southern style biscuits

When we moved to the South last year I expected the abundance of grits, collared greens, and black eyed peas. I was even only mildly shocked when we realized that, in Georgia, shopping carts are called buggies. Yes, buggies, as in Please park your buggy in the coral – We are not responsible for damage to vehicles caused by buggies. But above all other things southern, what I was truly unprepared for was the biscuits.

In the Midwest, conventional restaurant-style meals are often served with rolls or hot bread. Of course, when we’re cooking at home serving extra carbs like this would seem not only extravagant, but dare I say just plain dumb. I mean, does a heaping plate of carb-filled pasta really need to be accompanied by a breadstick? Really? Here in Georgia, this senseless addition to your plate is made even worse by substituting the roll or bread with a buttery, fatty biscuit. At some of the restaurants in our town, you’re even served a biscuit with your field green salad topped with tofu. Better yet, if you go out to brunch (which, as a southerner, you are expected to do weekly and wait in line for hours for your table) there are entire sections of the menu devoted to the biscuit.

Most shocking of all, my husband, who would happily survive on fruit and granola, has fallen in love with them. Clearly, most biscuits are not vegan nor healthy. So once I realized that there was no stopping this love affair, I went on a quest to find a low(er) fat, low(er) calorie, dairy free biscuit recipe that he could enjoy at home. After several batches of what arguably tasted like nothing, I finally found the basics for this tasty recipe at veganbaking.net, and gained overwhelming approval from him. I have included the nutritional info below, which you can see, does not boast any health benefits. However, if you just have to have a biscuit, this is surely a better alternative than the ones they are serving at our local restaurants.

Southern Style Biscuits

½ cup Organic Soy Milk
3 Tbs Ener-G Egg Replacer
1 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
¼ cup Canola Oil
1 Tbs Tahini
1 Tbs Sugar
1 tsp Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk together soy milk, Ener-G powder, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar.
Let sit for about 10 minutes so the soy milk curdles.
In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the canola oil, tahini, sugar and salt.
Now whisk in the soy milk mixture.
Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Use your hands to knead the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface for no less than 5 minutes.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch.
Use a 3 inch biscuit cutter or a mug to cut the dough into circles.
Place the cut-outs on a non-stick or lightly oiled baking sheet.
Depress the center of each muffin with your thumb so they will not dome when baking.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Some great toppings for these little pillowy biscuits include organic fruit preserves, agave nectar, banana butter, apple butter, or Earth Balance. If your omnivore friends are around for breakfast and crazy about the animal flesh on a biscuit they usually order at brunch, there are a few varieties of veg sausage or veg bacon you can use to create little animal friendly breakfast sandwiches sure to please everyone.

This recipe makes about 10 biscuits.
Nutritional Information for 1 Southern Style Biscuit:
Calories: 150.0
Total Fat: 6.5 g
Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
Sodium: 383.0 mg
Total Carbs: 21.0g
Dietary Fiber: 1.0 g
Sugars: 1.9 g
Protein: 3.3g

easy tofu scramble

There are so many easy and delicious vegan breakfast choices like whole fruit, granola, toast, oatmeal, smoothies, etc., that preparing alternatives to eggs and other animal products is truly unnecessary. However, if you are making the transition to a vegan diet or simply craving something warm and savory in the morning, this scramble can really hit the spot.

Easy Tofu Scramble

5 oz. Organic Firm Tofu, drained and crumbled*
Handful of Your Favorite Veggies, diced**
1/2 Tbs Organic low-sodium Tamari (soy sauce)*
1 Tbs Nutritional Yeast
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Powder
pinch of Turmeric
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

*Several very toxic pesticides are used to grow conventional soybeans, so be sure to use organic tofu and tamari.
**I used onions, tomato, portobellos, and green onions, but any combination of vegetables you have on hand will work.

Add a drizzle of oil, tofu and tamari to the pan and sautee over med-high heat for 5 minutes, allowing the tofu to fully absorb the tamari and begin to brown.
Add veggies and saute for 3-5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium.
Sprinkle on nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, and turmeric and stir to evenly coat tofu and veggies.
Continue cooking for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe makes one large serving, or you could share and there would be plenty for two.
Nutritional Information for Easy Tofu Scramble***:
Calories: 225
Total Fat: 12.0 g
Saturated Fat: 1.0 g
Sodium: 300.0 mg
Total Carbs: 12.3g
Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g
Sugars: 0.9 g
Protein: 16.0g
***this information is accurate if you include the same vegetables I did.

vegan quiche

There are admittedly some pretty bad vegan quiche recipes out there, but I think you’ll find that the following recipe is just right. Extra firm silken tofu provides a perfect texture for this dish, even for your dairy loving family and friends. I also used Ener-G egg replacer and found that the moisture from the tofu and the soymilk bind really well, so there is no need to add water. Of course, you can use any variation of vegetables that you prefer, but you’ll want to make sure you’ve got a full pound of vegetables. Once they cook down you’ll have a perfect amount of filling for your crust.

Vegan Quiche

1 Pre-made frozen pie crust*

1 head of Broccoli, chopped
1 handful of Mushrooms, diced**
2 handfuls of Spinach
1 medium sized Onion, chopped into 1” pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

12 oz Extra Firm Organic Silken Tofu***
¼ cup Organic Soymilk**
3 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast
1 ½ tsp Ener-G egg replacer powder
¼ tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Tahini
1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard (optional)
Dash salt
Dash pepper

*There are plenty of brands that make dairy free frozen pie crusts, just check the ingredients on the packaging.
**Even if you’re tempted to grab portabellas at the store (like we often are), remember that white button mushrooms are super rich in dietary fiber like chitin, which lowers cholesterol, and beta-glucan, which stimulates T-cell production and boosts your immune system. White buttons are also rich in protein and unsaturated fatty acids.
***Several very toxic pesticides are used to grow conventional soybeans, so be sure to use organic tofu and soymilk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Pre-bake the pie crust for 12 minutes.
While the crust is baking, sauté the mushrooms and broccoli in olive oil until just tender.
Set mushrooms and broccoli aside in a mixing bowl.
Add a little more oil to the pan and sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent.
Add the mushrooms and broccoli back to the pan.
Add spinach and continue heating vegetables until the spinach wilts.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth.
In a mixing bowl, combine the vegetables with the tofu mixture and stir until all vegetables are evenly coated.
Pour the mixture into the partially baked pie crust.
Continue to bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
Brush the top of the quiche with olive oil ½ way through cooking.
Let the quiche sit for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
Enjoy!


This recipe makes 10 slices of quiche.
Nutritional Information for 1 slice of Vegan Quiche:
Calories: 200.0
Total Fat: 12.2 g
Saturated Fat: 2.3 g
Sodium: 140.0 mg
Total Carbs: 16.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.8 g
Sugars: 1.0 g
Protein: 6.0 g