Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook (25 page)

Read Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook Online

Authors: Isa Chandra Moskowitz,Terry Hope Romero

Tags: #food.cookbooks

RUN A knife lengthwide all along the middle of the avocado. Firmly grasp each half and twist to separate the halves. Remove the pit by gently but firmly hacking the knife into the pit, gently twisting the knife, and pulling it away from the avocado. Separate the peel from the avocado halves and place the flesh in a medium-size bowl. Drizzle with lime juice, and sprinkle with minced onion, salt, and pepper. Mash it all up with a fork to the desired consistency. Add the other stuff if you really think you need it. Serve immediately!
BRUNCH
 
W
HY DO WE love brunch so much? Maybe because the word is a most delicious-sounding portmanteau. Possibly because it’s usually reserved for long, leisurely weekends so it has a holiday feel to it. Or perhaps because it’s the only time it’s socially acceptable to drink before noon (Bloody Marys and Mimosas, anyone?). Make it at home and you get to sip Bloody Marys
and
hang out with rollers in your hair.
We like our brunch fare hearty and savory. Our eggless Benedict (page 74) takes a vacation to the Greek islands with creamy dill-infused sauce, roasted red peppers, and plenty of kalamata olives. Try something different in the morning with a pretty baked strata (page 72), layered casserole of bread, herbed mushrooms, and fresh spinach held together with melt-in-your-mouth dairy-free custard. Or, for something quick and easy, a tasty, down-home hash of blue potatoes and tempeh (page 73) will have you ready for a day on the organic farm (or just sitting on the sofa watching interesting documentaries about people working on an organic farm).
And what would brunch be without something you can pour plenty of real maple syrup all over? Two fluffy waffle recipes await you. Take your pick from banana nut (page 75) or devilishly rich chocolate “brownie” waffles studded with chocolate chips (page 74).
Did we mention crepes? Crepes are awesome. They really should be made for dinner, breakfast, second breakfast, and any meal of the day. But we realize you might want to eat something else at some point, so we’ve tucked these (page 77) into Brunch.
Eating a filling meal for brunch frees up your day from planning dinner so you can do fun stuff instead, like thrift store shopping, playing with the cats, or going back to bed. Just put off the dishes until Monday morning.
DINER HOME FRIES
 
SERVES 4 TO 6
TIME:
50 MINUTES
 
 
This is how we do it in Brooklyn: boiled and lightly fried potatoes with green peppers and onions. It’s pretty bare bones but no breakfast would be complete without them. We prefer not to spice these up because we’re usually serving them with other flavorful foods and we don’t want them to overpower the others. But for some Irish flair, drizzle a little malt vinegar over these spuds.
 
➣
For nicely browned and evenly cooked home fries, use your biggest pan to avoid overcrowding.
 
➣
To makes things faster: If you know in advance you are preparing these for breakfast, boil the potatoes the night before, drain them, and chill them in a sealed container overnight. Bring them to room temperature before cooking.
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes (4-6 potatoes), cut in
half lengthwise, sliced ⅓ inch thick or so
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 green bell pepper, seeded, cut into ½-inch-wide,
inch-long pieces
medium-size onion, cut into ½-inch-wide, inch-long
pieces
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
 
PLACE THE sliced potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once the potatoes are boiling, lower the heat to medium and cook for about 15 more minutes, until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork but still firm. Drain and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and flip them around with a spatula to coat them in oil. Cook undisturbed for 5 to 7 minutes; they should be lightly browned. If they are not, bring the heat up a bit. Cook for 10 more minutes, stirring and tossing occasionally to brown all sides. They won’t all get browned and crispy; just do your best.
Add the peppers, onions, salt, and pepper, and another tablespoon of oil, and cook for 5 to 7 more minutes, stirring often, until the onions and peppers are lightly browned. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
TOFU FLORENTINE
 
SERVES 4
TIME: 1 HOUR
 
 
Crispy on the outside, creamy in the inside, serve Tofu Florentine over a layer of Diner Home Fries (page 71) or, if you want to go all traditional, on a toasted, buttered English muffin. Smother it all in Cheezy Sauce (page 214) and be prepared to blow those sleepy taste buds away. Don’t let the simple ingredients fool you; their combination and the cooking methods come together spectacularly (not to be conceited). If you crave a hearty, savory dish for brunch, this is the perfect recipe for you. And it wouldn’t make a bad dinner, either.
 
TIP FOR MANAGING YOUR TIME: Follow this guide and everything should be finished at about the same time.
1.
Press your tofu and boil the potatoes first; meanwhile, prep all your other ingredients.
2.
Prep the garlic for the Cheezy Sauce and for the Broiled Tofu at the same time.
3.
Start cooking Cheezy Sauce and preheat the broiler, the potatoes should be boiled by this point.
4.
Start cooking the home fries.
5.
Broil the tofu.
6.
Cook the spinach while the tofu is broiling (about 10 minutes in).
1 pound spinach (about 2 bunches), washed we!) and
1 pound spinach (about 2 bunches), washed well and
stems trimmed
1 pound firm or extra-firm tofu
1 tablespoon olive oil
 
Braising sauce:
¼ cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Chopped tomato, for garnish
1 recipe Broiled Tofu (page 126)
1 recipe Cheezy Sauce (page 214)
1 recipe Diner Home Fries (page 71), or 4 English
muffins
 
WHILE the tofu is broiling for the first 10 minutes, prepare the spinach: Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat. While the spinach is still wet from being washed, add half to the pan. The extra moisture helps to steam the spinach. Use tongs to toss it around. Once it is wilted, add another batch of spinach. After all the spinach is cooked, cover to keep warm.
 
 
To serve:
 
If using home fries, put about one cup’s worth in the middle of each plate. If using an English muffin, toast it and place both pieces face up on the plate. Cover with a layer of spinach followed by four pieces of tofu. Ladle Cheezy Sauce over everything and top with a little chopped tomato, just to give it some color. Serve immediately.
MUSHROOM AND SPINACH STRATA
 
SERVES 6-8
TIME:
1 HOUR 30 MINUTES (LOTS OF IT INACTIVE)
 
 
A strata is a layered bread casserole that traditionally is covered with an eggy custard and baked until puffy and golden. Our old friend tofu plays a starring role in this tasty veganized version, lavishly flavored with plenty of Italian herbs and shallots.
For simplicity, bake it in the same cast-iron skillet that you sauté the vegetables in. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, a 9 x 13-inch pan should also work, although the strata will come out a bit thinner. Serve with home fries (page 71) or a simple green salad. Cheezy Sauce (page 214) is great on this, too.

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