Growing up, some of my favorite dinners were breakfast dinners! Something about having what we traditionally ate in the morning always seemed even more exciting as the supper menu. I recently watched a program on television about the history of eggs benedict and how they were developed at a famous Manhatten restaurant many years ago. I thought it would be fun to veganize the dish, especially since I never had the original animal-based version. For our Easter dinner, I decided tofu benedict would make a smashingly good meal!

I was inspired by Being Vegan and Getting Away It‘s blog post Benny and Flo Do Brunch, which outlines a fantastic recipe for this classic dish. I made the tofu using the same ingredients that she did, with just a slight change on the proportions of tamari and rice vinegar.

For the vegan hollandaise sauce, I reworked the recipe around my use of The Vegg. If you miss the taste of egg yolks and want to incorporate it into your meals, this is the first non-animal version to date that really tastes like it. I have at least one vegan friend who finds it so similar to chicken egg yolks, that she doesn’t like it. Highly recommend! It’s great for toast dipping!

Vegg Hollandaise Sauce
3/4 cup of blended Vegg (uses approximately 3 tsp. of the mix and 3/4 cup of water)
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB Vegenaise (or preferred vegan mayonnaise)
1/4 cup almond milk (or preferred non-dairy milk)
pinch of cayenne
pinch of turmeric
pinch of white pepper

Heat blended Vegg in a small saucepan on the stovetop. Add milk and mayo and whisk. Add lemon juice, cayenne, turmeric, and white pepper and whisk. Let heat for approximately 10 minutes or longer, making sure to whisk or stir frequently. Keep warm up until ready for serving.

Instead of using spinach that was used in the Benny and Flo Do Brunch recipe, I substituted kale. I cooked one bunch of kale with a small amount of water until it was wilted in a large pan on the stovetop. I added 1 TB of ume plum vinegar and a pinch of cayenne at the end before serving it. Delish!

For the veggie meat, I used Yves Canadian Bacon. This is a must have to really provide that salty, umami flavor profile. It’s been a staple item in my Vegan McMuffins too. They cook up in a flash on a skillet with a little spray of olive oil. Be careful not to overcook though, as they don’t require much heating.

I served the layers on toasted whole wheat English muffins. While some may slather some vegan margarine on these, it really isn’t necessary. The combination of ingredients is so complex and tasty, you won’t miss the extra calories!

I decided to top the bennies with scoops of avocado after being inspired by a tofu benedict brunch dish I had once at Milah Vegetarian in Philadelphia. It really gave it another layer of flavor and healthy fat to sink one’s teeth into. I garnished the plate with a lemon slice and a dusting of paprika!

This is one dish you’ll want to have again and again. In addition to dinner, it would make an impressive brunch item for friends and family. Enjoy!

Overall, we’d rate this dish 4 out of 5 carrots on the veganlicious scale!