Breakfast of vegans, in a tortilla

When I was a young new vegan, I was kinda dumb. I didn't buy a vegan cookbook for six months or so after I went vegan. I didn't even put soy milk in my coffee, I just drank it black. In retrospect I wonder how I didn't have a hard time transitioning, because I sure didn't give myself any breaks! And I really, really, wasn't creative about breakfast. I think hummus and toast was pretty popular way back when, for me. But now my breakfast selection has dramatically improved. Vegan brunch was, frankly,  huge help. But this post is reminding me of New York City, which is where I was inspired by two vegan meals.
One is avocado on toast, which I've described here before but will again, because it's so freakin yummy. At The Jane Hotel in NYC, which is where I've stayed the two times I've visited, the hotel resto Cafe Gitane has an amazingly vegan-friendly menu. One of their breakfast items is avocado on toast, so I of course ordered it several times during my week there the first time I visited on vacation.But they don't just open up some ripe avocados and schmear it on toast--no no, they add things to it...in a way that makes you realize that the whole is wayyyyy greater than the sum of its parts. Whole-grain toast, fresh avocado spread into a perfect little pyramid, a drizzle of olive, sprinkle of salt, picnh of chili flakes and squeeze of fresh lime juice. This thing is like open-faced heaven. I will make avocado and toast like this for the rest of my life.
The second NYC meal I am reminded of is the breakfast burrito at 'Snice, a veg cafe also in the West Village. Their version has crumbled tofu and black beans, but it was so delicious it inspired me to devise my own when I got home. I usually make mine with cubed tofu (cubed tempeh is pictured), and I lean towards a Mexican-ish spice blend when left to my own devices, so I do that. But I also add some chipotles--because they're awesone, duh--and red peppers and greens if I have them, to up my nutrition first thing in the morning. And because I seriously a freak about the breads I eat, I prefer to get a sprouted tortilla instead of  those fluffy pale things most grocery stores carry--the sprouted ones are full of fiber and also have more texture. And now this breakfast burrito has become a tried-and-true favourite. Just like avocado on toast.
Um, brainwave: avocado in my breakfast burrito??

Thankfull of phyllo

Thanksgiving isn't the same by yourself. You can make the same delicious, home-cooked comfort foods; you can get yourself second portions of everything and undo the top button of your pants, and it's still not the same. Last time I was home for a holiday, I helped my mom and brother cook the turkey (yuck)--but it was still better than eating a vegan meal by myself. But as someone living 3 big provinces away from my friends and family, I was resigned to a solo celebration this year. So when a co-worker invited me to her Thanksgiving dinner... well, I was thankful.

But I didn't know quit what to bring. I wanted something delicious, omni-friendly--that my hostess and the other guests wouldn't to smile politely while I made them eat--and suitable for smothering with gravy. Inspired by a stuffed phyllo recipe from a Vegetarian Times recipe, I made up my own.

Thankfully (!), it went over well. They were definitely smiling when they ate it, and not just to be polite. In fact, leftovers may have been happily scooped up (pun intended) by the other guests.

Holiday stuffed phyllo

1 teaspoon oil
1 onion, diced
4 cups sliced mushrooms (I used portobellos, because it was all that was left and not crazy expensive at the grocery store, but use whatever kind you like, or use a few different kinds)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup cooked wild rice
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon summer savory
8 sheets phyllo
oil for brushing (I used garlic oil, but I'm not sure you could taste the difference)

Caramelize onions with oil in a large pot. (Instructions here.) Add mushrooms and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the cranberries and stir, so they steam and plump up while the rest of the liquid evaporates. When all the liquid has evaporated, stir in the wild rice, sage and summer savory. Taste at this point to make sure there's enough herbs for you. Add more to taste if necessary.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush oil over the bottom of whatever you're going to use for the phyllo--I used a casserole dish, but you could also use a cookie sheet too, and just fold the ends and sides over the top.
When everything is in place, unwrap the phyllo. Lay one sheet in the casserole dish and brush with oil. Repeat with 5 more sheets. Fill with the mushroom mixture. Top the mixture with another sheet of phyllo, probably folded in half to fit the dish, and if so, brush in between the layers with oil. Repeat with last sheet of phyllo. Gently fold the edges of the first six sheets of phyllo over the top, and brush with oil.
Bake for 45 min or until the phyllo is browned. Serve with gravy--I made Mushroom Gravy from Isa Chandra Moskovitz's Vegan Brunch.

You could probably get away with more cranberries, if you wanted; or switch up the herbs for whatever you prefer. I also think there could be some protein--if I hadn't been serving to omnis I would have added steamed, cubed tempeh when I added the cranberries. Mmmm.