November 4, 2007

The Crack Of Noon

by IsaChandra

Brunch still piping hot

Did you know that VwaV started off as a brunch book? The original book proposal was a pitch for “The Crack Of Noon: A Vegan Brunch Book.” Know why? Because I love brunch! Food just doesn’t taste as good any other day of week or time of day than the weekend at around 1 pm. Anyway, my publishers wanted an all-purpose cookbook instead and I’m happy it went the way it did, but I may revisit the brunch idea someday.

When I was a teenager I had this awful habit of making everything taste the same. Like, all the spices that went in the scrambled tofu would go into the home fries. Then I realized that the key to happiness was: if you put the fennel in this, leave it out of that. And also – not everything needs cumin! I needed to graffiti my kitchen cupboards with that one.

This morning I didn’t want the same old scrambled tofu, so I made biscuits with white bean gravy, tempeh and sweet potato hash and garlicky kale. The gravy was flavored with sage and thyme, the hash was spiked with fennel seeds and a little soy sauce and the kale was super simple and super garlicky. The biscuits were biscuit flavored. And now I’m laying in bed totally full, the heat finally came on and the kitties are snuggling with each other. I’m living the American dream.

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  • November 4, 2007 at 4:42 pm: julie

    what a brunch!!! i want to hire you to cook brunch for me on sunday mornings…

  • November 4, 2007 at 4:50 pm: katiejayne

    I wish I had eaten that this morning instead of peanut butter puffins.

  • November 4, 2007 at 5:18 pm: steph

    I vote for a brunch book! LET THEM EAT BRUNCH!

  • November 4, 2007 at 5:31 pm: Cody

    Oh, that looks yummy.

    My boyfriend has that habit of making everything taste the same. He finds an herb he likes and sticks with it until I physically remove it from his reach.

  • November 4, 2007 at 5:34 pm: rani

    I’ve been guilty of using the same spices for a lot of things, but I’m learning. Brunch is perfect – you get breakfast, you get lunch, and you get special unique food in between!

  • November 4, 2007 at 5:35 pm: Coppe

    I’m at that stage. I don’t see what’s wrong with it. Cumin tastes good. Everything should taste like cumin.

  • November 4, 2007 at 5:40 pm: IsaChandra

    Coppe…There’s nothing wrong with it until you’re sick of cumin. I know it sounds impossible but mark my words…

  • November 4, 2007 at 5:45 pm: Paula

    That looks so awes!

    I made homefries and tempeh/white bean sausage patties for breakfast and then pumpkin pie brownies. I’m totally full now, but I want biscuits and gravy something awful.

  • November 4, 2007 at 6:27 pm: Coppe

    Nooo, not cumin! It’s so nice and spicy!

    But there are still fennel seeds, right?

    Th-that goes well in everything? Right?

  • November 4, 2007 at 6:58 pm: Meagan

    Um that looks really good. Now I might know what to do with my kale. The sweet pototoes…mm I haven’t had good ones for ages. But I’m most impressed with the biscuits. They look amazing. Much better than the poor excuse for “pumpkin” biscuits that I made today. There must be some secret about how to cope with overly sticky dough that no one is telling me…

  • November 4, 2007 at 7:37 pm: Jillian

    I just made your poppy seed rolls (I forgot what they’re called, first ones in the bread section of V’con) with the Lasange Marinara and fed them to my vegan-bashing parents. It shut them up. :)

    But yeah. Brunch book. I would totally love a brunch book. It’s the best- no, it’s the ONLY meal of the day. I’ve gone through days of brunch for brunch, lunch, and dinner..

    Those rolls I made were really good, but I’m tempted to try those biscuits now..

    I’m gonna stop rambling now. :)

  • November 4, 2007 at 8:18 pm: Suzie (Frecklefoot)

    Duuuuuuuuuuuuude. I wish I saw this before I made pancakes for brunch today! I did, however, get to use my eleventy-billion pound cast-iron griddle for the first time, since I had to do double-duty on the pancakes. I was cooking for man tummies. I love kale with all of my heart, soul, and strength. I wish that picture was scratch-n-sniff, because the steam is making me so happy!

  • November 4, 2007 at 8:42 pm: michelle

    Mmm. Had biscuits and tempeh bacon for brunch yesterday, hash browns today. Every day should have brunch.

  • November 4, 2007 at 8:54 pm: esme

    i very much need to test a vegan brunch book. just sayin.

  • November 4, 2007 at 9:07 pm: jaxin

    Everyday should be a weekend. Sounds like a perfect day to me.

  • November 4, 2007 at 9:17 pm: hatorisblindeye

    The crack of noon is what my brother and I call it. We both work nights. I love brunch, too. When I was little, my Dad had only a few dishes that met with my Mom’s approval. On Sundays he would make us all brunch, I have some fond memories of that time.

  • November 4, 2007 at 9:35 pm: jo

    the american dream for sure involves bed, a belly full of brunch, and kitty snuggling. in the american dream, it’s always sunday afternoon. right on.

    esme, why don’t you WRITE a vegan brunch book?!? let US test for YOU.

  • November 4, 2007 at 10:29 pm: kennyboy

    What a coincidence…

    I made VwaV Biscuits & White Bean Gravy for brunch today too.

    Needless to say, I stuffed myself.

    YUM!

  • November 5, 2007 at 12:04 am: bazu

    Brunch is my favorite meal of the day. Followed by post-breakfast, breakfast, and pre-breakfast. I guess I’m just very hungry in the mornings… or I’m a hobbit. Either way, this is the brunch I wish I’d had this morning! (Counter was ok and all… but your biscuits are making me cry with happiness.)

  • November 5, 2007 at 1:49 am: Rachael

    Everything doesn’t need cumin? Besides garlic cumin is the only other spice that I could eat at breakfast, 2nd breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea, dinner, and supper.

    I like cumin.

    Vive el cumin!!!!

  • November 5, 2007 at 2:59 am: Coppe

    See? We’re on to something here.

  • November 5, 2007 at 7:21 am: calcuhater

    i just found out yesterday that there exist people in the world who don’t love cumin.

    mind. bottled.

  • November 5, 2007 at 9:59 am: Jerusha

    “Know why? Know why???!”

    that SO reminded me of Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp)

    I miss the boards.

  • November 5, 2007 at 11:02 am: cz

    I think the expression is mind boggling- not mind bottling. Although bottling your brain would probably stop it from functioning properly, so i suppose it does work as well.

  • November 5, 2007 at 12:49 pm: jd

    I would certainly be interested in an all-vegan brunch book, as I think I made only brunch recipes from VWAV for the first few months I had it. It was the fact that it had a tempeh bacon recipe that made me NEED it.

  • November 5, 2007 at 2:33 pm: robyn

    Oh please grace us with a brunch book!!