Description
This vegan "eggs" benedict is made egg free by using creamy polenta rounds in place of poached eggs! We also use salty, smoky, crispy tofu "bacon" slabs, plus an easy vegan hollandaise, sautéed greens and a perfectly toasted english muffin. The ultimate brunch!
Ingredients
Assembly:
- 4 English muffins, toasted
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 1-inch thick slices of polenta (precooked in a tube)
- 2 cups baby kale or spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chives
Vegan Hollandaise Sauce:
- 3/4 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked in water for 2 hours
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
Tofu "Bacon":
- 14 oz extra firm tofu
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce (or tamari)
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp neutral high heat oil (vegetable, peanut, safflower, etc)
- 4 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
Tofu Bacon:
- Drain tofu and pat dry. Wrap in a clean towel or paper towel and set something heavy on top, like a cast iron skillet or a few cookbooks. Press for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours if you have time.
- Using a very sharp knife, slice a block of tofu in half lengthwise. Then, turn each block on its side and slice into thin planks.
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, maple syrup, oil, liquid smoke, apple cider vinegar, onion powder, salt and pepper. Pour over tofu and let marinade for 30 minutes.
- Heat a nonstick skillet to medium. Add tofu to a pan and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, until crispy. Baste with more marinade once or twice while cooking.
Vegan Hollandaise:
- Soak cashews in room temperature water for 2 hours (or very hot water for at least 20 minutes). Drain and rinse, then add to a blender with all other ingredients.
- Blend until smooth and creamy. You may need to scrape down the sides once or twice. Set aside.
- Just before serving, heat in a small saucepan over low heat, whisking well, until just warmed. If it starts to thicken up, you can add in 1-2 tbsp of water to loosen it up.
Assembly:
- Slice each english muffin in half and toast.
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add polenta rounds and cook for 5-8 minutes on each side, until crispy on the exterior and completely warm and soft on the interior.
- Remove from pan and set aside. Add kale to pan and sauté until wilted - about 5 minutes.
- Assemble each half of the english muffin with kale, a slice of tofu bacon, polenta round, hollandaise sauce and chives.
Notes
Tofu: make sure to use extra firm tofu in this recipe. It's also important to press the tofu for at least 30 minutes to remove as much moisture as possible, otherwise it won't get crispy.
Cashews: It's important to soak them in water for about 1 hour before using, which allows them to soften up and blend into a perfectly smooth sauce. If you're short on time, you can soak them in very hot water for about 20 minutes.
Hollandaise not getting creamy? There are two potential issues. 1: your cashews may not have been soaked long enough. 2: your blender container is too big. Try in a smaller food processor or make a double batch.
Storage: you can store the components separately for up to 5 days. The vegan hollandaise sauce stores well, but it tends to thicken up, so you may need to add in some water to thin it out. The tofu bacon also stores well, but we suggest heating it back up in a skillet to warm it up and get it crispy again.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Marinade Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Muffin
- Calories: 256
- Sugar: 6.9 g
- Sodium: 1228.3 mg
- Fat: 9.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.8 g
- Fiber: 4.7 g
- Protein: 14.6 g
