I’m not much of a drinker but my love for champagne runs deep. So when I saw this recipe while looking for holiday punch ideas for last week’s party, I was sold immediately!

While it was a little potent for my taste (which is easily fixable by adding less rum), it was still super delicious and SO pretty – perfect for a holiday party.

Pomegranate Champagne Punch
Recipe courtesy of Epicurious

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 750 ml bottles chilled brut Champagne
1 1/2 cups white rum
1 1/4 cups pomegranate juice
1 large lemon, thinly sliced
Pomegranate seeds
Fresh mint leaves
1 ice block*

*I actually did something kind of interesting here. An ice block isn’t very pretty and since I was using a jar instead of a punch bowl, it wouldn’t fit anyway. Instead of just adding ice cubes (also not pretty), I froze water in jumbo muffin cups. It worked perfectly! If you’re using a punch bowl, you could use one of those pretty ice molds but this method would work there too.

Directions

• Bring 1/2 cup water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves
• Simmer 5 minutes. Cool syrup completely
• Combine Champagne, rum and pomegranate juice in bowl or jar
• Add enough syrup to sweeten to taste
• Mix in lemon slices, pomegranate seeds and mint leaves
• Add ice block to bowl and serve

Yield: Serves 12

This is a recipe I bummed off my fabulous friend, Teri. Her son has an extreme allergy to dairy and eggs, so she and I talk vegan tips and tricks on the regular. I’ve actually been jonesing for some cinnamon rolls for quite a while, but haven’t had the time or energy to make any of the recipes I’ve found (the dough for one of them actually required something like six hours in prep time before it was even ready to bake – not happenin’). She mentioned these out of the blue a few weeks ago and I finally got around to making them this past weekend. Consider the spot hit, my friend.

The best part about these is how super quick and easy they are to whip up. I’m talking 15 minutes from start to finish. More than enough time for a weekday morning before school or work.

Quick Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe courtesy of my friend, Teri

Ingredients

1 roll, original Pillsbury Crescents
Earth Balance spread
cinnamon/sugar mix
1/2 cup powdered sugar
water

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Unroll crescents onto an ungreased, non-stick baking sheet (keep dough intact, one big sheet)
• Spread Earth Balance on dough and top with cinnamon/sugar mix (all to taste)
• Roll dough back up and slice into 1 – 1/2 in. pieces
• Space rolls evenly on baking sheet and bake for ~10 min. Remove as soon as they begin to brown
• Meanwhile add very small amount of water to the powdered sugar and stir to combine. Continue adding water in small amounts until desired consistency is achieved
• Let rolls sit for a few minutes before applying icing

Yield: ~10 mini cinnamon rolls

Here’s another recipe from my recent vacay menu. We were the King & Queen of sweets for breakfast last week and this one was top notch.

Like the key lime pie, this one also comes from Isa Chandra, though this time it was from one of her books, Vegan Brunch, instead of her blog. Clearly, she rocks the house.

As you might expect, this would be an excellent addition to any breakfast or brunch menu. Enjoy!

Vegan Coffee Cake
Recipe Courtesy of Vegan Brunch

Ingredients

(Topping)
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup canola oil, plus up to 2 tbs more, if needed

(Cake)
3/4 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375°F and lightly grease an 8 in. round springform pan or 8 in. square pan. In a small bowl, add milk for the cake and the vinegar; set aside to curdle
• For the topping, mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small mixing bowl. Drizzle in canola oil by the tablespoon, using your fingers to swish around the mixture until crumbs form. Alternate drizzling and mixing until all the oil is used and large crumbs have formed
• For the cake, mix together the milk mixture, sugar, canola oil and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until smooth
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Evenly sprinkle on the topping and pat it down lightly
• Bake for 35 to 40 min. or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean
• Let cool for at least an hour (or as long as you can stand) before slicing and serving

I don’t know what it was that struck me about this recipe, but when I saw it in the latest issue of PETA’s Animal Times, I couldn’t wait to make it!

These things turned out to be a pretty versatile little treat. They work really well as a dessert, by themselves or warmed over a bowl of ice cream (almond or otherwise). I’m told they’re also stellar with a cup of coffee – which leads me to what I think is their best format: a breakfast bar. My husband grabbed one of these for breakfast nearly every day last week.

Let me know how you think they work best!

Vegan Blueberry Oatmeal Bars
Recipe courtesy of PETA’s Animal Times, Issue 2, 2011

Ingredients

1 15 oz can blueberries
2 tbs cornstarch
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Juice of one lemon
1 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup Earth Balance

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9×13 in. baking dish with cooking spray
• Drain canned blueberries, reserving the juice. Whisk the cornstarch into the blueberry juice. Place the canned berries, juice, fresh or frozen blueberries and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 min. Set aside to cool
• In a bowl, combine the flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, salt and baking powder. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs
• Press 2/3 of the crumb mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 15 min. Remove from oven and allow to cool 10 min.
• Spread the blueberry mixture over the crust. Top with the remaining crumb mixture and bake for an additional 20 to 30 min., until bubbly. Cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into bars

Yield: ~16 bars

Now I realize it doesn’t actually take a lot of effort to make something like pancakes from scratch, but at the same time, if you’re trying to do a hot breakfast on a weekday morning, have impatient children (or spouses) or wake up so starved for food that every second between you and breakfast seems like a century, then you can appreciate a good pancake mix.

Since I fall into the third category there, I’ve done quite a bit of searching for a good vegan pancake mix and this one is by far the best I’ve found.

Cherrybrook Kitchen is a sweet little company that makes a variety of baking mixes for the nut, dairy, egg and gluten-free crowd (not all products are gluten-free, but there’s a good selection). The company was founded by a woman who developed severe, adult-onset food allergies and quickly found that there was a void in the market for vegan baking mixes. So far I’ve only tried the pancakes, but if they’re any indication of what I might expect from the rest of their products, the outlook is good.

In addition to being the yummiest pancake mix I’ve found, this one is also the easiest! All you have to do is add non-dairy milk and a few teaspoons of oil. Voila! Of course, you’re free to add fruit before or after pancakes are cooked and any other add-ins you might prefer to fancy things up a tad, but these are good as-is too.

Cherrybrook Kitchen Pancakes

Ingredients

1 cup Cherrybrook Kitchen Original Pancake Mix
1 cup non-dairy milk
2 tsp vegetable oil
Add-ins of choice (optional)*

*great vegan options here include blueberries directly in the batter, sliced fruit/berries as toppings and/or, my personal favorite, a tsp or two of cinnamon stirred in. MMMmmm.

Directions

• Stir milk, oil and mix in a bowl just until combined. Mix should be lumpy. Do not over mix
• Heat a nonstick skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Coat the surface with cooking spray
• Pour batter onto the skillet and cook until undersides are golden brown, about 2 min.
• Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook 2 more minutes or until heated through. Repeat as needed

Yield: Makes 6-8 pancakes

This is the other dish I made for Easter. I took this one to brunch with my family the day before. Like the roasted tomatoes I brought to Andy’s family’s brunch, I also tried this one out earlier in the week – as I’d had the recipe for quite some time but never made it before. I can’t lie: I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand, it looks SO pretty and delicious, smells wonderful and everyone loved it. Everyone, that is, except me.

I think we’ve determined that my distaste for this is really just a distaste for cornbread in general, which I guess I’d never really had before (I know, right?!). Initially, I thought I’d just screwed up the recipe the first time around, but nope. Tasted the same on Easter.

My husband and my family insist that it really is as good as it looks (though this picture doesn’t do it justice), so I decided to go ahead and post this despite my personal opinion. If you decide to try this out (and why wouldn’t you with such a ringing endorsement?), please let me know what you think. I’d love to have an unbiased second opinion!

Vegan Tomato Cobbler With Cornmeal-Cheddar Biscuits
Recipe Inspired by FitnessMagazine.com

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup fine cornmeal
1 tbs sugar
1 1/2 tbs baking powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
5 tbs Earth Balance, cut into 1/2 in. cubes
1/3 cup soy milk, plus 1 tbs, as needed
1/2 cup Daiya shredded cheddar cheese
4 tbs sugar
1 tsp sherry vinegar
3 lbs. heirloom (or regular) tomatoes, diced large and seeded*
2 tbs chopped fresh thyme

*To seed tomatoes, cut in half from side to side, not top to bottom. I find it is easiest to scoop out the seeds using your finger. You can also use a spoon or small tool, if you prefer.

Directions

• In a food processor, pulse together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, 3/4 tsp of black pepper and 1/2 tsp of salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs
• Pour in the milk a little at a time and pulse just until dough comes together (if you need to add additional milk to form the dough, add it in 1 tbs increments). Pulse in 1/4 cup of the cheddar
• Place dough on floured surface and form into a 1/2 in. thick circle. (I found this wasn’t necessary, as the dough had already formed into a ball in the food processor, but if you need to work with it, use only enough flour to keep it from sticking to your surface) Wrap the disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate
• Preheat oven to 375°. Combine the sugar and 2 tbs of water in a skillet over medium heat, swirling gently (do not stir), 3 to 5 minutes or until sugar melts and turns amber. Add the vinegar and swirl
• Add the tomatoes, thyme and remaining salt and pepper to the pan; toss gently to coat tomatoes with the caramel mixture. Cook until juices have thickened slightly, about 5 min. Remove from heat
• Transfer tomato mixture to a pie pan. Cut biscuit dough into 8 equal-size wedges and arrange in a circle on top of the tomato mixture. Sprinkle biscuits with remaining cheddar
• Bake until the biscuits are golden, about 40 min.

Yield: Serves 6-8