“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”

“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”

“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.

Ah, brunch. Truly the best meal of the day. Especially if you’re vegan. Because, frankly, anything goes! Breakfast food? Sure! Lunch food? Why not! Greens first thing in the morning? Go for it! Brunch in a vegan’s dream. Plus it’s a really good excuse to invite your friends over and chow down on all the excess Trader Joe’s groceries you bought the day before when you made the mistake of grocery shopping after a long run…

I like to think my brunches are European style because I fell in love with breakfast in Siena, Italy while filling up on Nutella croissants (still warm!), prosciutto, pecorino, and espresso. But to be honest, I think Americans do brunch best: lots of food, lots of friends, usually a hangover, and bottomless mimosas.

But for the days you want to stay in for the best meal of the weekend, I’ve put together a delicious vegan brunch menu. European inspired, American made, and to absolutely die for.

On the Menu:

Hazelnut latte with soy milk (sugar free!)

Baguette with assorted toppings: sugar free preserves, vegan butter, Dutch speculoos (In all fairness, I don’t know if speculoos is actually vegan, as the ingredients list is in Dutch! Sadly, I suspect it’s not.)

Local Pennsylvania organic apples

Fresh lemon mango cucumber water*

Sweet potato chips with homemade hummus*

Assorted veggie tofu scramble*

*Keep scrolling for the recipes below!

Lemon Mango Cucumber Water

The idea is so simple, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner! Add cut up cucumbers, lemon, and frozen mango to a pitcher of water, and suddenly you have a refreshingly healthy drink that actually makes you excited to drink more water.

Hummus

• 2 15 oz cans of chickpeas, drained
• or 1 1/2 cup dried chickpeas, rinsed, soaked and cooked (I cook mine in the crock pot!)
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• splash of lemon juice
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• Salt and pepper

Tofu Scramble

• 1-2 packages of tofu (1 package=one serving)
• Assorted veggies, diced, cut, etc. I like to make this dish with any extra veggies from the week. It’s a great way to use up your extra produce in one dish!
• 1 tbs sesame oil
• 1-2 tbs soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• sprouted grain toast (optional, of course! But the scramble is delectable with vegan butter and toast)

Wrap the blocks of tofu in a dry paper towel. Set on a smooth plate or cutting board and add weight on top. I sandwich my tofu between two cutting boards and stack my cookbooks on top. Whatever gets a decent amount of water out of the tofu, works! Let the tofu sit this way for ten minutes or so.

While waiting, heat the sesame oil on medium/high heat. When warm, add your veggies. Add a tablespoon of soy sauce. If the veggies are sticking to the pan, add water, a tablespoon or so at a time.

When the tofu is ready, crumble into the pan with the veggies. Stir and add your second tablespoon of soy sauce. Continue to cook until tofu is heated through. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Any other vegan recipes you’d recommend for brunch?

Cheers!

Sarah