Breakfast

Cowboy Potatoes

This is the first recipe I would call all mine. One summer I had a few days at home between travels, and I wanted to use what was on hand. I think I came up with a very tasty combination. It is kind of a cross between rice & beans and hash browns. Originally I viewed it more as a lunch/dinner dish, but now I like it for a hearty breakfast on the weekend. cowboy potatoes picture
  • 6-8 medium potatoes, shredded (peeled, or redskin unpeeled). Alternately, you can use frozen hash browns, which are really cheap, and reduce a lot of the effort
  • 1 medium green pepper, diced
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained
  • 1/4-1/2 cup salsa
  • 1/8-1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tsp. seasoned salt
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
 Heat olive oil in large stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté potatoes app. 10-20 minutes, flipping sparingly. The less you flip, the crunchier and crispier they will be. Add spices. Again, to maximize potato crispiness, sauté onion and peppers in a separate pan until the onions are soft. Add beans to the onions and peppers. Serve the bean, pepper, and onion mixture on top of the crispy potatoes. Garnish with salsa and cilantro.
Serves 2-3 people.

Vegan Biscuits and Gravy

One of my favorite dishes back when I was a meat eater was biscuits and gravy, and it was one of the last things that I gave up on my journey towards vegetarianism. Recently I decided to try to make a vegan version, and after several attempts, I am quite happy with the results. biscuits and gravy picture
Biscuits:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 Tbsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 cup shortening (I prefer non-hydrogenate palm oil)
  • 3/4 to 1 cup soymilk
Gravy:
  • 5-6 Tbsp. vegetable oil (I prefer canola since it has Omega-3 fatty acids)
  • 2-3 cups unsweetened soymilk
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/8 to 1/4 cup vegetable oil (canola or soybean is best)
  • 1 package Morningstar sausage crumbles (I have tried several different fake sausage varieties, and this is by far the best - attempts with other brands of fake sausage have turned out quite poorly)
  • salt, pepper to taste (I like to add white, black, and cayenne pepper)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives. Stir in just enough soymilk to form a soft dough. Do not overmix. Place the dough on a lighlty floured board and knead 3 or 4 times only. Roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/2 inch. Cut with a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or small drinking glass). Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

For the Gravy, heat oil in a non-non-stick pan for 2 minutes. Add flour and stir quickly with an egg beater. Add 1-2 cups soymilk and continue stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add sausage crumbles and spices. Add more soymilk if necessary to achieve desired thickness. Serves 3-4.

Cornmeal Flapjacks

This recipe comes from the Vegetarian Starter Kit, which convinced me to go vegan. Be sure to use whole wheat pastry flour. Regular whole wheat flour produces a very dense flapjack. flapjacks picture
1 1/2 cups soy or rice milk
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsps maple syrup
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
(regular whole wheat flour does not work very well)
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
 Heat skillet to medium-high with a minimal amount of vegetable oil. Combine wet and dry ingredients separately, then mix together to form a fairly fluid batter. You may need to add more liquid. Pour batter into skillet to form 4-6" diameter pancakes. Flip pancakes once multiple bubbles form. Serve with your choice of toppings. (I like apple butter and peanut butter). Serves 3-4 people.