As a (non-professional) food-blogger, I believe that you need to be proud of the taste and look of the dishes you make as well as the way you present it. It doesn't need to be hard to make but it doesn't need to be extremely easy either. It should open up new worlds and new flavors and textures for the palette to experience. In this case, my meal is simple but requires a bit of listening and care, as well as having an abundance in flavors.
Last Sunday I decided to make breakfast for my sister - it wasn't because it was her birthday or any other celebration, I'm just nice like that. I also decided to make it vegan, although she most definitely is not one - she could appreciate what I was doing for her along with the delicious and beautiful food. I made sure that she could enjoy some of the food (she's avoiding a few types of carbs) and I also made it so that I could enjoy the food as well.
The night before I made a loaf of delicious oatmeal bread that had bits of chia seeds running throughout it for an even healthier meal.
Oatmeal Bread Recipe:
1 cup of All-Purpose Flour
2 tablespoons of Chia Seeds combined with 1/2 a cup of Cold Water (or another equivalent for one whole egg)
1 packet of Rapid-Rise Yeast (2 and 1/4 tablespoons)
1/2 a cup of Light Brown Sugar
1 quarter teaspoon of Iodized Salt
1/4 a cup of Milled Quick Oats (I used a food processor)
3/4 a cup of Whole Quick Oats.
1 cup of Boiling Water (enough to cover the oats)
1 cup of Lukewarm Water for the yeast
I put the yeast and the lukewarm in a large bowl and set it aside for ten minutes to let it boil. During that time I combined the oats together and covered them with the boiling water, once the water soaked in I added the all-purpose flour and added the mixture to the yeast. After that was mixed together for a few seconds, I added the rest of the ingredients, being sure to add the salt after everything else was added.
I oiled a small pan and poured the dough into the pan, I then placed it onto the side of the oven and covered it with a small kitchen towel. I then preheated the oven to 350 degrees and allowed the bread to rise for about 45 minutes, and once it had risen to about twice its size I placed it in the oven for about 30 minutes. The time will vary on your oven so be sure to check it with a knife in the middle once you think its done, if the knife comes out clean then the bread is ready, so put it to the side of the oven and let it cool before you slice into it.
If you only want the bread, you can sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon or spread some vegan margarine on top and enjoy. Otherwise, you can slice the bread and place it into some butter and cover it with some cooked apples. I decided to make a caramel sauce with about half a cup of brown sugar, a tablespoon of pure coconut oil and some almond milk once it was finally cooked through.
I set it aside and worked on making my souffled pancake. I set the temperature at 350 degrees and put together 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 a tablespoon of baking powder, 1 quarter teaspoon of salt, 1 quarter cup of sugar, enough soy milk to cover the mixture and 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla. I whisked the mixture together and made another caramel sauce layered with walnuts, and while it was hot and bubbling, I poured the pancake mixture into the pan, put some cinnamon into the middle and swirled it around and finally shoved it into the oven. It took about 15-20 minutes, but you can check with the pancake as you did with the bread.
After I finished that I put some extra-firm tofu into my food processor and blended it until it looked like a thick mayonnaise, then I added a very light pinch of nutritional yeast, salt, and some turmeric. I set that aside and put together some minced garlic and mushrooms with a few bits of broccoli around into a pan with some olive oil on medium heat. I sprinkled a small amount of salt, pepper, and rosemary on them, and once the vegetables looked cooked and softened I put them into a small bowl and cooked the tofu the same way, making sure to chop it up once in a while. Once it looked fully cooked I added the vegetables back in and mixed them together so that everything would be fully incorporated and heated back up. After that, I felt like something was missing - the one thing in any vegan or non-vegan household that everyone needs.
That glorious necessity is (veggie) bacon, whether smoky and crispy or salty, crunchy and hand-made - it's wonderful. Now of course there will be no pig in this bacon - so I decided to thinly slice some tofu long ways and sprinkled it with a dash of paprika, soy sauce and sprinkled it with a small pinch of nutritional yeast on both sides. I put the pieces on the pan and baked them at the same temperature as the pancake souffle, turning them once they start to get a slight crisp around the edges on the bottom. If you like you can also precook the bacon in the pan and then continue with the process as I said before.
After that, pour a little bit of maple syrup over your delicious treats (aside from the tofu eggs) or enjoy them in your plain glory.
I hope you enjoy!
Signed,
<3 Bou Shin <3
