Morning glory: two breakfast favorites made vegan - includes recipes - Recipe Redux

Breakfast and brunch can be a bit limiting for a dedicated vegan. Once you eliminate eggs, milk and butter, the American repertoire of waffles, pancakes, omelettes and French toast falls by the wayside. Even plain oatmeal can be offlimits if it is prepared with milk.

What's a person to do? Take courage. Traditional breakfast foods can be prepared using soyfoods and other alternatives. It takes imagination and a bit of trial and error, but the results can be very satisfying.

Take French toast. In my initial attempts to prepare a vegan version, I substituted a mixture of ground flaxseed and water for the eggs. The results were pleasant, but the process was time-consuming. And despite being relatively high in fat, this version lacked the richness of the real thing.

I then tried a combination of pureed bananas and soymilk. The dipping mixture was easy to prepare and offered the rich flavor I was looking for, as well as a much lower fat content. A touch of cinnamon provided a final dash of authenticity.

For best results, avoid using a dense, whole grain bread, as it will not absorb the dipping mixture. I find that a whole wheat italian loaf works best. And be sure to use a nonstick surface for frying; otherwise the sugars in the banana and the soymilk can stick and burn.

Developing a recipe for vegan `sausages' was less of a challenge. With its dense, hearty texture, tempeh was the obvious pork substitute. I discovered that by using Liquid Smoke and herbs (sage, fennel and thyme) typical of Italian sausage, I could recreate the flavor. The bigger challenge was mouthfeel. A bit of oil and water were needed to create a moist patty (so avoid the temptation to omit that tablespoon of oil).

So here you have it; French toast with a side of `sausage.' Now there's something to look forward to on Sunday mornings besides the comics.

Vegan French Toast

This recipe looks and tastes like French toast, but is made without eggs or milk. 2 cups sliced bananas 3/4 cup vanilla soymilk 1 tsp. cinnamon, or 3/4 tsp. cinnamon plus

1/4 tsp. ground cardamom 8 slices day-old whole wheat bread 1 tsp. canola oil Mango puree (see helpful hint) or maple syrup

Place Bananas, soymilk, cinnamon and cardamom (if using) in a blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Pour mixture into a pie plate. Dip bread into mixture, turning to coat both sides. Scrape off excess batter.

Brush a nonstick skillet or griddle lightly with oil. When hot, add coated bread slices. Brown on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn; brown other side. Transfer to plates; serve immediately with mango puree or maple syrup. Makes 8 slices.

Helpful Hint: To make mango puree, peel and cut mango; puree in blender or food processor. Makes about 1 cup. 2-SLICE SERVING WITH 2 TABLESPOONS PUREE: 116 CAL.; 4G PROT.; 2G FAT; 23G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 137MGSOD.; 3GFIBER. VEGAN

Breakfast Sausage' Patties

8 oz. tempeh (soy or three-grain) cut

into 4 to 5 pieces (see glossary) 1 large clove garlic, peeled 2 Tbs. water 1 Tbs. canola oil 1/4 tsp. Liquid Smoke (see glossary) 3/4 tsp. salt 2 tsp. dried sage leaves 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds 1/2 tsp. dried thyme 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper f lakes 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley 1 Tbs. canola oil

In a large saucepan with a steaming basket, steam tempeh 15 minutes, covered. Transfer tempeh to food processor; add remaining ingredients except last 1 tablespoon oil. Process until mixture begins to hold together, about 1 minute. Shape 2 tablespoons mixture into patties 2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Place patties in skillet; immediately flip to coat with oil. Cook over medium heat, covered, until light brown on one side. Flip; replace cover and brown on other side. Drain on paper towels; reserve in a warm place until ready to serve. Makes 8 patties. PER PATTY: 79 CAL.; 6G PROT.; 5G FAT; 5G CARB.; 0 CHOL.; 203MG SOD.; 2G FIBER. VEGAN

French Toast Before Redux

The following is typical of a conventional French toast recipe. Makes 42 slice servings. 4 eggs 1/2 tsp. salt 1 cup milk 1/2 tsp. vanilla or rum 8 slices bread Sugar for garnish Cinnamon for garnish PER 2-SLICE SERVING: 239 CAL.; 9G PROT.; 9G FAT; 26G CARB.; 226MG CHOL.; 604MG SOD.; 1G FIBER. OVO-LACTO

Sausage Before Redux

The following ingredients would make 8 modium-sized patties. 1/2 lb. lean pork 1/2 lb. pork fat 1/2 lb. lean veal 1 cup bread crumbs Grated rind of 1 lemon 1/4 tsp. sage 1/4 tsp. sweet marjoram 1/4 tsp. thyme 1/8 tsp. summer savory 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp. salt Fresh nutmeg PER PATTY: 334 CAL.; 2IG PROT.; 23G FAT; 1OG CARB.; 83MG CHOL.; 172MG SOD.; 0.6G FIBER.

RELATED ARTICLE: Barbara's Trailblazer Bar-B-Q Snack Mix

Mix in a large bowl: * 3 cups (1 box) Barbara's Hot

& Spicy Cheese Bites Low

Fat Crackers * 2 cups Barbara's Breakfast O's

Cereal * 2 cups Barbara's Fat Free Organic

Sourdough Bavarian Pretzels

(broken into 3/4" pieces) * 1 cup honey-roasted peanuts

Mix in a small bowl: * 4 Tbsp your favorite liquid

barbecue sauce

or * 4 Tbsp vegetarian

Worcestershire sauce * 1/2 tsp. chili powder * 1/2 tsp. garlic powder * 1 tsp. granulated sweetener

(maple sugar works great)

Combine cereal mix

and seasoning Oven: Bake mix on lightly oiled sheet in preheated 250 [degrees] F over for 45 min. (or until crispy and slightly browned), stirring every 10 min. Microwave: In microwave safe bowl heat mixture for 3-6 minutes, stirring every minute.

Watch carefully to avoid burning. Makes 8 cups. Enjoy! Once cool, store in an air tight container Variations: Substitute Barbara's Original Cheese Bites, Puffins Cereal or Whole Wheat Mini Pretzels. Also try your favorite thick salsa or picante sauce in place of barbecue sauce.

For more snack mix ideas and other recipes using Barbara's products send a #10 self addressed stamped envelope to RECIPES c/o Barbara's Bakery 3900 Cypress Drive, Petaluma, CA 94954.

Lorna J. Sass is the author of Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure (William Morrow. 1994) and Lorna Sass' Complete Vegetarian Kitchen (Hearst Books, 1995).

COPYRIGHT 1995 Vegetarian Times, Inc. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group