Last Saturday I had my Catechists over for a Christmas Brunch as an appreciation of all that they do in service to Faith Formation at our parish. As I was planning the menu, I kept going back and forth between making a partially vegan menu or fully vegan. I kept thinking, maybe I should serve breakfast sausages, in order to be polite, as not to offend anyone's taste buds. I realized that this line of thinking will get me no where if I am to succeed at this healthy life change.
So on the menu was Polenta Pie, Bok Choy Slaw and Coconut Milk - Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding topped with Fresh Blueberries.
I found the recipe for Polenta Pie on thewickedgoodvegan.com. It was amazing. I could eat and eat and eat this pie. I cooked the polenta with a not-so-chik'n bullion stock. When I got done with the stirring and stirring part I added vegan mozzarella shreds - the Trader Joes brand. This Vegan Cheese actually has more flavor and consistency of Parmesan cheese. The polenta made with broth and vegan Parmesan... I could have eaten the whole lot of it right then and there. I made a hash type mixture of mushrooms, smokey tempeh strips and onions and mixed that in to the polenta. then I mixed in an entire container of fresh spinach. I poured this polenta-hash mixture into pie plates and let it set for a day. I baked the pie, topped with Daiya Mozarella shreds the morning of the brunch.
The Bok Choy Slaw was a conglomeration of various recipes that I found around on the internet. Really it was just ok. I had some of the leftovers today to for lunch and added some more soy sauce and it was much much better. The best thing about this recipe is that it is simple. It added the fresh, crisp element to the menu that I find imperative for any brunch.
The Coconut Milk-Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding was fabulously creamy. I had intentions of serving it with blueberries and mangos but when I cut into the mangos they were brown and fibrous. Yuck! So the Blueberries flew solo and it ended up just fine.
Bok Choy Slaw
2 heads of bok choy, sliced thinly (both the green and white part)
1 bag of match stick carrots
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
Dressing
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. canola oil
1/4 c. tamari
1/4 c. fresh squeezed orange juice
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1. Add bok choy, carrots and onions in salad bowl
2. Place ingredients for dressing in blender and blend until cilantro leaves are fully incorporated
3. Pour dressing over veggie mixture and toss
Coconut Milk - Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding
4 cups cooked sushi rice
2 cans of coconut milk
1 cup maple syrup
seeds of 1 vanilla bean
1. Combine all ingredients in a baking dish.
2. Bake at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes until a light golden brown crust forms on the top.
3. Serve with your favorite fruit and/or nut topping
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