May 8th

Today was Mother's Day and is there any better way of thanking your mother for all that she does than by cooking her breakfast in bed? I can't really cook my mom breakfast in bed as she usually wakes up at 4 a.m. but a vegan brunch is just as good, right? So that's what I made for her: vegan French toast with berries and maple syrup and Earth Balance butter. Yesterday we bought a loaf of whatever delicious bread the bakery had to offer that didn't contain any eggs or milk and we left it out overnight to get a little stale (It works better than fresh bread which can stay a little soggy.) I used the same recipe that I had on the first of May. My mom loved it! She said it tasted just like traditional french toast but she liked that it was crispy instead of soggy like the eggy kind can get. Maybe we've found our new permanent french toast recipe?

Tonight we had dinner at my Grandma's to celebrate Mother's Day. Traditionally our go-to dinner on Mother's Day is pizza that we order in so that none of the mothers have to cook or clean. I couldn't really order pizza with the rest of them because I'm a little iffy when it comes to soy cheese. Even if pizzerias do offer this option, surprisingly a lot of soy cheeses contain casein which is an animal product. So homemade pizza it was for me! Actually I quite enjoy making my own pizzas - I always have. So I made my own whole wheat pizza dough, my own tomato sauce and I used last night's leftover grilled vegetables as my toppings. The grilled veggies were a delicious addtition because they gave the pizza a smokey flavour. I think I would definitely grill up various vegetables next time I make pizza just because it tasted soooo good. With all those zucchini, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers and olives my pizza definitely won the prize for most colourful and healthiest! I topped my pizza with ground oregano (a must - my grandma's secret to the best homemade pizzas ever) and just a little bit of Daiya vegan mozzarella cheese, mostly to hold the mountain of veggies on the pizza. I like the texture of this "cheese" but I'm still getting used to the flavour of it, I guess mostly because it just isn't real cheese, but it's okay. I don't miss cheese at all; I never really liked it to begin with although I can understand how others have a hard time giving it up. But there are all sorts of vegan 'cheeses" you can buy or even make yourself that have the same feel as regular cheese, and that are a lot kinder to the animals and your body...cashew or other nut cheeses, "toffalo" mozzarella, even a brie-type made with marinated tofu! These recipes are all pretty easy to find on the internet. Next Christmas maybe I'll even make a vegan "cheese" platter.

I added leftover vegan macaroni salad and a green salad to my plate to complete my meal. And we can't forget about dessert: leftover vegan lemon-coconut cupcakes and berries.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour, plus more as needed

1/2 cup white flour

2-1/4 tsp pizza yeast (I bought pizza yeast instead of regular yeast - no time for rising necessary!)

1-1/2 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

2/3 cup very warm water

3 tbsp oil (I use olive oil)

Preheat oven to 425. Combine one cup of the two flours, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add warm water and oil; mix until well blended. Gradually add more whole wheat flour to make a soft dough. Dough should be slightly sticky. Knead on a floured surface, adding additional flour of necessary, until smooth and elastic. Pat dough to fill greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Form the crust by pinching the edges of the dough. Spread with pizza sauce. Top with desired toppings and cheese. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until dough is browned. (Vegan cheese doesn't get bubbly)

Super Simple Pizza Sauce:

1/2 cup tomato paste

Water

Basil

Ground oregano

Dried parsley

Sugar

I didn't give any amounts for this recipe because it really is however much you like. I usually stir water in to the paste a little at a time until it reaches the consistency I like. Then I add my spices, usually lots of basil for me, especially if there's fresh basil. Oregano is a must in a pizza sauce. Then I taste it and add just a little bit of sugar to take away the bitterness of the tomato paste. Then it's ready to spread on your pizza. Super simple.

Glad I was able to share a kinder Mother's Day this year with my family. Happy Mother's Day to my mom and to any mothers out there reading this!