February 4, 2008

February Snell Isle Brunch (plus quiche)

Brunch shells (Get Sconed!), asparagus mushroom quiche, spinach sundried tomato quiche (recipes below).


Spanakopita (Vegan With A Vengeance) with Dill Tahini Sauce (Veganomicon), crepes (Veganomicon).

A pile of Fronch Toast (Vegan With A Vengeance).

Cherry sauce (Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World), blueberry sauce (Vegan With A Vengeance), and maple syrup for crepes and fronch toast.

Golden Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Mousse (Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World).







From Robb:








From Pam:





The next brunch will be on March 23rd at 1:30. Menu TBA.

Recipes for Asparagus Mushroom Quiche and Spinach Sundried Tomato Quiche, as promised:

1 vegan pie crust (I used frozen because I made so many, but there is an excellent recipe in Veganomicon)

Base:
2 packages firm silken vacuum packed tofu (like Mori-Nu), drained
1/4 C nutritional yeast
2 T corn starch
1 T tahini
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t turmeric
salt and fresh black pepper to taste

For Asparagus Mushroom:
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic (or more, if you love it), minced
1/2 lb asparagus, rough ends discarded, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 t fresh rosemary, minced

Preheat oven to 360. Combine all ingredients for base in a food processor or blender and pulse until completely smooth. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Add asparagus, mushrooms, and rosemary, and saute until asparagus is bright green and just barely tender. Remove from heat and allow to sit until pan is cool to the touch. Add blended base to the pan, stir, and transfer to pie crust. Bake at 360 for 1 hour, check for firmness, and bake for another 10 minutes if necessary. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

For Spinach Sundried Tomato:
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic (or more, if you love it), minced
4 C (about 5 oz) fresh spinach, chopped coarsely
1/3 C sundried tomatoes, chopped coarsely
(I think fresh basil would be good too, but I haven't tried it)

Preheat oven to 360. Combine all ingredients for base in a food processor or blender and pulse until completely smooth. Set aside. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Add spinach and sundried tomatoes, and saute until spinach is bright green and just wilted. Remove from heat and allow to sit until pan is cool to the touch. Squeeze water from spinach mixture (I press it into a mesh strainer over the sink), return to pan, add blended base, and mix well. Transfer to pie crust and bake for 1 hour. Check for firmness, and bake for another 10 minutes if necessary. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting.

In all their vegan glory:


The base for this quiche is modified from the FatFree Vegan Kitchen Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches.

4 comments:

  1. What a fun idea having these vegan brunches. I was thinking awhile back that it would be nice to connect with other vegans (aside from online) as most of my friends are omnis (a vegetarian here and there). I also like that you donate proceeds to good causes.

    Was this hard to set up? Is it more of a potluck or is there a designated cooker?

    I really like this idea and am curious how it got started.

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  2. What an awesome spread! Too bad I love so far away from Florida.

    Your dog is adorable!

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  3. I love your blog!

    I am so jealous of your vegan brunch! The weather looks great, your friends are cute, and the loads of food look amazing! We could use some of that spirit here in grey old DC.

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  4. Thanks ya'll! Please stop by if you are ever in Tampa Bay on a brunch day.

    Jennifer- my friend Pam suggested that we host and bike ride that ended up at a vegan brunch, and so we did. There is a brunch cafe how-to in Vegan with a Vengeance, and that was also part of the inspiration.

    The brunches are at my house, and I plan the menu and do the cooking (with much appreciated help from Stephanie), and everyone chips in $5 to cover the cost of food. We forward any proceeds to a local animal shelter, Farm Sanctuary, or next month, V-Day.

    It's really not hard to set up. Read the blurb in VwaV, and if you want more specifics about how we do it, feel free to email me.

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