Vegan Eggs Benedict For Your Next Brunch!
A VEGAN EGGS BENEDICT RECIPE, PERFECT FOR BRUNCH!
Vegan Eggs Benedict breakfast! For brunch, lunch, or dinner, this recipe for Eggs-free Benedict is one you’ll want to make for every meal! Join Chef Linda Soper-Kolton, Director of Culinary Arts, Compassionate Cuisine Catskill Animal Sanctuary, and cookbook author, on #LunchBreakLive and learn how to make this simple, scrumptious dish that includes the easiest, and most compassionate Hollandaise sauce you’ll ever eat. Just another example of how we can satisfy all of our cravings with plants!
FULL OF COMPASSION AND COOKING SECRETS
Linda Soper-Kolton came to Catskill Animal Sanctuary in 2012 as a guest chef, intending to teach Compassionate Cuisine cooking classes for a season and then return to her vegetarian and vegan café in Fairfield, Connecticut. Lured by the magic of the sanctuary and the urgency of the mission, Linda stayed to lead and grow the culinary program, inspiring and educating with love, patience, and delicious food. Six years later, she continues to cook, teach, write, and kiss pigs.
Unlike many chefs, Linda did not grow up at the knee of a family matriarch in the kitchen. Instead, her early memories of mealtime included mashed potatoes made with milk powder and potato flakes, Friday’s clean-out-the-fridge “spaghetti surprise,” and a lot of liver. Linda learned to cook out of sheer necessity. In the humble kitchen of her first apartment, Linda spent nights baking, roasting, and simmering for roommates, co-workers, and anyone else she could find. With “food is love” as her mantra, cooking and feeding became her way of nurturing and connecting with others.
In midlife, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a chef when she graduated from the Natural Gourmet Institute chef’s training program. Combining her chef’s training with certification as a holistic health coach from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and certification in plant-based nutrition from the Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell, Linda is driven to love and influence others through compassionate, plant-based eating. When she’s not in the kitchen creating, she’s probably looking for her glasses.
IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS WITH EGGLESS VEGAN EGGS BENEDICT
Benedict is back on the menu! Linda’s vegan version of this classic brunch dish uses pan-fried tofu instead of eggs, sweet and salty eggplant rounds instead of Canadian bacon, and a healthy dose of greens and tomato! The traditional Hollandaise, which uses eggs and dairy has been reimagined using plant-based ingredients. Serve over vegan English muffins or toast. This recipe is easy to scale up, so you can make a dreamy and delicious brunch for a crowd.
Tofu Benedict
Ingredients
- 2 vegan English muffins split, (or use 4 if you want tops)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 3 ⅛-inch slices eggplant, unpeeled
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 package extra-firm or super-firm tofu cut lengthwise into slices and patted dry (if you like, use a round cookie cutter to make tofu rounds; reserve the edges for another use)
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black salt or use regular salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 slices of tomato
- 1 batch Cashew Hollandaise recipe follows
- Smoked paprika and ground black pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Lightly toast the English muffin halves and set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, syrup, vinegar, and liquid smoke. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan over medium heat. Dip the eggplant slices into the mixture and fry several minutes on each side until cooked through. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the spinach and garlic to the same pan and cook until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.
- On a small plate, mix together the nutritional yeast, onion powder, and salt. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in the same pan. Dredge the tofu slices and place in the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes on both sides until golden brown.
- To assemble the sandwiches, spoon a little sauce on each muffin. Top with tomato, spinach, eggplant, and tofu. Spoon more sauce on top and garnish with paprika and pepper.
Vegan Hollandaise Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked in water for 30 minutes
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- Juice of 1 lemon about 3 tablespoons
- 2 teaspoons mustard
- ½ teaspoon black salt or regular salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the cashews, and place in a blender. Add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, mustard, black salt, turmeric, and cayenne, then pour in the boiling water. Blend on high speed for a minute, until smooth and creamy. Taste, adjust salt as needed, and serve immediately. To make ahead, store the finished sauce in the refrigerator, then reheat in a saucepan on the stove over low heat, stirring constantly.
A DELICIOUS, TRADITIONAL BREAKFAST, MINUS THE CRUELTY
What a tasty episode of #LunchBreakLIVE with guest chef Linda! This is a perfect dish to serve your non-vegan friends and watch them react with surprise as their tastebuds erupt with satisfaction. Give it a try and let us know how you liked it. Take a photo of your finished dish and tag @janeUnChainedNews on Instagram. If you are interested in other easy vegan recipes to try, be sure to stop by the #LunchBreakLIVE page, where we have a ton to choose from. Until next time…keep cookin’!
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