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May 8, 2016
A Plant-Powered Mother’s Day Brunch
Even if your idea of breakfast is chugging juice from a travel mug on the go, we can all agree that preparing a meal for Mother’s Day brunch is something well worth the measuring and mixing (and likely a spill or two). To help plan the ultimate plant-based Mother’s Day menu, we’ve tapped three of our favorite health-focused chefs for celebratory brunch dishes worthy of the moms in our lives.
Oat Pancakes with Chocolate Drizzle, by Giovanna Garcia
Ingredients (makes 2 pancakes)
- ½ cup oat or almond flour
- ½ banana
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup almond milk or water
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, for cooking
- 1 superfood chocolate bar, melted
Directions
- Place all pancake ingredients, except coconut oil and chocolate, in blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, mash up banana with a fork and whisk with remaining ingredients.
- Heat coconut oil on medium heat in a pan and spoon mixture onto pan to make pancakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes on first side until lightly browned, flip, cover, and cook for another few minutes until cooked through.
- Serve and top with melted chocolate and additional favorite toppings such as fresh berries and maple syrup
Za’atar Zucchini Fritters by Rachel Walker
Ingredients (makes 10 small or 6 large patties)
- 2 1/2 cups zucchini, grated
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1/3 cup oats, ground into a flour
- 2 tbsp chopped dill
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp za’atar (see below)
- 1 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 1 scallion, chopped
- black pepper
Za’atar:
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Optional additions: marjoram, cumin
Mustard Seed Condiment:
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard seeds
- 2 tsp whole dill seeds
- 2 tsp whole fennel seeds
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
Directions
- Turn the oven on low, place a baking sheet or plate on the rack. This is to keep the patties warm as you cook them.
- First, combine the dry ingredients for the mustard seed condiment in a saucepan. Add 1/4 c rice vinegar and 1/4 c water. Bring to medium heat, cover, and let boil until there is no liquid left. Occasionally stir. Once there is no liquid left (approx. 20 minutes), add the remaining liquid and cook on low heat. Stir and check on it as to not let it burn. You want the mustard seeds to be plump and tender. Add more liquid if needed for a third reduction. You want it to be thick, a little gooey and sticky. It should be powerful in its flavor profile, acidic and tangy.
- Next, make the za’atar mix. In a mortar and pestle grind all the spices together. Side note: There will be extra mix that can be used to top salads, yogurt, crackers, or vegetables.
- For the patties, grate the zucchini and carrots, place in a colander to drain.
Mince the garlic, chop the scallion and dill; in a spice or coffee grinder blend the oats into a flour. Combine these ingredients a bowl along with the black sesame seeds, sea salt, and pepper. Before adding the shredded zucchini and carrot squeeze as much liquid out of it as possible. Mix thoroughly with your hands or a wooden spoon.
- In a skillet melt coconut oil and turn the heat to medium. Be very aware of your oil’s smoke point as to not burn the oil. Depending on the size patty you’d like, take a small amount of the mixture in your palms and create a ball. Flatten it out and place on the skillet. Cook for about 4-5 minutes on eat side or until golden brown. For a nice crispy edge, turn the heat up at the end and let each side cook for 1 minute. Keep warm in the oven.
- Serve the zucchini patties with toppings of choice, I love them with sautéed greens, avocado, and mustard seed condiment.
Mini White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecakes by Natalie Norman
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1.5 cups soaked raw almonds (soak overnight 6-8 hours covered in cold water, then rinse/strain)
- 1 cup packed raw plain shredded raw coconut
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- Pinch of pink salt
- 1 cup soft pitted dates
Filling:
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- Juice & zest of 4 fresh small lemons + extra lemon zest for optional decorative topping
- 1.5 cups soaked raw cashews (soak 2-3 hours covered in cold water, then rinse/strain)
- 2 tbsp raw agave nectar
- 1 cup soft pitted dates
- Pinch of pink salt
- Juice of 1 lime (about 2 tbsp)
- 3 tbsp raw cacao butter
- 2-4 tbsp warm water or as needed to thin mixture
Directions
- Pulse all crust ingredients in a food processor fitted with “S” blade until crumbly like a graham cracker crust. You’ll see the mixture start to ball up slightly. You might have to start and stop a bit, carefully scraping down the sides avoiding the blade.
- Scoop crust mixture by the spoonful and press into each mini cheesecake cup in a mini cheesecake pan. Or press all of it into the bottom of a regular springform pan, 9-10″ is fine, you’ll just get more height the smaller the diameter. Chill in the freezer for about 1/2 hour while you make the filling.
- Blend all filling ingredients in high-speed blender, carefully adding tiny amounts of water as needed. Stop and scrape down if needed, and go slowly. Do not overblend your mixture. It should stay very thick and creamy.
- Take out your pan and add filling on top of the crust. Put the pan back into the freezer and chill for at least an hour or until totally firm.
- Top with optional lemon zest and serve frozen or thaw in fridge until it reaches desired consistency.
Have a happy, healthy Mother’s Day!