Monday, January 21, 2008

Waffles Wasting Away a Sunday

It's a dreary day in Houston, TX .... one of those that makes you want to just sleep all day, cuddled up with a fuzzy blanket. But it was back to work instead. Sunday went fast, we had a group of friends come over for brunch, and by the time it was over it was 3pm! Both John and I agree that this is the downside of brunch, it pretty much blows your whole day. But I think it was worth it considering what we got to eat. I made banana nut waffles from V-con (using half whole wheat flour) and topped them with blueberry maple sauce (Vive Le Vegan), macerated strawberries, and celestial cream (ED&BV). Oh I am so glad we had a few leftover, it made getting up for work this morning much easier (although it made getting out the door pretty tough). Alongside we had a tofu scramble using the spice mixture from Yellow Rose Recipes. This has been one of my favorite tofu scrambles yet (and like all good vegans, I've made many) And let me just say that I love Joanna's tribute to Texas as well as her kind words about the Lone Star State in her introduction! She grew up in Houston too, wonder if we ever crossed paths? Back to the scramble... I added red pepper, jalapeno, spinach, and tomatoes, topped with salsa and guacamole. Some vegan sausage (I love Gardenburger's) and a massive fruit salad rounded out the meal.

Saturday I spent the day working on a craft project with my mom and taking my second of four cake decorating classes (more on that in a later post). To fuel our bodies for optimal performance, my mom put together a healthy lunch featuring, yes, a Martha Stewart recipe. This is the quinoa pie with butternut squash. Beautiful presentation isn't it?
This was very tasty, the sage was subtle and the butternut squash gave the dish a rich feeling. And even though the recipe included 18 sage leaves (!) it wasn't overwhelming at all. I think my dad also discovered that, to his surprise, he enjoys butternut squash. The only recipe modification to make it vegan was leaving out the parmesan cheese (which may have binded the pie a little better, but wasn't a big flavor component I would think).
Okay, time to put on some comfy yoga pants and my favorite hoodie and make some dinner....

23 comments:

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Ooh I'm going to make that recipe! And I've always wanted to take cake-decorating classes (my friend and I were going to take some last summer, but something came up), so I'm excited to read your upcoming post on that :o).

Haha you're probably right about my next post!

the little one said...

18 sage leaves! I should look up that Martha recipe because my sage is getting pretty big.

Anonymous said...

Quinoa pie?! I love that idea!! It's one of my favorite things to eat, and in a pie it must be so good. Those waffles look amazing. I have them bookmarked to make. =)

Leigh said...

I've been dying to try that Celestial Cream. It looks so delish.

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

man, that brunch spread looks lovely! well done!!!

aTxVegn said...

That is one beautiful tart! Your brunch waffles and Texas scramble look so good.

It was miserably cold over the weekend!

Sarah P said...

whoa that pie is so elegant!

I have a huge weakness for waffles. You're making me want a waffle iron like never before...

Kayla said...

Awesome looking brunch. Makes me wish I was in Houston again just so I could get myself invited over!

And your mom made a killer pie. I'm drooling over the sage/squash/quinoa combo, and wishing I had some right now. It also helps that it looks so purdy.

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

yeah, your pie is so much prettier than Martha's even!

julie hasson said...

You meals always look picture perfect! The waffles look scrumptious as does that squash pie. How sweet that your mom made that for you.

Anke said...

that pie looks awesome. and, ah, could I come to brunch at your house? I would even be a good guest and leave at noon, or 1pm. your brunch looks terrific :-)

Ashasarala said...

Brunch DOES look totally worth it! Sunday brunch has to be the absolute best, even though it does tend to speed up the day. I never thought to put guac on scrambled tofu. What an awesome idea! And those waffles look huge and chunky. Mmm...

The quinoa pie is extremely pleasing to the eye and it looks mighty tasty too. :)

I can't wait to hear about your cake decorating experiences. I really, really wanna learn how to use tips correctly and make the best darn looking cake there is. Anything you can share would be really appreciated. =)

Anonymous said...

Wow, that quinoa pie looks and sounds so delicious... Perhaps I'll file away that recipe, too!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

waffles and GORGEOUS quinoa pie look/sound like the perfect, delicious way to spend a dreary winter's day indoors - yum!!

looking forward to seeing the results of your cake decorating class!! I need tips!! ;0)

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

What lucky friends you have! That brunch sounds delicious! I love that quinoa pie, so pretty!

MeloMeals said...

Your brunch looks fabulous! I really need to try the celestial cream..

.. and the quinoa/squash tart... well, I'll bet it was delicious. How lovely of your mom to make it for you.

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Ruby Red said...

wow! the quinoa pie looks stunning! quinoa and butternut squash are two of my favorite ingredients...and a pie is such a unique way to combine them. :)

you're making me jealous with your waffles - i won't be able to get my new waffle iron from my aunt's house for at least another week... so gardenburger makes good sausage, huh? i might like to try that.

Anonymous said...

that quinoa dish is beautiful....almost like a decorated cake!

LisaRene said...

Your "Quinoa Pie" looks much more attractive then Martha Stewart's. Very appealing presentation.

joanna said...

i'm so glad that you enjoyed the tofu scramble. yay! let me know if you ever have any questions about any of the recipes.

Anonymous said...

lazy sundays are my favorite! i have a lot of quinoa and am not the biggest fan but i'm trying to diligently use it up. tonight i just made the african quinoa peanut soup from vegetarian soups for all seasons but if i had seen your blog first i would have definitely made that quinoa pie. looks delicious and so pretty! would be perfect for a potluck.

Anonymous said...

That waffle looks great. We have had a difficult time finding a quality vegan waffle recipe.

Would you mind sharing yours?

Lane of veganbits.com