Sunday brunch is the best kind of brunch.

We were going to going hiking on Sunday, but a hangover left over from Friday, a chilly morning, and a cozy bed insisted we sleep in and then make brunch instead.

I love the Pumpkin Waffles from Vegan with a Vengeance so much that I haven't bothered to try anything else. Until yesterday. Hot damn, Banana Nut Waffles (Veganomicon) are good. And I don't even like bananas that much. Anyway, they make the house smell like banana bread, and they turn your brunch mate into a waffle monster that can easily put down seven in one sitting.


Monkey bait. I sometimes wonder if the incessant banana references are offensive or at least annoying to monkeys, who probably have a much more varied diet that we imagine.

And because the post punk kitchen empire rules brunch in this household, we also made the Herb Scalloped Potatoes from Veganomicon. These are wonderful, and taste so bad for you even though the only added fat is a tablespoon of olive oil. I think this makes up for the half a stick of Earth Balance I spread on my waffles.



Coors Light makes for an outstanding red eye.

Yesterday's brunch was also my first experience with Field Roast, a brand of grain meat that I've heard good things about. To be honest, the term "grain meat" totally skeeves me out, but the Apple Sage Sausages were excellent. Just a little sweet, perfectly spiced, loaded with protein, and they didn't have even a hint of that McNasty taste that some store bought vegan sausages have. Two thumbs up, Field Roast!

We also made tofu scamble, and it it was especially great yesterday. Fu scramble is a recipe that is particularly subject to change, depending on the cook's mood, refrigerator contents, and their ability to find the thyme, which keeps sneaking off to go party with the aluminum foil instead of staying in the spice cabinet where it belongs.

Anyway, here is yesterday's scramble, in all its glory:

1 lb extra firm tofu
1/8 C nutritional yeast
3/4 t salt
1/4 t paprika
1/2 t turmeric
Several grinds fresh black pepper
1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, halved and sliced into half moons
1/4 lb sliced cremini mushrooms (about a cup)

In a medium bowl, crumble tofu and then press with a clean dish towel to remove some moisture. Add nutritional yeast and spices and then mix gently with hands (you want to keep large chunks of tofu that are easy to stab with a fork). Heat the olive oil in a non stick or cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes, and then add the mushrooms and saute for two minutes more. Add the tofu mixture and combine with a spatula, turn heat up to high, and cook until the onions, mushrooms, and larger chunks of fu have browned crispy edges. If there is a lot of water in the tofu, you may need to wait for it to boil off before the tofu actually begins to fry. While it's frying, it helps to scrape the crispy bits from the bottom of the pan with a spatula (I use a wooden one). Serve with your favorite condiment.

And if you've never had a red eye (my first one was this spring), here is an incredibly simple recipe:

1 C mild tasting vegan beer (PBR or Coors Light work well)
1/2 C vegan bloody mary mix (check for worcestershire, which can contain anchovies)
1 lime wedge

Poor beer over ice, add bloody mary mix, squeeze in lime, stir, enjoy. This is an excellent beverage for those who enjoy the novelty of drinking before noon, but don't want to get hammered on a Sunday morning.

<3 Abbie