Classic Broccoli Quiche on Christmas Morning

I'm up before the birds today wrapping a few gifts, stuffing my daughter's stocking and browsing through my cookbooks looking for some inspiration.  Traditionally on Christmas morning my mother always made Quiche Lorraine, my Irish grandmother would bake current scones and we would sip mimosas as we tore into our gifts.  The quiche was something I always looked forward to so this morning I decided to try Classic Broccoli Quiche from Vegan Brunch and start a new tradition - one that doesn't involve bacon and processed gruyere cheese. 

I was a little doubtful as I blended the cashews and tofu together.  The filling seemed a little on the crumbly side instead of creamy or smooth.  I added a tablespoon or two of soy milk to the mixture as it pulsed away and that seemed to help a bit.  Once everything was combined I began to pack it into the pie shell.  I wasn't sure it would fit but thankfully, because the filling was not runny, I was able to dome it up in the centre and get the entire amount in.  Unfortunately I had no cherry tomatoes or strips of red pepper on hand to decorate the top and make it look pretty. 

So, for the taste test; the thyme, tarragon, turmeric and broccoli proved to be a really nice flavour combination.  My problem was with the texture.   Not creamy enough, a little too dry and cumbly.  I think using silken tofu instead of regular tofu would solve this problem easily.  I am going to make it again or one of the other quiche or frittata recipes in the book with this substitution and see if it makes a difference.  I guess I have a little more experimenting to do before our new holiday traditions are decided upon.  :-)   


Classic Broccoli Quiche



Raspberry Scones



Raspberry Scones

 We had a family Christmas party last weekend and I made my first attempt at vegan scones using the recipe from Vegan Brunch.  The dough was very dry, so dry in fact that I thought the scones wouldn't hold together in the oven.  When they came out I thought they looked a little pale so I didn't end up serving them to our guests.  Thankfully I had baked my favourite and always successful pumpin muffins and banana chocolate chip muffins.  Later on after the mess was cleared and everyone was gone, I sat down with a cup of tea, put my feet up and took a bite of a scone spread with a little Earth Balance.  They were surprisingly tender despite appearances. 

East Coast Coffee Cake

East Coast Coffee Cake


The cake crumb was light and tender with just a hint of sweetness.  I decided to make this with one of the suggested options of swirling raspberry jam into the batter and I'm glad I did because without that extra bit of flavour and tang, the cake would have been a little bland.  I was disappointed in the topping, all I could taste was flour.  I think it's worth playing around with next time in order to perfect the cake.  Recipe from Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. 

Jam swirly coffee cake before it gets topped!

For our weekly cooking challenge my friend and fellow blogger Kathryn over at The Hedgehog in the Kitchen has made some pretty tasty looking stuffing.  Check it out here.

Chocolate Banana Flapjacks

I was in need of some serious comfort food tonight after an exhausting day and it definitely needed to be sweet.  I decided to make a batch of banana flapjacks from Vegan Brunch and then had the brilliant idea to replace the plain non-dairy milk with CHOCOLATE non-dairy milk.   Wow, wow, wow!   Were they ever delicious!  The chocolate and banana flavours balanced perfectly and I did include the optional 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.   These flapjacks were soft, and melted in my mouth.   It was the perfect choice and I don't feel as guilty as if I'd eaten a piece of cake for dinner.  

I got one test shot in before my camera batteries died so there's no maple syrup spilling over the side like when I ate them.  Sorry!



Chcolate-Banana Flapjacks sans Maple Syrup



Samosa Mashed Potato Pancakes

Hey everyone!  I'm back and cooking in my new home.  It's so exciting to have a new(ish) kitchen to work in with adequate cupboard space and a longer countertop.  I'm still finding my groove with this different layout but it's awesome that more than one person can actually be present in the kitchen with me and not get in my way.  I was chatting with some friends over on Goodreads the other day about how yummy potatoes are in just about every way.  The conversation inspired me to try a recipe that would use up some mashed potatoes I had sitting in the fridge.  Samosa Mashed Potato Pancakes from Vegan Brunch.    Doesn't that sound good?  I thought so too.  I love Indian inspired dishes so I was really looking forward to a savoury breakfast.

The first step in the recipe was to pop mustard seeds in hot oil for a few minutes and then continue sauteeing more seasonings such as ginger, garlic, cumin, carrots and onion.  I wasn't sure if the mustard seeds were supposed to turn black (mind did) and was concerned about how they would flavour the dish but I needn't have worried, I couldn't detect any bitterness or burnt flavour in the final product.  Half way through, I discovered there was no flour in the house but decided to go ahead with the recipe with the hope that everything would hold together in the pan.  They were a little on the wet side but the flavour was fantastic.   Next time I make them I'm sure we will enjoy more cohesive pancakes with all the same great flavour.


Samosa Mashed Potato Pancakes in the mixing bowl



Samosa Mashed Potato Pancakes in the pan!


My amazing friend Kathryn over at The Hedgehog in the Kitchen recently celebrated a birthday and her sister Ann whipped up a batch of Wheat Free Chocolate Chip Cookies from Veganomicon.   I haven't tried that recipe yet but they look and sound great!  I'm always looking for new chocolate chip recipes to try so thanks for posting about these.      

I look forward to getting back in my cooking groove and the challenge goes on!

Poppy Seed Pull-Apart Rolls

I woke up yesterday morning with half my life packed and thought it would be so easy not to cook something new.  But, with my daughter still soundly asleep and a few moments of calm I pulled out Vegan Brunch, flipped it open to the back and came across a recipe for Poppy Seed Pull-Apart Rolls.   Perfect!   Some nice fresh rolls to tear into on a Sunday morning.   What could be more comforting?  The ingredient list is short and I've never made rolls, so it sounded perfect for a challenge this week.  I will be taking the next two weeks off while we move but I can't wait to start cooking in my new kitchen.  Hopefully the quality of my photos will improve with the better lighting there.   

This recipe called for equal amounts of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour but all I had in my pantry was the all purpose so these rolls won't be the healthiest things on the planet.  The dough was extrememly sticky, so sticky that I had to add at least another half cup of flour and much more while I was kneeding it out.  You can see how sticky my hands were here when I tried to pry the dough out of the mixing bowl.  The rolls turned out a little denser then I expected and had lots of poppy seeds but they were tasty.

Sticky, doughy hands

Poppy Seed Rolls before rising

Risen and ready for the oven

The final product

My friend Kathryn over at The Hedgehog in the Kitchen made a simple and delicious sounding Spicy Lemon Pepper Pasta with Broccoli this week. I hope she continues her adventures in the kitchen while I am on my wee break. I look forward to seeing what she has been up to when I get back!