Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup with Lemon and Cilantro

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

If you’ve been following my blog, you know I love to throw sweet potatoes into everything from burgers to burritos to blondies. I recently took my favourite lemony lentil soup recipe, added sweet potatoes, altered a few other ingredients, and came up with what I think is the most delicious soup ever!

It’s perfect to make in large batches as per the recipe below and either feed a whole crowd or make and freeze some for later. I almost always have a container of this lentil sweet potato soup in the freezer. Whenever I know I’ll have a hectic schedule the next day, I’ll move the soup from the freezer to the fridge and by the next day it’s defrosted and ready to take a few minutes to warm on the stove for a quick and easy dinner.

This recipe is adapted from A Quiet Soup from Orangette blog who in turn adapted it from “In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite” by Melissa Clark.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup with Lemon and Cilantro

4 Tbsp olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
a few grinds of black pepper
pinch of cayenne or chipotle pepper, optional
6 cups vegetable broth (learn how to make your own here) or water
2 cups red lentils, washed and picked through for stones
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (save a few sprigs for garnish)

In a large pot, warm the olive oil over medium-high. Add the onions and garlic and cook a few minutes until soft and golden. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne/chipotle if using and cook another few minutes.

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Add the onions and garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne/chipotle if using, and cook for 2 minutes longer. Add the broth, the lentils, sweet potato and carrot and stir. Lower to the heat to a low simmer and partially cover pot. Continue to cook until the vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste, and add more seasonings if desired. If it looks too thick, add some more broth or water, stir and heat through. I like Orangette’s idea to use an immersion blender to puree until about half is smooth, so it’s just a bit chunky. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. I garnish the soup with a sprig of cilantro, drizzle it with olive oil and serve with crusty bread.

Makes about 16 cups (8 large servings or 12 – 14 smaller servings).

This recipe has been shared with Wellness Weekends and Healthy Vegan Fridays blog linkups.

Vegan Easter

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Easter weekend, filled with peace, friends and family. This Easter we enjoyed all the fun and deliciousness of Easter family traditions I’ve enjoyed yearly since I was a child: an egg hunt, a savoury roast for dinner, and lots of chocolate, and it wasn’t too difficult to make it all vegan!

Here’s a rundown of the great food and fun our family enjoyed this weekend:

Brunch: Buckwheat Belgian waffles with Cinnamon Maple Cream Cheese Spread. The recipe for the delicious topping is from Keepin’ it Kind and found here.

Lunch: I recently discovered Magnolia Café in downtown Guelph, which is all-vegetarian and mostly vegan and gluten-free. From their website: “At Magnolia, our love for food and passion for community means that we are committed to mindful and sustainable food practices and specialize in sourcing local, seasonal, fresh and organic produce in all our delicious and healthy offerings.”

One of the many things I enjoyed about Magnolia is that the kitchen is open concept (in fact, you have to walk right through it if you visit the rest rooms), so you can watch your food being prepared and see the high quality ingredients being used. Here’s what we ordered:

Green Goddess Rice Bowl
From their menu: “Brown rice bowl topped with broccoli, kale, snap peas, bok choy, marinated tofu and garnished with shredded carrots, mung bean sprouts and sunflower seeds. Choice of homemade lemon tahini or Thai peanut sauce.”

Magnolia Red Dragon Rice Bowl
From their menu: “Brown rice bowl topped with roasted red peppers, beets, carrots red onions, marinated tofu and garnished with fresh tomatoes, mung bean sprouts and sunflower seeds. Choice of homemade lemon tahini or Thai peanut sauce.”

South Indian Coconut, Vegetables and Chickpea Curry Bowl
From their menu: “Curried Vegetables and Chickpeas with Coconut Milk served on brown rice garnished with toasted coconut, mung bean sprouts and fresh cilantro.”

For dessert, we couldn’t resist these adorable chocolate lavender Easter ducky cupcakes!

We also tried their chocolate raspberry banana muffins and their raw “sun balls” (sunflower seeds, peanut butter, coconut, maple syrup and currants). Out of their desserts, I like the sun balls best.

The food was all quite tasty and very healthy tasting (not loaded with oil and salt like many restaurants), with all of us agreeing that the Red Dragon Rice Bowl and the sun balls were the most delicious items we tried.

Magnolia café is located at 88 Yarmouth Street, Guelph, Ontario.

Saturday’s family dinner: We tried the Gardein holiday roast for the first time, wanting to change it up from the usual Tofurky roasts we usually make for holidays. The consensus was….. Gardein was good but not nearly as delicious as Tofurky brand. For taste and texture, Tofurky wins hands down!
Sunday’s family dinner: We had one of the most delicious meals ever for Easter dinner thanks to my mother’s Somi — a Middle Eastern dish — which are Swiss chard rolls filled with rice, chickpeas, tomatoes, herbs and spices and cooked until it has a buttery texture. It’s quite time-consuming to make so it’s reserved for special occasions. I have never seen Somi in a cookbook or on a restaurant menu, I’ve never even tried to make it myself, I’ve only ever enjoyed them when homemade by my mother or grandmother; consequently, Somi feels like our very own family secret. It might look like a humble dish, but I have no words for how delicious it is. We paired it with a kale and almond salad with lemon and oil dressing. Spectacular!

Dessert: We kept it simple and enjoyed fresh berries and mango.

Then…….the egg hunt! There are many reasons to avoid buying the traditional chocolate bunnies and eggs. Not only have cows suffered for the milk, but most chocolate is produced by child slavery.
If you’re going to go with chocolate, pretty pretty please make it vegan and fair trade! A bonus if you find them organic too! Which brands can you trust? Not the big guys like Nestle and Cadbury, sadly. See the list of fair trade chocolate makers here on Food is Power and check which brands do dairy-free. Some good ones are Chocosol, Camino, Edensoy, Nature’s Path, and Sweet & Sara.

When our oldest was a preschooler, we bought plastic eggs that can be filled with whatever treats you like, and we’ve used these every year since. After the fun of the egg hunt is the thrill of opening them to see what goodies are inside, and every egg can be a little bit different. You can fill them with fun treats like stickers, Panda licorice, teeny toys, costume jewellery, raisins, nuts, coins and chocolate chips (we like Camino vegan chips which are also fair trade certified).
It was such a delicious weekend, I am submitting this post to What I Ate Wednesdays, with thanks to Peas and Crayons for hosting!

5 recipes I’m loving lately

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Hi friends,

As much as I love developing recipes, I’ve been short on time these days, and haven’t been branching out beyond my repertoire of tried, tested and true recipes. In addition to full-time work, I started grad school this month! I am equally excited and freaking out. A master’s degree has been on my to-do list for a while, and this year felt like the right time to dive in. The extra activity on my plate is why you haven’t heard much from me these past few weeks, and while I may be posting less often than previously. (Though, I can be a terrible procrastinator when I’m under deadline, so perhaps when the school work gets intense, I’ll be blogging plentifully. During my last round of school I took up hand-stitching baby quilts and my house was always very clean).

I can’t take credit for any of the following wonderful recipes, but I’ve linked to the original blog post or book’s website. Here’s what I’ve been whipping up lately…..

Apple Pie Oatmeal from Oh She Glows. Recipe here. When I give my kids this oatmeal for breakfast, they think they are getting a treat. It tastes like the sweet cinnamon filling of apple pie, but with plenty of protein thanks to the oats and nuts. Filling and delicious! If you want to change it up, Angela has plenty more oatmeal recipes to choose from on her blog, like the Sweet Potato Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole.

Pasta with Easy Breezy Cheesy Sauce from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and posted here on her blog The Post Punk Kitchen. I reduce the amount of water to make it thicker and creamier. For the fastest mac ‘n cheese ever, I keep a container of the dry mix in the pantry, then mix with hot water and a smidge of mustard, blend, and add to cooked pasta and veggies. To keep it really simple, I reserve the pasta cooking water for the sauce. Use it any place you’d use a creamy cheese sauce: over steamed broccoli, poured on baked potatoes or nachos (thanks, Mary, for that idea!). In the photo above I’ve used the cheesy sauce over perogies with fresh herbs and coconut bacon.
Cinnamon Bun Granola from Tiny Treats by Lisa Pitman and Nicole Axworthy. This granola is so good we have it for breakfast, for snacks and as an ice cream topping for dessert! I never would have thought to add buckwheat to my granola, but what a great texture it adds! You can buy the e-cookbook through the authors’ blogs A Dash of Compassion or Vegan Culinary Crusade. A lovely bonus is a third of the proceeds are donated to the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary in Northern Thailand, if you need one more reason to support this awesome project!

Jambalaya from Peas and Thank You by Sarah Matheny. A hearty and filling meal that’s fast and easy, if rice is already cooked. In the photo above, I’ve used a mix of brown rice and millet instead of just rice, to change it up. I use Field Roast Apple Sage sausages which add just a bit of sweetness to the Jambalaya. If you can handle spicy foods, try the Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages — they would compliment the jambalaya perfectly but are too spicy for me!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies, another winner from Nicole of A Dash of Compassion. Recipe here. Just eight ingredients mean you can whip these babies up in five minutes. These not-so-sweet cookies are flour-less, high in protein, and their texture is like a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread! Try adding the ingredients into the pot of melted coconut oil and the heat will melt the chips into a chocolate swirl.
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In other news, I’ve organized a vegan potluck in Waterloo next Saturday, February 2nd at noon. I love potlucks and hope it will be a nice opportunity for vegans and vegan-friendly people in the Waterloo area to connect. All are welcome: vegans, non-vegans, adults, kids. If you’re able to join us, please see the event page on facebook here. Join us if you can!
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Smoky Maple Sweet Potato Tempeh Burgers

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Hello,

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends! I hope that wherever you are, you are finding yourself surrounded by family and friends and wonderful food and counting your many blessings!

It’s been a while since I posted a recipe. I think you’ll find this one was worth the wait; this is my all-time favourite burger, hands down. They have wowed many a herbivore and omnivore!

Smoky Maple Sweet Potato Tempeh Burgers
1 large sweet potato
1 clove garlic, minced (2 cloves if you love garlic)
1 leek, diced
canola oil
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 package of Smoky Maple Bacon Marinated Tempeh (by Turtle Foods)
1 cup cooked brown rice (or a mix of brown and wild rice)
1/2 cup packed cilantro, minced
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
1/3 cup sesame oil
1/8 cup ketchup
2 tbsp Bragg’s/soy sauce/nama shoyu
1 tsp mustard
Herbamare seasoning or sea salt + black pepper
approximately 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Cut the sweet potato into large pieces and steam until tender, then mash. If you don’t have cooked rice yet, cook the rice while the sweet potato is steaming. (Want to know how to cook rice perfectly? Check out Big Apple Curry’s Rice 101 post here. No more sticky rice.) Meanwhile, sauté the garlic and leek in the canola oil on med-high heat in a large fry pan for a few minutes. Chop up the tempeh and add to the pan. Take a few minutes to toast the sunflower seeds lightly under a broiler or in another pan, being careful not to overcook.

In a large bowl, add the ketchup, Bragg’s/soy sauce/nama shoyu, sesame oil, mustard, liquid smoke, Herbamare/sea salt and black pepper. Add the all vegetables, tempeh, rice, sunflower seeds and cilantro to the bowl and stir until combined. The mixture will be too wet to form into patties, so start sprinkling some breadcrumbs in, a few tablespoons at a time and stir gently, until the mixture has the right consistency to form patties.

Pour enough canola oil to thinly cover the large fry pan again and heat on medium-high. Scoop out 1/3 cup and flatten into patties with your fingers. Pan fry the patties about five minutes each side. Makes 6-8 burgers.

This recipe is gluten-free when choosing GF breadcrumbs and GF soy sauce.

I am sharing this recipe with the Wellness Weekends and Healthy Vegan Fridays blog hop.

Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips and the Virtual Vegan Potluck

Posted on November 1, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Welcome! Thanks for joining us for the Virtual Vegan Potluck. What’s the Virtual Vegan Potluck you ask? It’s a world-wide online vegan recipe-palooza! There is lots in store for you today with 105 participants, so do come in. It’s a rainy day out there, let me take your umbrella and coat. I made some hot hors d’oeuvres just for you. Have a seat, but mind the cat hair.

My kids call these Kentucky Fried Tofu. They also make a nice light main course.

Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips

One package of firm or extra firm tofu (454 g)
approximately 1 1/2 cups of Sesame Lime Marinade (below, or use your own soy sauce-based marinade)
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt + pepper to taste
coconut oil

Sesame Lime Marinade

2/3 cup sesame oil
2/3 cup Bragg’s/soy sauce/nama shoyu
2 tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (optional)
2 tsp agave or maple syrup
1/2 – 3/4 cup filtered water

(also used to marinate my BBQ Veggie & Pineapple Kabobs)

Rinse the tofu, wrap in a clean kitchen towel and press to remove excess liquid. Move to a cutting board and slice into strips. I make mine into 24 thin rectangles pieces (8 pieces long and 3 pieces deep; see photo).

Make the marinade: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. For this recipe, measurements need not be exact, so adjust ingredients to your taste (like more lime or less ginger). For a more intense flavour, use less water. Marinate the tofu strips until ready to use.

Make the breading: Combine the nutritional yeast, cornmeal, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or baking dish. Heat some coconut oil on a frying pan on high. Dredge the tofu pieces in the cornmeal mixture so it’s covered on all sides and carefully drop into the fry pan. Fry on each side until crispy and brown. When frying in batches, keep the just-fried tofu warm in the oven or warming drawer until you’re ready to serve.

Makes 24 pieces. This recipe is gluten-free.

Serve warm with your favourite dipping sauce. We like Saigon Soul Food’s Tamarind Ginger sauce, an Ontario product which happens to be vegan.

Check out some other Virtual Vegan Potluck participants:

Thank you to potluck creators and hosts Vegan Bloggers Unite, An Unrefined Vegan, Vedged Out and Jason and the Veganauts!

This is also Vegan MoFo post #20 and my contribution to the Wellness Weekend blog hop.

Rising Moon Ravioli and Pumpkin Parmesan

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Ravioli has always been one of my most favourite foods, going back to my childhood when ate plenty of Chef Boyardee’s beef ravioli from a can (((shudder))). Thank goodness that fluffy pillows of pasta with a creamy filling can be not just vegetarian but vegan.

Spoiler warning: I don’t have an original recipe for ravioli from scratch. As much as I love preparing food, homemade ravioli from scratch wouldn’t be my favourite use of time in the kitchen, when there’s excellent frozen organic, vegan ravioli to be bought. The brand is Rising Moon Organics and their Spinach Florentine ravioli is delicious! They have other flavours of vegan organic frozen pastas though I have only come across the Spinach Florentine ravioli so far. If you have more patience than I do and are up for making your own ravioli from scratch, I see Vegan Dad has a recipe here that looks great.

Tonight’s ravioli was a delicious meal by adding onions, spinach, mushrooms and broccoli and serving it with tomato sauce topped with fresh basil and my homemade Pumpkin Parmesan! It gives a great “cheesy” taste and lovely texture to all kinds of pastas.

Pumpkin Parmesan

pumpkin seeds
nutritional yeast
sea salt

Measure equal amounts of pumpkin seeds and nutritional yeast (nooch). Toast the pumpkin seeds by broiling in the oven for a few minutes or in a pan on the stove on medium heat; careful the seeds don’t burn. Combine the seeds and nooch in a food processor until pulverized. Add a dash of sea salt, to taste.

Note: The pumpkin seeds can be swapped for nuts (walnuts are great) but pumpkin seeds are awesome for the zinc and iron they contain and since I get plenty of nuts in my diet, this Parmesan is a great way to add in a seed I don’t eat as regularly. Plus, being nut-free, I can use it in my kid’s lunches for school.

It would also make a great popcorn topping!

I am submitting my Pumpkin Parmesan to the Healthy Vegan Fridays and Wellness Weekend blog hops.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Posted on October 8, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Whether you’re Canadian or not, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend full of family, friends, good food, and more blessings than you can count! I am grateful that I did!
I had grand plans to make a seitan roast from scratch for Thanksgiving Sunday dinner, but in the end, convenience won, and I bought a Tofurky roast. For those who are unfamiliar with them, Tofurky roasts are a blend of tofu, wheat and spices complete with a centre of wild rice and breadcrumb stuffing. Completely vegan and absolutely delicious! I especially appreciate that the company Turtle Foods uses soy that is organic and non-GMO, and all their products are vegan and free of preservatives and artificial ingredients. In addition to their roasts, I love Tofurky’s deli slices, frozne pizza (with Daiya), Smoky Maple Bacon Marinated Tempeh and Kielbasa Sausages. Yum yum yum!

I surrounded the roast with parsnips and potatoes then drizzled all with a marinade of equal parts olive oil and soy sauce mixed with poultry seasoning, then sprinkled with sea salt, black pepper and fresh sprigs of rosemary and cooked it at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.
Rounding out Thanksgiving dinner: carrots, beans and quinoa tabouleh. For dessert, I made my stuffed dates, one of the tastiest desserts you can put together in five minutes. This weekend’s medjool dates were stuffed with hazelnut butter and chocolate chips.

Stuffed Dates

medjool dates
your favourite nut butter
chocolate chips, nuts or dried fruit

Slice each date lengthwise, just far enough to remove the pit. Fill with the nut butter and top with chocolate. For a completely raw option, use raw nut butters, raw nuts and dehydrator-dried fruit. Chill until you’re ready to serve.

What served as your main dish for Thanksgiving? I’m looking forward to perusing all the Vegan MoFo thanksgiving posts!

Tomato Cashew Pasta

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

A spin on traditional tomato sauce by adding creamy, nutritious cashews. This recipe was inspired by Vegan Yum Yum’s Super Quick Tomato Basil Cream Pasta.

Tomato Cashew Pasta

1 package (454 gm) pasta (we like Tinyada rice pasta best)
1/2 cup cashews
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp oil
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 1/2 – 2 cups tomato sauce (we like Neal Brothers Arrabiata sauce)
4 large basil leaves, minced
black pepper

Soak the cashew in filtered water for at least one hour, then drain and rinse. (You can read here why nuts should be soaked first.) If you’re short on time, you can soak them in hot water for ten minutes but the longer, the better.

While the pasta is cooking, sautée the garlic in the oil. When soft, combine the garlic and cashews in a food processor until pulverized. Drain the cooked pasta and return the hot pot back to the stove. On low heat, warm 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce, then add the sun-dried tomatoes, cashew and garlic. Add more tomato sauce if you want to thin the sauce (it will make it lower in fat, calories and protein). Add the basil leaves and stir. Pour in the drained pasta and turn gently to coat. Serve topped with black pepper and extra basil leaves if desired.

This is Vegan MoFo post #5!

Fuel your body and mind at Thrive Juice Bar

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

I am often asked for recommendations for places to eat near my work in Waterloo, and I don’t have to think long before giving my answer: Thrive Juice Bar. The place used to be quiet, the best kept secret in town. A place to sip your Coconut Cashew Medjool Date smoothie in peace. But now the word is out and the place is almost always packed, a line occasionally snaking out the door. Beyond having the most delicious food in town, the staff are friendly and the decor is modern and gorgeous — overall a very enjoyable place to eat.
Thrive started as a vegetarian gourmet health food restaurant with vegan options with the motto “fuel your body, fuel your mind”; last year they announced they would be exclusively vegan, though their menu options so accessible and delicious (no “weird hippie food” or fake meat here) our omnivore friends are just as addicted as my husband and I. You’ll hardly believe that food this tasty is good for you. They say they are the “freshest, cleanest and greenest establishment in town” and I would have to agree!

Here are some of the food we’ve enjoyed there lately:
Black Bean Chipotle and Avocado burger. Thrive’s veggie burger has been evolving since they opened in 2010 and they have all been delicious. It’s latest incarnation is a bit spicy, so if you like your burgers with a bit of a kick, you’re in luck. Also, if you like your burgers so generously humongous they can hardly fit in your mouth, you are also in luck. Tip: you can ask for your burger on bread instead of the big buns. It’s served with chips, salsa and hot peppers on the side.
The Big Green Sandwich. Avocado, sprouts, cucumbers and more with a delicious garlic aioli sauce. My husband’s favourite item on the menu.
The Thai Wrap. Sesame tempeh, sprouts, greens and a sweet chili sauce that goes perfectly. I’ve ordered this one at least ten times, it’s one of my favourites.

Falafel Wrap. This item is newer so I’ve only had it once but it was hearty and tasty. The sauce is an edamame hummus with tahini garlic dressing that’s very nice.
The Little Big Kids Meal. A grilled cheese made with Daiya and served with tortilla chips, sprouts, pickles and a green juice. My kids love it all, including the green juice.
Chocolate cupcakes. These were absolutely wonderful. Sweet but not too sugary. We got this one for my hubby’s birthday. The dessert options change regularly, so you’ll have to go in and see what the chef has prepared fresh that day.
Juices and Smoothies! These smoothies will ruin you for all other smoothie bars. I’ve tried so many smoothies from fancy juice bars and none are as good as Thrive’s. The Coconut Medjool Date smoothie is absolutely addictive and tastes like dessert. If you only try one item on the menu, this should be it. Others we love are the Kale Mojito, Chocolate Avocado Ganache and the Big Red Smoothie and the Big Purple smoothie. Thrive are affiliated with Brendan Brazier (the vegan endurance athlete who wrote the Thrive book series) and the VEGA products so in addition to being able to enhance your drinks with assorted supplements, you can buy VEGA products there too. Assorted hot beverages are also served.

Other items on the menu we recommend: the pad thai noodle salad, the Mediterranean rice bowl, the caesar sprout salad and the A.L.T. (avocado, lettuce and tempeh).
A couple of notes if you are planning a visit: their menu online is not up to date, you’ll have to pop in to see the current offerings which change seasonally (so don’t get your hopes up for pizza). While there is an item for kids on the menu, we don’t find it the best place to bring young children as there are no highchairs and the chairs are high and tippy; I find it best to leave the kids at home and enjoy a nice lunch out with grownups or get a takeout meal. There are gluten-free and raw options. The soup of the day is always excellent. Check their hours before you go, they are not open for a late dinner. The prices may be higher than you’d expect for lunch but portions are generous and ingredients are often organic and locally-sourced, well worth it for a high quality meal.

Thanks to Thrive and especially passionate owner Jonnie Karan, for showing Waterloo that vegan can easily be the healthiest and the most delicious food you can find!

Thrive Juice Bar is located in the Bauer Lofts at 191 King Street, Waterloo, Ontario.

Vegan Brunch: Savory Scrambles and Sweet Parfaits

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Shortly after I became vegan, I learned a little tidbit I’ll share with you: Brunch is a big deal to vegans. Waffles, pancakes, scrambles, muffins, lattes, even bacon and omelets….. we can do it all vegan, deliciously!
My primary brunch staple for about a year was Oh She Glows’ Sweet Potato Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole. It’s excellent, like everything Angela creates. Then Tofu Scramble with Coconut Bacon took over as my main go-to. Click the link for the recipe.

When I hosted a brunch a few weekends ago, I wanted to create a special dish for a friend with severe allergies. Not only is she vegan, she also needs to avoid soy and gluten. Before cutting out soy, she adored tofu scramble. I wondered if I could possibly make a tofu scramble without tofu and still be delicious and full of protein? I decided to try swapping the tofu in my scramble with white beans and potatoes and I think it turned out wonderfully! All the flavours of my Tofu Scramble with potato and white beans substituting the tofu. Perfect for anyone wanting to change up their scramble or just wanting to reduce their soy intake.

White Bean and Potato Breakfast Scramble
1 cup onion, chopped
coconut or olive oil
2 medium potatoes, chopped into bite sized chunks
14 oz cooked white beans, drained and rinsed if using a can
1 heaping tbsp of spice mix (below)
3 tbsp Bragg’s all-purpose seasoning, nama shoyu or soy sauce
2 1/2 cups chopped veggies (we like red pepper, massaged kale, mushrooms and spinach)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 tomato, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

Scramble Spice Mix
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp Herbamare seasoning or sea salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp sage

Mix the spices together and keep in a glass jar. Makes enough for 6 servings of the scramble.

Sautée the onion in a bit of oil over medium heat in a large pan and cook for about five minutes. Add the potatoes and white beans to the pan with the onion and continue cooking, stirring frequently. Add 1 tbsp of the spice mix to 3 tbsp of water, stir, then add to pan and stir well. Add the Bragg’s, veggies and nutritional yeast to the pan and cook for another several minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender and veggies are soft. Use a metal spatula to scrape the bottom if the beans start to stick. Taste and add more Bragg’s, spice mixture or nutritional yeast if desired. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm topped with chopped tomatoes and cilantro.
The scramble also makes a great entrée.

I also served my traditional Tofu Scramble with avocado, fresh fruit, raw almonds (brought by a friend from California where nuts are unpasteurized and truly raw), and cherry coconut parfaits! The parfaits can be nearly sugar free if you choose no-sugar added jam and granola, making it a not-too-decadent treat for breakfast, brunch or dessert.
Cherry Coconut Parfaits

cultured coconut milk (also called coconut yogurt. I used So Delicious brand)
your favourite jam (I used homemade chia-berry jam)
granola (I used homemade raw coconut granola, recipe coming soon)
one cherry per parfait to top

Spoon about a two tablespoons of cultured coconut into the bottom of a glass cup or wine glass. Top with two tablespoons of jam followed by enough granola to cover the jam. Repeat the layers of coconut, jam and granola, then top with a cherry. Serve immediately.

I am submitting my White Bean and Potato Breakfast Scramble to the Allergy Friendly Fridays, Gluten Free Fridays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Foodtastic Fridays, Wellness Weekends and Meatless Mondays blog hops. I’m sharing the Parfaits with the Slightly Indulgent blog hop.
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