Sophie's Cosmic Cafe

Usually breakfast is my least favourite meal of the day when it comes to dining out.  My usual fare of hasbrowns and dry toast gets pretty boring after so many years.  A lot of places offer a side of fruit, but it's usually melons and grapes that have been marinating in lemon juice and water and pretty devoid of taste.

So this morning when Mr. Carnivore and I went out for breakfast, I picked the place: Sophie's Cosmic Cafe.  When we first arrived, there was a bit of a line-up spilling out into the sidewalk and Mr. Carnivore grumbled a bit, but we only had to wait a few minutes before being seated.

As you enter, you're greeted by hundreds (maybe even thousands) of knick-knacks and figurines which are affixed to every nook and cranny. My favourite is the pair of glittery silver high-heel boots near the front counter.

Sophies Cosmic Cafe has a really great selection of vegetarian options on the menu, including a Mexican tofu scramble, served with salsa, tortilla chips, 2 flour tortillas and black beans.  And the portions are ridiculously huge.  I barely ate half before my pants were begging to be loosened.  Mr Carnivore had (non-veg) French Toast with berries and was sufficiently stuffed as well.  He'd be happy to go to Sophies again, and that makes me happy :)

I Heart Tofu!

Happy Valentine's Day!  I started of this day of love by making heart-shaped tofu.  There's no telling what sweet treats I'll devour for the rest of the day, so I wanted to begin the day on a healthy note.

Heart-Shaped Tofu
1 block, medium-firm tofu
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Braggs

Directions: Drain the tofu and pat with a paper towel or clean dish cloth to absorb excess water. Slice block of into 4 slabs and use a knife to cut out the heart shape (you could use a cookie cutter if you have one).  Heat frying pan to medium-high and add olive oil.  Using a spatula, transfer the shapes into frying pan.  Sautee 2-3 minutes on each side, using a splash of Braggs after each turn.

More 21 Day Vegan Kickstart Deliciousness and Sheese

I don't always follow the rules.  For example, if a recipe calls for blueberries but I only have blackberries, I'll make it with what I have.  That's what happened with these pancakes.  I also didn't have any buckwheat flour, so I used rye for another breakfast recommended by the 21 day vegan kickstart program.  Pancakes rock!  I like how wholesome these pancakes are, and if you want to give them a try, you can get the original recipe here.

And in case you need to see another breakfast scramble:

I crumbled some medium cheddar style Sheese over the scramble.  I haven't found a fake cheese yet that I'm crazy about, but when I tried this flavour of Sheese, I could not believe how closely it tastes to the real thing.  I even asked my non-vegan dad to taste it and he liked it.  Sheese has been around for a few years, it's usually over $8.00 for an 8oz package at my local supermarket so it's not something I usually buy.  But I'm having fun making things with it, like the grilled Sheese sandwich below.

21 Day Vegan Kickstart: Day One

Happy New Year to you and yours.  There's an old tale that says the way you bring in the new year will set the tone for the year to follow.  I spent last night rocking out to Band Hero and drinking green apple martinis at a house party, so I'm excited to see how the year unfolds.

I made some peanut butter cupcakes from VCTOTW to bring the party.  My attempt at writing 2010 in white chocolate went horribly wrong, so this is the rescued version of the cupcakes.

Have you had a chance to check out the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart?  I can't wait to try some of the recipes.  Today's breakfast was apple-cinnamon oatmeal.  I subbed in apples instead of raisins, but considering that I'm not the biggest fan of oatmeal, I liked it well enough.  Tomorrow's breakfast promises to generate much more enthusiasm from me, I swear.

Sometimes the perfect serving dish isn't a dish at all

Call me crazy, but I love spending hours in the kitchen, preparing big family dinners.  Although I cook every day for my little Gordita, it's not all that often that we host a big family gathering for dinner at our place.

One of the dilemmas I found myself in when preparing breakfast on Christmas morning was finding the perfect dish to serve the fruit salad in.  I wanted to use something pretty, and decorative, not just any old plastic tub.

And although unconventional, I found the perfect vessel.  In fact, it worked so well, I may never use it for flowers again.

Sunday Morning breakfast

On Sunday mornings I try to make a breakfast that involves more than my usual weekday fare of cold cereal and soy milk.  Sometimes it's pancakes or waffles, but today I felt like hash browns.  I love hash browns in any shape or size, especially when they're smothered in salsa.

There's more to making shredded hash browns than meets the eye.  If you don't get enough of the moisture out before you cook them, they'll end up a big soggy mess.  Some people swear by potato ricers to make shredded hash browns, others prefer patting them with paper towels to draw out the moisture. I don't have a ricer so I went the paper towel route today, and I also sauteed a small yellow onion with the potatoes to add some extra flavour. 

I think I might ask Santa for a ricer for Christmas ;)