Breakfast Bagel Bun Sammies

Wow, where has the year gone?!? It's been forever since I've posted anything new. I've had a great year, new job, new adventures, but none of them in the kitchen, unfortunately. But this week, as fellow Ontarian Vegan Dad announced the end of his blogging activities, I realized I really missed getting creative in the kitchen and putting my recipes out there for the veg world to try out. And, I'm getting really sick of eating pre-made/frozen meals from the grocery store - thank goodness for husband and the nights I come home to a hot meal he's prepared. What's worse, is I really have no excuse..Vegan Dad = 4 vegan kids, wife in grad school, 3 book projects. Yeah, beotch, get off your lazy butt, cook something, and blog about it. Done.

Today was an especially productive morning, I'm trying harder to be more organized and part of that is prepping food on the weekend to ensure I have breakfasts and lunches during the week. Here's what I came up with: breakfast bagel bun sandwiches. There's a small coffee shop  on the ground level where I work, they make something similar. But, it's pricey, and the egg is some kind of weird "egg-like" product. Blech. No more.

Here's what I did...

1. Make a batch of this bagel dough (plain), but instead of shaping them like bagels roll out flat circles of dough, about 1/2" thick.

2. Rise, boil and bake as directed, but reduce the temperature to 410 degrees. Keep an eye on your "bagel buns" to make sure they don't overbake and dry out.

3. In the meantime, prepare your fillings. Make a large omelet of your choice, either with eggs/egg whites, or the yummy vegan from the Post Punk Kitchen. Include spinach or pan-fried veggies in your omelette if you like, and get out something saucy - pesto, for example, or give Erős Pista a try (Hungarian hot pepper paste, look for it in little euro speciality shops). Slices of this vegan Spicy Hickory Maple Seitan Bacon would totally rock. Grab your favourite cheese slices too!

4. If you're going to be wrapping up your breakfast sammies to store in the fridge, make sure your bagel buns, omelette and fillings are cool before you assemble them. Otherwise you'll wind up with condensation and the bagel bun will get soggy, gross.

5. Cut your omelette into the number of portions you're making. Carefully slice the bagel bun, smear your favourite spread on one half and start stacking up your fillings on the other.

6. Wrap up in plastic or foil wrap, and store in fridge. These last for days, but if you're picky like me, I won't eat anything that's been in the fridge more than 2-3 days  :-)

Keep up with Vegan Dad on his facebook page.

Apple Spelt Biscuits

I needed something to act as a conduit for some jam-to-mouth activity. This biscuit served up just fine, caramalized ginger rhubarb jam made it safely into my tum-tum...

Makes 12 small biscuits.

1.5 cups white flour

1.5 cups spelt flour

1/4 cup margarine
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar of choice
2 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup yogurt of choice

1 apple, peeled and grated

Put flours, margarine, salt, sugar and baking powder into a food processor. Pulse until margarine breaks up and a crumbly mixture forms. If not using a processor, simply use a large bowl and break up the margarine with a fork. Add in yogurt and apples, and pulse a few more times until a dough forms and pulls away from the sides of the container.

Turn out onto to a floured surface, and gently kneed for a minute. Roll out, cut into shapes. Please on a baking sheet that has been oiled with cooking spray. Bake for 18 mins at 350 degrees.

Per biscuit: 141 cals, 5g fat, 22g carbs, 666mg sodium, 3g fiber, 4g protein. (PRO12.9/9%,CHO83.2/59%,FAT45/32%)

Potato Chorizo Breakfast Hash

I'm been sick this week, and looking for comfort foods to make me feel better. My tummy, at least. Breakfast hash is just a mix of yummy things baked up in the oven. In this version, I use my vegan chorizo sausage and a sprinkle of smoked paprika, so spicy and warm and tasty! Serve as a side with other breakfast dishes, also makes a great lazy lunch or dinner. If keeping the recipe vegan, you can use a vegan cheese or make it without, it's great either way...

Makes 4 servings.

4 medium potatoes (about 600g)

1/2 cup minced onions
1 large green or red pepper, chopped
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1 seitan chorizo sausage, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

smoked paprika, pepper, salt to taste

2 oz cheese of choice, shredded (about 1" x 4")

    (Daiya is vegan, haven't tried it but heard it was pretty good) 

Heat your oven to 425 degrees. Spray a ceramic or glass casserole dish. Scrub your potatoes well under running water, and pierce the skins a few times with a fork. Microwave for 4-5 minutes, or until a knife slides through easily to the middle of the potato. Let cool for a few minutes, and cut into large chunks - careful, the blast of steam when you cut into them will be hot! Put your potatoes into the casserole dish, and layer in the chorizo, onions, peppers and tomatoes. Sprinkle with the paprika, pepper and salt to taste. Sprinkle with cheese, if using. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes and chorizo are little browned.

Note on cheeses: generally, I avoid dairy where possible, but finding a truly veg cheese option is hard. Even dairy-free ones usually have rennet, which is an animal product. Vegan cheeses are pricey, so I try them sometimes to experiment, but I don't see making them a regular part of my diet. Most dishes taste great with the cheese left out altogether, and if you divert your attention to spices and textures instead, you'll find your tummy happily occupied by the experience of flavors rather that what's "missing" from the dish...  

Per serving: 207 cals, 5g fat, 33g carbs, 113mg sodium, 5g fiber, 9g protein.  (PRO15%,CHO62%,FAT23%)

Brown Sugar Almond Granola

Makes 12 small but filling servings.

I'm a devout granola-eating hippie chick at heart, and why pay fancy prices when you can make it at home? You also have more control over the fat and sugar content this way too...

3 Tbsp hard or soft margarine

1/3 cup brown or turbinado sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp apple juice

2 cups rolled oats

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

3 tbsp sesame seeds

1 cup almonds, chopped

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup oat bran

1/2 cup raisins and/or dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place margarine in rectangular metal baking pan. Place in oven for a couple of minutes, until melted. Stir in sugar to dissolve, add juice and blend. Add the oats, seeds and nuts, and stir until coated. Bake 15 min, stirring once or twice. Add wheat germ and oat bran, toss to combine. Bake 10 mins longer, stirring occasionaly. Remove from oven, add raisins and cranberries. When cool, store in covered container. Serve with milk of choice or yogurt.

Per serving: 235 cals, 12g fat, 28g carbs, 23mg sodium, 4g fiber, 11g sugar, 7g protein  (PRO10%,CHO46%,FAT44%)