Guys, it's pretty cold here for Atlanta. I mean, it feels pretty frigid, considering we've had less than 10 cold days this entire winter season. And what better to do on a cold day than to eat hearty, comforting foods with friends? :) Regretfully, I forgot to take pictures of our meal, but I'll try to make do in words and provide pictures of what I THINK the food looked like, courtesy of Google images (thank you, once again, oh mighty Google!).
I had some buddies from the PhD program come over yesterday morning for a late brunch / lunch. I had some killer french toast last weekend at The Flying Biscuit, so I decided to make a lactose-intolerant-friendly version of it with a few dipping sauces. I actually think making french toast with soy milk makes it more decadent -- soy milk has a natural sweet creaminess that goes well with this dish, in my opinion. I also think it's crucial to choose thick slices of a bread that is naturally sweet and delicious on its own -- this is why I went with fresh-baked challah from the local bakery. Oh, and what REALLY makes the difference between an 'eh, ok' french toast and a 'WOW!! DELICIOUS!!" french toast is letting the pieces of sliced challah sit in the egg mixture for an hour or so before pan-frying. This allows the bread to soak up as much flavor and moisture from the batter as it can before cooking. Personally, I think dipping or topping french toast with a sweet sauce or syrup makes it over-the-top hearty and delicious on a crisp winter morning, so I made two sides to go with it -- a warm, comforting mixed berry compote and a creamy cinnamon sauce.
I also decided to attempt an Italian tofu scramble, which was inspired by some friends who invited me over for dinner last week. They just had another baby 7 weeks ago, so they had me over for dinner so I could get a chance to hold baby Elijah, and play with their older son, two year old Benjamin (both cuties, by the way). They've been experimenting with a lot of new recipes lately and mentioned that we would be having kale, cauliflower, and tofu scramble that night. My eyebrows furrowed and I scratched my head curiously. "TOFU scramble?! I.e. a vegan take on scrambled eggs?? Never thought about trying that!" And indeed, it turned out to be fantastic, especially with the contrast in textures between the cauliflower and tofu. And the tofu was surprisingly not slimy when scrambled; it eventually dries into a moist crumble after sautee-ing for a few minutes and readily soaks up the delightful flavors in the pan around it like a sponge. Not only was this an easy, cheap recipe that was full of protein and fiber, it is also a great vegan-friendly option for any guests with dietary restrictions! I had to try a variation of it at home! So I decided to go with an Italian theme; a combination of baby portabello mushrooms, roma tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil would surely spice up the tofu scramble and make it a comforting winter dish on a Saturday morning. I was a little worried about things getting too watery because mushrooms and tomatoes retain so much moisture, but it surprisingly turned out great.
Of course, I had to balance these two heavy dishes with something light and sweet, so I made a simple fruit salad with sweet kiwis, strawberries, and grapes. Enjoy the recipes for all three dishes below! Bon apetite!
RECIPES:
I had some buddies from the PhD program come over yesterday morning for a late brunch / lunch. I had some killer french toast last weekend at The Flying Biscuit, so I decided to make a lactose-intolerant-friendly version of it with a few dipping sauces. I actually think making french toast with soy milk makes it more decadent -- soy milk has a natural sweet creaminess that goes well with this dish, in my opinion. I also think it's crucial to choose thick slices of a bread that is naturally sweet and delicious on its own -- this is why I went with fresh-baked challah from the local bakery. Oh, and what REALLY makes the difference between an 'eh, ok' french toast and a 'WOW!! DELICIOUS!!" french toast is letting the pieces of sliced challah sit in the egg mixture for an hour or so before pan-frying. This allows the bread to soak up as much flavor and moisture from the batter as it can before cooking. Personally, I think dipping or topping french toast with a sweet sauce or syrup makes it over-the-top hearty and delicious on a crisp winter morning, so I made two sides to go with it -- a warm, comforting mixed berry compote and a creamy cinnamon sauce.
I also decided to attempt an Italian tofu scramble, which was inspired by some friends who invited me over for dinner last week. They just had another baby 7 weeks ago, so they had me over for dinner so I could get a chance to hold baby Elijah, and play with their older son, two year old Benjamin (both cuties, by the way). They've been experimenting with a lot of new recipes lately and mentioned that we would be having kale, cauliflower, and tofu scramble that night. My eyebrows furrowed and I scratched my head curiously. "TOFU scramble?! I.e. a vegan take on scrambled eggs?? Never thought about trying that!" And indeed, it turned out to be fantastic, especially with the contrast in textures between the cauliflower and tofu. And the tofu was surprisingly not slimy when scrambled; it eventually dries into a moist crumble after sautee-ing for a few minutes and readily soaks up the delightful flavors in the pan around it like a sponge. Not only was this an easy, cheap recipe that was full of protein and fiber, it is also a great vegan-friendly option for any guests with dietary restrictions! I had to try a variation of it at home! So I decided to go with an Italian theme; a combination of baby portabello mushrooms, roma tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil would surely spice up the tofu scramble and make it a comforting winter dish on a Saturday morning. I was a little worried about things getting too watery because mushrooms and tomatoes retain so much moisture, but it surprisingly turned out great.
Of course, I had to balance these two heavy dishes with something light and sweet, so I made a simple fruit salad with sweet kiwis, strawberries, and grapes. Enjoy the recipes for all three dishes below! Bon apetite!
| Ok, so I think the french toast looked like something like this. Plus, I have theseexact Corelle plates at home. Hooray! |
 |
| The mushroom, tomato, and basil tofu scramble probably looked a little less dry than this, but you get the general idea. Got to compromise a little if you're getting your pictures from Google images!! |
 |
| Ok, so the salad didn't look EXACTLY like this, but it was still delicious. :) |
RECIPES:
FRENCH TOAST:
Ingredients:
-1 loaf of challah bread
-3 eggs
-1 cup soy milk
-1 tbsp vanilla extract
-4 tablespoons brown sugar
-1 tbsp of ground cinnamon
**Note: As always, the above measurements are rough approximations. I never measure anything when I cook. Just use your best judgment as you add ingredients.
Preparation:
-Slice the challah bread into roughly 1 1/2 inch thick slices (I ultimately used 6 slices for the mixture below)
-Combine eggs, soy milk, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a LARGE bowl with a wide mouth (this is key, since you have to let the bread soak in the mixture) and whisk until well-mixed.
-Dip the challah pieces in the bowl and make sure both sides have been exposed and covered in the egg mixture. Let the mixture sit with the slices of challah for at least an hour in the fridge.
-Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees and place a baking dish lined with aluminum foil in it -- this is an underutilized technique used to keep foods warm that require a long time to make a whole batch (e.g. pancakes, waffles, french toast, etc.).
-Pan-fry each piece of bread for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes on each side; when golden brown, slide the toast onto the baking sheet in the oven to keep it warm.
FRENCH TOAST DIPPING SAUCES:
1. CREAMY CINNAMON SAUCE:
Ingredients:
-1-1.5 cups heavy cream
-maple syrup
-brown sugar
-2 tablespoons vanilla extract
-1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
-2 tablespoons flour (as a thickener)
**Note: maple syrup and brown sugar measurements were purposefully not given because I just poured stuff in without thinking about it. Use your best judgment. I prefer more maple syrup than brown sugar because of its unique, comforting, wintry flavor, but that is personal preference.
Preparation:
-Combine all ingredients into a small saucepan on stovetop at medium heat until it starts to boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and continue to cook until mixture retains the desired thickness.
**Note: If I had to make this again, I might add crushed pecans to the creamy mixture; it would add some texture, plus pecans have a sweetness that makes it such a unique nut.
2. MIXED BERRY COMPOTE
Ingredients:
-2 small container (or 1 large container) of fresh blueberries
-1/2 container of fresh strawberries
-2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
-1 fresh cinnamon stick
-brown sugar
-1 cup of water
Preparation:
-Combine all ingredients into medium-sized saucepan.
-Stir mixture every few minutes (and squish the fruit using a large spoon or fork) on medium-low heat for about 1.5-2 hours. It's one of those things that just has to sit and meld together.
-Remove from stovetop when compote has reached desired thickness.
**Note: This makes enough for an entire jar of berry compote; you can re-use for other things, or it makes a great homemade gift!
ITALIAN TOFU SCRAMBLE:
Ingredients:
-1 block tofu
-4 baby portabello mushrooms (or use any other mushrooms that you like; I just got whatever was on sale)
-1 bunch of fresh basil
-2 small roma tomatoes
-Salt/pepper to taste
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-3-4 cloves of fresh garlic
Preparation:
-Crumble a block of tofu with your hands (this is the fuuuuuuun part!) into a large bowl
-Mix in thinly diced tomatoes and mushrooms, thinly sliced basil (about a handful) and garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
-Pan-fry the tofu mixture (lid off!!) for about 20 minutes with olive oil until the scramble loses most of the moisture from the mushrooms and tomatoes.
-Voila! Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment