy milk.
then for the filling, i mix up some fake cream cheese with honey (like a spoonful per tub of c.c.), a little raw sugar, and if i'm feeling fancy i add some chai seasoning (again, from the spice house. that place rocks... so, go there) i slice up the bread, add a generous portion of the filling between two pieces, and then dunk in my soy/banana mixture, til it's good and soaked. a tip: to keep the pieces together really douse the open sides with the soy/banana mix, making sure that banana pieces are really sealing it all together.
now for me, sauteeing the v/f/s/t has proved irksome at times. i use margarine and a little oil, and i basically have to keep tinkering with the amount as i go to get em just right. as you can see from the pic, my tendency is to over cook em. whoops. i think medium heat works best, wait to flip em for a couple minutes, but after that you have to flip em a lot because the banana/soy mix is slow to brown (yet surprisingly quick to blacken- or maybe that's just me). now, before i flip 'em the first time, i sprinkle raw sugar on top. i repeat that step when i flip em again, so that both sides get coated. and then usually the last time i flip em i sprinkle raw sugar on 'em one more time. flipping em a lot and adding the sugar really helps to crisp up the outside.
for a garnish, i add shredded coconut (unsweetened). sometimes, i add the coconut straight to the soy/banana mix, sometimes i do both! so crazy, i know. kiwi and blueberries also make for a delish garnish. and, of course, drizzle that shiser with yr favorite syrup before devouring. oh, and cinnamon of course. sometimes i add a little dashes as i'm cooking to get em extra extra yummy!
well that's all i got for now.
check back for upcoming blog topics that will include a few of my favorite things: tattooze & booze, a tour of mke in search of the best bloody mary, and cuisine of the asian persuasion!
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