Vegan Recipes For A Mother’s Day Brunch

I can’t believe that it has already been one year since my family’s last Mother’s Day celebration at Candle 79. I absolutely love Candle 79, especially for brunch; however, I clearly recall feeling badly as I watched my in-laws struggle with the menu despite my simple translations (what’s tempeh? what’s seitan? scrambled tofu? etc.), so I decided to host a Mother’s Day brunch of my own this time around.

Since I want everyone to be happy, I chose some extremely simple recipes. After all, I really don’t want to be working too hard on a holiday that is supposed to be for me. It is supposed to be for me, isn’t it?

Although I’m a bit tired of talking about Gwyneth Paltrow, I decided to make the vegan banana-date muffins from her new cookbook It’s All Good because I have friends that already baked and loved them. Everyone loves a good muffin!

VEGAN BANANA-DATE MUFFINS

From It’s All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow

Makes a dozen muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups gluten-free flour plus 1 tablespoon (if the flour doesn’t include xanthan gum, add 1 teaspoon)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• A pinch of sea salt
• 2 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup good-quality maple syrup
• 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup pitted and chopped dried dates (about 6 large dates)
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped pumpkin seeds, plus 3 tablespoons for the tops of the muffins

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk together the 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the bananas, olive oil, maple syrup, almond milk, and vanilla. Thoroughly combine the dry and the wet ingredients. Toss the dates and the 1/4 cup of chopped pumpkin seeds with the extra tablespoon of flour (this keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins) and fold them into the batter with a rubber spatula. Evenly divide the batter among the muffin cups and sprinkle each muffin with a pinch of the extra pumpkin seeds.

Bake until the muffins are browned and a toothpick comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes.

 

My next choice is a recipe for super simple vegan, gluten-free banana pancakes. My older son loves banana pancakes, and so do I! I will make sure to have some sliced bananas and strawberries, blueberries and chopped pecans on the table so that everyone has a choice of toppings. Having Oma’s Chunky Applesauce on the table would also be perfect!

VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE BANANA PANCAKES

From Spark Recipes

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar (vegan)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium banana (smashed)
• 1 cup light soy milk
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil

Directions:

Mix the dry items in one bowl (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt). Mix the banana, soy milk and oil in another bowl. Add wet ingredients all at once into the dry mixture. Stir until all mixed (the mixture will be lumpy) and start cookin’!

 

In addition to the muffins, pancakes and Oma’s Chunky Applesauce, I will make Scrambled Tofu with veggies, and some type of packaged tempeh bacon. I like Lightlife’s Fakin’ Bacon (Organic Smoky Tempeh Strips)  and Turtle Island Food’s Tempeh Smoky Maple Bacon. I will also have a large bowl of fresh fruit on the table.

 

For dessert, I will be making my favorite Vegan Chocolate Cake because it’s so easy, and can be topped with a delectable non-dairy frozen dessert such as Larry & Luna’s Coconut Bliss in the Ginger Cookie Caramel flavor.

Click here for the Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe.

I am also considering making a batch of Alicia’s Crispy Peanut Butter Treats With Chocolate Chips because my husband loves them, and I haven’t made them in a while. I could always store the leftover treats in a plastic container for the remainder of the week.

Click here for the recipe for Alicia’s Crispy Peanut Butter Treats With Chocolate Chips.

Although the above recipes will be more than enough to feed my clan, I have had my eye on Mark Bittman‘s vegan recipe for Creamed Mushrooms On Toast which is from his book VB6: Vegan Before 6 PM. Although I’m not sure if I will be making it on Sunday, I decided to post this recipe anyway to give you the option of having it for your own Mother’s Day feast.

MARK BITTMAN’S CREAMED MUSHROOMS ON TOAST (VEGAN)

From VB6: Vegan Before 6PM

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh mushrooms, stemmed, if necessary, and sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups cooked or canned white beans, drained
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme or rosemary
• Whole grain toast, for serving
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the mushrooms, sprinkle with the salt and some pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their liquid, become tender, and the pan is beginning to dry out again, 10 to 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, puree the cooked beans in a food processor or blender with 1/2 cup water and let the machine run until the mixture is smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides and puree again. The mixture should thickly coat the back of a spoon. If not, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

3. Add the garlic and thyme to the mushrooms along with 1/4 cup water. Let the liquid bubble and evaporate for 1 minute, stirring the bottom of the pan to scrape up any browned bits, then add the bean mixture.

4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture becomes thick and saucy; add a few drops more water if it starts to stick to the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve on one or two slices of toast, garnished with the parsley.

Bon appétit and have a great day!

Uniquely Awesome Vegan Mother’s Day Gifts!

Debby

xoxo