Tag Archives: Just Egg

Vegan Breakfast Oat Muffins

vegan breakfast oat muffins
vegan breakfast oat muffins

As the year nears its end, I can spend countless hours in the kitchen. So why am I so hungry all the time? Well, a lot of the baked treats made during the holidays are for gifts or parties. So, in other words, the fruits of my labor are for others to enjoy.

To help allay any future hangries, I stock the fridge with easy to heat-and-eat foods. It helps to avoid eating all of the imperfect cookies while I’m baking. Not that that’s a horrible task, but sometimes I deem the majority of them not perfect enough and there are none left for gifting.

Having a protein-filled snack nearby is the perfect solution. It not only curbs a blood sugar spike caused by testing many sweets, but ensures a meal won’t take a lot of time when time is a precious commodity. I can bake a few dozen cookies, concoct a coffee cake, and prepare a batch of peppermint bark, and still have a chance to throw together an easy meal. Add some slices of spiced apple alongside these Breakfast Oat Muffins and you have a well-rounded lunch.

Vegan Breakfast Oat Muffins veganized from Natural Grocer’s Savory Oat Muffins recipe

1.5 cups almond flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons spices of your choice (I used a mix of granulated garlic, granulated onion, smoked paprika, and thyme to equal the 2 teaspoons)
1.5 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon Just Egg (a vegan liquid egg replacer)
3⁄4 cup + 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
6 tablespoons vegan butter, melted
1/2 cup dairy-free cheese style shreds (I used Violife cheddar)
1/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (see note)
1 roasted red pepper (if from a jar then blot it dry on a towel), finely diced (see note)
4 Beyond Breakfast Sausage links, cooked and crumbled (see note)

Preheat oven to 375F. Thoroughly grease a 12-cup muffin pan, or use a silicon muffin pan.

In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, baking powder, salt, and spices, breaking up any clumps. Stir in the oats.

In a medium bowl, add the Just Egg, non-dairy milk and melted vegan butter. Whisk well to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir well until completely combined. Let sit for 5 minutes so the dry ingredients can absorb some of the moisture. Add the dairy-free cheese, thawed spinach, diced red pepper, and cooked Beyond Sausage. Stir to distribute the ingredients throughout the mixture.

Divide the batter equally among the muffin cups. Push the batter in each cup down with the back of a spoon, then transfer the pan to the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops are firm and a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm in the oven or toaster oven at 300F for 10 minutes.

breakfast with oat muffins
breakfast with oat muffins

Note: You can customize the add-ins. I used spinach, red pepper, and sausage, You can add drained and chopped olives, diced jalapeños, a different leafy green or diced vegetable that has been squeezed dry. You want the add-ins to total 1 ½ cups.

Until next time, happy baking!

Spring Quiche for Mother’s Day

spring quiche for mothers day
spring quiche for mothers day

The sun is shining and plants are reaching towards it. Yes, it’s lovely springtime. This weekend also happens to be Mother’s Day in the U.S., so I thought I would head to the kitchen and make a celebratory brunch.

To me, the perfect brunch starts with quiche. Next add a salad made up of veggies, fruit, and a bright dressing. Include warm bread slathered in olive oil to complete the meal. You can also serve mimosas to make it more joyous.

My refrigerator had everything for my feast except the quiche, so I dug up a recipe that a friend had shared with me. It was already vegan, and needed no altitude adjustments, but I changed the flavors to suit my tastes and what I found in the fridge. I used fresh asparagus and vegan salami with a bit of dill and parsley and had delicious results. So whether you are celebrating Spring or Mother’s Day, this quiche makes a wonderful brunch entrée.

Spring Quiche for Mother’s Day adapted from Easy Vegan Quiche 2 Ways

crust
2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup vegan butter, cold from a brief time in the freezer
2 – 4 tablespoons ice water
filling
8 asparagus spears
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 cup chopped vegan salami (I used Renegade Foods)
sea salt, to taste
1/3 cup vegan feta, broken into small pieces (I used Violife)
1 (12-ounce) bottle Just Egg, cold and shaken
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

For the crust, sift together the flour and salt and place it in the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and pulse several times until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Gradually add the ice water, pulsing until the dough just comes together.

Sprinkle a light layer of flour onto a clean surface. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and use your hands to bring the dough into a ball. Lightly sprinkle the dough with flour, and roll the dough ball out into a roughly circular shape. Keep rolling the dough until it is 3 inches larger than the dish you are making your quiche in.

Carefully lift the dough and place it in the dish. Gently press the dough into the sides of the dish, bringing it up and slightly over the top of the dish. Trim any excess with a knife and crimp the edge with your fingertips. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, then place the crust in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, put a baking pan on the center rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400F. Line the chilled crust with parchment paper and fill the crust with dried beans or pie weights. Place the crust dish on the baking pan in the oven and bake for 12 minutes.

Remove the dish from the oven and reduce the temperature to 325F. Remove the beans and parchment paper and return the dish to the oven for 10 more minutes, or until the crust is slightly golden brown. Place the cooked crust on a wire rack to cool. Leave the oven on with the baking pan still on the center rack.

For the filling, bring a large skillet of salted water to a boil. Place the asparagus in the skillet and blanch for 3 minutes but don’t fully cook it. Rinse the asparagus in a colander under cold running water, drain, then pat dry. Take half of the stalks and trim the ends, placing them aside for the top of the quiche. Take the remaining spears and cut them on the bias into slices 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch wide.

Dry the skillet and set it over medium heat. Add the oil. When the oil is hot, sauté the shallots
for about 2 minutes. Add the salami and cook 1 minute more. Season with salt, then scrape into the crust. Add the cooked asparagus over the shallot-salami mixture, spreading everything out evenly. Scatter bits of feta over top.

spring quiche
spring quiche

Place the Just Egg, dill, parsley, and nutritional yeast in a bowl. Whisk together, then pour the mixture into the crust. Artfully arrange the reserved asparagus spears over the top of the quiche. Bake for 60 minutes, or until the center is set. Place on a wire rack for 15-20 minutes to cool before eating.

Until next time, happy baking!