My niece Alex recently moved in with us. Very much a meat eater (and city dweller), as well as an excellent cook, Alex decided to leap into her aunt’s and uncle’s slightly off-the-beaten-path lifestyle and embrace a vegan diet. She also committed to working in the vegetable garden with us this season and is excited to create meals with freshly picked ingredients.
To this end, seeds and plant starts of all types have been ordered, as well as manure for spreading onto our garden rows. If you plan to grow a vegetable garden this summer, do not delay in making your plans, because once May hits, it’s time to start implementation!
Many people start seedlings indoors in April, but I’m never quite that organized, nor do I have the space and light required to do a good job of that, so I order “starts” for plants that need that extra time to mature in our climate.
Manure or soil amendments can be spread in late April or early May, paths tidied, raised beds or fencing prepared, and more – all prior to planting. I used to plant around Memorial Day, because the last frost date was typically just before that, but global warming being what it is, the last frost date may allow for an earlier planting.
Check the weather carefully as planting season begins. For vegetable garden plans and tips, visit harriscenter.org/rhp/grow-your-own-food.
Alex decided to create a vegan breakfast sandwich that was really satisfying, and she nailed it. With the cost of eggs these days, it may be an ideal time to create this vegan “egg” sandwich. I helped by making the vegan cheese. I used the recipe for sliceable cashew cheese I found on the lovingitvegan.com website. When it came time to “slice” the cheese, I used a round cookie cutter so it would fit just right onto the English muffin.
It was my first time making vegan cheese, and I was happily surprised at how easy it was. Basically, you just have to mix all the ingredients in a blender, pour into a container and refrigerate for a short period of time.
The key ingredient that makes it work is agar–agar, which is not a commonly found ingredient in most pantries, but well worth picking up at your local health food store. Agar–agar, made from seaweed and sold as a powder or in flakes, is what solidifies the ‘cheese’ because of its gelatinous qualities.
All the elements of this egg sandwich – sausage, egg, and cheese – can be made the day or night before, if you choose, as it takes more time than just cracking open an egg or taking a block of cheese or ready–made sausage out of a wrapper.
We didn’t use all of the egg mixture in one sitting, so we refrigerated the leftover uncooked mixture in a glass jar for another time. (It can be refrigerated for up to five days). The cheese recipe made a plentiful amount, so we were able to use it in other recipes throughout the week as well.
This recipe is courtesy of Alex Murray, an adventurous cook who sings in the kitchen.
Vegan breakfast sausage
Makes eight sausages
Ingredients
— 1 1/2 cups white mushrooms, chopped.
— 1 cup cooked brown lentils (canned or cooked fresh).
— 1/2 cup oats.
— 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed.
— 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
— 2 teaspoons smoked paprika.
— 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed fennel seeds.
— 1 teaspoon cumin.
— 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
— 1 teaspoon onion powder.
— 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
— 1/2 teaspoon oregano.
— 1/2 teaspoon thyme.
— 1/2 teaspoon sage.
— 1/2 teaspoon basil.
— 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Directions
Combine everything, except for the oats, in a food processor; pulse until mostly smooth, with a little texture remaining. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the oats. Cover the mixture and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or more.
Form the mixture into balls, and then flatten into three-inch patties. Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil over medium heat, then cook patties until lightly browned (about five minutes). Flip patties, and cook on the other side for about three minutes until browned; transfer to a plate. Patties will continue to firm up as they begin to cool.
Vegan “egg”
It is important to use silken tofu, as opposed to firm or extra firm, in order to get the proper texture. The black garlic sea salt imparts the egg flavor, and is great on many other dishes as well. It can be purchased locally at Monadnock Oil & Vinegar in Peterborough, or online at loveblackgarlic.com.
Makes eight servings.
Ingredients:
— 8 ounces silken tofu.
— 1/2 cup flour of your choice.
— 1/2 cup water.
— 1/2 teaspoon black garlic sea salt.
— 1/4 teaspoon baking powder.
— 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (for color).
Directions
Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Heat a frying pan with a little vegan butter or olive oil on medium heat. Pour about one-third cup mixture at a time into the frying pan, folding in edges as it cooks; flip after bubbles begin to appear. This happens rather fast!
Cook the other side for a very short time until just set in order to preserve “eggy” texture quality.
Toast a sliced English muffin, and then stack egg, sausage and cheese.