Breakfast Links

I first started making my own breakfast links about a year ago.  I was curious to see if I could save money by doing so.  What I found out was that I could make about 75 links for the same amount of money that it cost to pay for one pack of six vegan breakfast links at the store.  That was a no-brainer: no more store-bought breakfast links for us!  I played around with different ingredients until I finally created a recipe that mimics the taste of the store-bought kind pretty darn closely.  My secret ingredient, to get the texture just right, is tofu.  As far as I know, I have never seen tofu used in a seitan recipe before.  So, if I'm right about that, and then you see tofu-seitan recipes popping up all over in money-making cookbooks, tell them to throw ol' BlessedMama a dime or two.  :-)  (I was actually advised to hold on to this recipe, but who am I kidding?  I'll never have a cookbook.  So, I'm sharing!)  Having the gluten flour, tofu and beans makes for a really tender piece of seitan.  You can serve these as an accompaniment to a breakfast meal, or you can make them for my Brothy Beans with Sausages dish.  We love these, and they can freeze well.  Hope you save money and like them too.

Breakfast Links

I make my links about three to four inches in length.

Once rolled out, they get twisted up into their own foil packets.

Here's a big pot of them, getting ready to get steamed.

Breakfast Links

Ingredients:

1 pkg. extra-firm tofu, water-packed, drained
1 cup of slow-cooked pinto beans
2 cups of vegetable broth
2 and 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 and 3/4 cups gluten flour
Canola oil

Directions:

Put the first six ingredients (tofu through pepper) into a blender, and blend until smooth.  Pour into a large mixing bowl.  Add the gluten flour, and stir until well mixed.  Knead (you can do it right in the bowl) for about three to five minutes, to make sure there are no super wet or super dry spots.  Pull off a small ball of dough, smaller than a golf ball, and roll out to a sausage link size, about three to four inches in length.  Prepare a large pot with a couple inches of water in the bottom and a steamer basket inside.  Once you have several links rolled out, put each one at the end of a small strip of aluminum foil.  Roll the link up, so it makes at least two complete turns, and twist the ends closed.  Start filling up your pot.   Complete this cycle for the rest of the mix, until you have a pot full of foil-wrapped links.  Cover with a lid.  Turn the heat on to medium, and steam for 40 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Heat up about a tablespoon of oil in a large pan.  Unroll several links and put them in the pan.  Fry them for a minute or two, turning them, until they are browned on all sides.  Do this with all the links, adding a bit of oil, as needed.  Can be served alongside pancakes or tofu scramble for breakfast.  Freeze unused portions.  Simply thaw and reheat in microwave or oven.  So tasty.  Feeds five hungry vegans for several meals.

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Cheesy garlic bread - what could be better than that?  I'll try to come up with something, don't worry.  But, in the meantime, here is cheesy garlic bread!  Yum!  So easy to make, so sinfully delicious too.  Makes the kids happy, what a bonus.  Here is my super quick, easy way to make these beauts.

 Cheesy Garlic Bread

 Cheesy Garlic Bread, sliced in serving bowl

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Ingredients:

2 lg. French loaves, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1 head of garlic, all the cloves sliced
1 pkg. of Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese, Monterey Jack style, finely shredded

Directions:

Put the top oven rack in the second position from the top.  Turn on broiler.  Put bread on large cookie or baking sheet.  Spread margarine evenly over all four halves of bread.  Press in sliced garlic into the top of margarined-up bread.  Sprinkle cheese over all the halves - don't forget the very ends and sides!  Broil bread for three minutes, until cheese melts.  Watch for burning!  (If you get a small portion that burned, wait a couple minutes for the bread to cool, and simply scrape off.)  Cool bread for five minutes, then slice.  Eat.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Simple Avocado Tacos

Like their name says, these are really simple tacos.  But, there is a cute, short story that goes along with this meal, so I have to share it with you.

A few years ago, a good friend of ours (she and her husband are JK's godparents), had my children and I, and another friend and her son over for a play date and lunch.  She is not strictly a plant-eater but very well could be because she always makes some awesome vegan dishes.  Do you know any people like that, who are so health-conscious and would make the transition so easily but just don't?  Anyways, she made these tacos by slightly blackening corn tortillas on one of her burners, spreading refried beans in them and adding sliced avocados.  She put out rooster sauce for everyone to enjoy.  Now, I am a fan, a big fan, of rooster sauce, but my eyes popped out when I saw her slather it on her tacos.  It was like a little kid with a plate of fries and ketchup. And, then she proceeded to delicately munch on each taco.  My mouth would have been pleading for something cool to drink.  Well, the kids were all at another table, so we moms could somewhat hear each other talk.  My SR reached over to grab a pitcher of lemonade to refill her glass when she accidentally spilled it all over the kids' platter of tacos!  All of the children reacted differently, but they were determined to not let those precious tacos go to waste.  My friend's son diligently picked one up from the platter, took a bite, and very emphatically said, "These lemonade tacos stink!"  See, inadvertently SR created a brand new taco: lemonade tacos.  Despite being drenched in lemonade, that platter of tacos was quickly eliminated, and grabby hands made their way towards the moms' sacred stash.

Now, I make these tacos, and, of course, we have to recount the original lemonade tacos every time.  If you are feeling especially brave, you may try your hand at adding fresh lemonade, and let me know if they stink for you, too.  By the way, don't let the simplicity of these tacos fool you: they are amazingly delicious!

Simple Avocado Tacos

Ingredients:

1 - 29oz. can vegetarian refried beans
20 or so yellow corn tortillas
3 - 4 avocados, sliced
 Rooster sauce

Directions:

Pour the beans in a small pot and warm over medium heat.  Heat a stove burner on medium heat.  (My friend has a gas burner, and I have a flat, electric burner, and they both work fine.)  Place a tortilla directly on the burner, until there are a few darkened spots.  With tongs, flip the tortilla over to the other side.  Each side should take 30 seconds or much less, depending on your burner.  Place each tortilla on a cookie sheet, when done, and spread a tablespoon or two of beans on one side.  Place two or three slices of avocado on top of the beans, and fold other half of tortilla over on top.  Serve with rooster sauce.  So good.  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Brown Rice topped with Caramelized Onions, Garlic and Tomatoes

This is such a simple recipe, but the end result feels so gourmet.  It's a nice way to snazz up the home kitchen.

Brown Rice topped with Caramelized Onions, Garlic and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 cup of uncooked brown rice, prepared according to package directions
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 red onion, halved and sliced (both halves)
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tomato, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

When the rice is nearing its end cooking time, heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat.  Add the onion when oil is hot, and cook for at least fifteen minutes, until the onion starts to turn color (past the translucent stage).  Add the garlic and cook for two more minutes.  Add the tomato and seasoning, and turn off the heat.  Serve over the brown rice.  A taste bud treat!  Feeds five hungry vegans.

Home Fries

Are you familiar with the home fries that diners serve? The cubed potatoes that are crunchy on the outside but so fluffy on the inside? Well, after realizing that simply frying the taters in oil or water, or even baking them, didn't get me the results I wanted at home,I pulled out the deep fryer, and voila, perfect home fries! I like to make them for breakfast dishes, and they can be served by themselves as a side dish or incorporated into a dish like my Breakfast Potato Skillet. Yes, these do take some oil, but if you make these sparingly, you can leave your guilt outside the dining room.

Home Fries

Home Fries on a breakfast plate with fresh cantaloupe and tofu scramble

Home Fries

Ingredients:

9 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
Enough canola oil to reach a deep fryer's fill line
Salt to taste

Directions:

Pour the oil into your deep fryer and heat. When hot, carefully add three of the cubed russet potatoes. Cook for 14-15 minutes, until the potatoes are golden. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with the rest of the potatoes in two more batches. Delicious and comforting. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Pasta with Sauteed Veggies

Here is another easy way to use up leftover pasta. It works great, as well, if you make pasta fresh and just want to jazz it up.



Pasta with Sauteed Veggies

Ingredients:

About a pound of leftover or freshly cooked pasta - we used linguine
3 cups of your favorite veggies - we used:
2 carrots, cut on the diagonal
2 zucchini, cut on the diagonal
2 bok choy, cut into thirds and sliced thinly
5 garlic cloves, sliced
2 Tbs. canola oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tbs. garlic powder blend or plain garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot or skillet on medium heat. When hot, add veggies and cook until tender, about five minutes. If using long pasta, cut into thirds or quarters. Add your pasta to the veggies, along with the seasonings. Lower heat to medium low and cook for another five minutes or so, until all is heated through. Simple and good. Feeds five hungry vegans.

Leftover Pasta Delight

This was a meal created by the fact that I was tired of having lots of little containers with bits of leftovers in the fridge. There was not enough on their own to make a complete meal for one person, much less for a whole family. So, I just did my "garbage" trick and dumped them all together in a bowl and had myself an incredibly delicious lunch for one: me. But, this was so good and so satisfying that I'm going to attempt to offer portion sizes that will make a meal for a family, namely one that has five members in it. Enjoy.



Leftover Pasta Delight

Ingredients:

At least 3 cups of leftover pasta - I used bowtie
At least one cup of leftover steamed veggies - I used cauliflower, broccoli and carrots
At least one cup of leftover sauteed kale with red onions and garlic
At least one cup of your favorite salsa
1 pkg. of Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheese, Mozzarella style, cubed small
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and pour into a casserole dish. You can either reheat this in a microwave for ten to twelve minutes, stirring every few minutes, or reheat in a 350 degree oven for thirty minutes. So good. Feeds five hungry vegans.