Celebrate Mom with These Irresistibly Delicious Plant-Based Brunch Recipes for Mother’s Day! – One Green Planet

Moms are special; there’s no doubt about it. Of course, we should honor and celebrate our mothers every day of the year (as some of them often remind us), but when Mother’s Day arrives, it’s nice to plan something extra-special for the most important women in our lives. There’s a powerful connection between mothers and food. After all, mothers are most often the ones who feed us our first meal and most of the ones we eat growing up. They tell us to eat our veggies, clean our plates, and bust us when we try to hide the Brussels sprouts. Moms comfort us with soup, cheer us up with ice cream, and make our favorite meals just because they love us. So on Mother’s Day, let’s turn the tables and make a spectacular meal for them. And not just mothers, let’s celebrate mothers-in-law, aunts, sisters, grandmothers, daughters, and nieces.

Let’s show Mom and all the women who have a place in our hearts our love with these plant-based Mother’s Day brunch recipes.

1. The Details

Before you plan the menu, there are a few details that need to be sorted out. Decide on a location — who will be hosting the brunch, and will it be outdoors or indoors? Select a starting and approximate ending time so everyone can plan their days. You need to know how many people will be invited so you can plan on preparing the right amount of food. Will it be a sit-down brunch or a buffet? Be sure to find out any dietary restrictions, food allergies, and personal preferences so everyone can enjoy themselves without worry. Of course, gear the food, colors, and decorations to the likes of the guest of honor.

2. Beverages

Since brunch is a combination of breakfast and lunch, you will want to have a variety of beverages available. There should be coffee, herbal teas, water, non-dairy milk, and one or two types of juice, such as this Not Your Average Carrot Juice. Offer some specialty café-style drinks like this Iced Dandelion Latte and this Café Style Matcha Tea Latte. If your guests drink alcoholic beverages, you might want to have Bloody Marys or mimosas. There is no need to have a full bar; one signature cocktail is enough. Try this Bloody Maria with Infused Tequila. Make Fruity White Wine Sangria by stirring together 2 bottles of vegan dry white wine, 1 ½ cups raspberries, 1 ½ cups nectarines, ½ cup fresh orange juice, ¼ cup fresh lime juice, and 1/3 cup sugar. Refrigerate until chilled. Before serving, add in 3 cups sparkling water. Add fresh slices of oranges and limes.

Make a loving toast to Mom with Healthy Alcohol-Free Champagne. This Watermelon Rose Drink is beautiful and tasty. Again, keep it simple. You don’t want to spend your entire time playing bartender. To know how many beverages you need, count on each person having two to three glasses of some beverage and either coffee or tea at the end of the meal.

3. Planning the Menu

When planning the menu, you want a variety of dishes, but you don’t want so many that you end up with too much food. Plan to make two extra servings of each dish. If you are making brunch for eight people, each dish should serve ten, so that people can taste everything and any hearty eaters can have seconds.

Plan the menu so that you can prepare a few dishes in advance, such as tofu scrambles, pancakes, and waffles. Have some dishes that can be served at room temperature, like fruit salad, and fewer foods that need to be prepared immediately. You want to be able to enjoy your company and not spend time as a short-order cook. If children will be in attendance, have kid-friendly foods they will enjoy.

If you are having a buffet-style brunch, a fun idea is to have bars where each person can select their own toppings. For instance, there could be a waffle bar with different fruits, syrups, whipped cream, and nuts. A taco or burrito bar could have different fillings as well as salsa, guacamole, and other toppings to choose from.

So, what foods will be on the menu? Since brunch is a mash-up of breakfast and lunch, there are a lot of dishes from each of those meals to choose from.

Here are some ideas for a delicious brunch:

4. Waffles

Waffles are delicious, comforting, and can be topped in a wide variety of ways for different flavors. Waffles with fruit make for beautiful presentation,s plus you can have the fruit inside the waffle as well. Try these Pumpkin, Apple, and Pecan Pie Waffles, Healthy Summery Juicy Mango Waffles, Fluffy Blueberry Waffles, and Vegan Waffles with Cherry Sauce. Mom probably made you a lot of PB & J sandwiches, so make her these Peanut Butter-Banana Waffles with Blueberry Macadamia Cream. If Mom has a sweet tooth, serve these Red Velvet Vegan Waffles with Cream Cheese Sauce, Fudgy Brownie Waffles, Mexican Chocolate Waffles, Gluten-Free Toasted Coconut Waffles and these Carrot Cake Waffles with Cream Cheese Frosting.

5. French Toast

French toast always makes a meal feel like a special occasion. It can be simple or way out there, but it’s always a favorite. Make this Challah French Toast made with chickpea batter. Banana lovers will fall for this Banana French Toast and this Banana French Toast with Cinnamon Apples. Stuff your tummies with this Pepper Jelly Stuffed French Toast with Blackberry Maple Syrup and this Strawberry Pecan Stuffed French Toast. Add something spicy with this Spiced Chai French Toast or something sweet with this Hot Chocolate Nutella French Toast.

6. Pancakes

Nothing says leisurely brunch more than homemade pancakes. Pancakes can be simple or fancy, sweet or savory, and topped with everything from fruit to nuts to syrup to chocolate. For fruity flapjacks, try these Peaches and Cream Pancakes, Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes with Cranberry Maple Syrup, Vegan Bananaberry Pancakes, Whole Wheat Nectarine Pancakes, Fruit Filled Pancakes, or Mango Lime Pancakes with Ginger and Coconut. If Mom prefers earthier flavors with some spice, these Vegan Pumpkin Pie Pancakes, Buckwheat Turmeric Pancakes with Warm Berry Sauce, and these Mocha Spice Vegan Pancakes with a Simple Syrup are perfect. Peanut butter, chocolate, and coconut lovers will be in heaven with these Peanut Butter and Fresh Apple Pancakes with Peanut Butter Maple Syrup, Coconutty Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, and these Chocolate Chip Cookie Pancakes.

If, like me, Mom prefers savory food, you must make these Mushroom Rosemary Dinner Pancakes, Gluten-Free Japanese Pancakes with Sticky Mushrooms, “Bacon” and Maple Syrup Pancakes, Persian-Style Potato Pancakes, Potato Leek Hash Brown Pancakes with Homemade Ketchu,p and these Tomato, Chive and Chickpea Pancakes.

7. Egg-Centric Dishes

For me, the best part of brunch was always the egg dishes – the omelets, the scrambled eggs, the quiche, and the frittatas. All of these dishes can still be at your plant-based brunch because they can all be made egg-free. Check out all the Tips for Making Killer Tofu Scrambles and then make this Summertime Tofu Scramble, Southwestern Tofu Scramble with Greens, Mexican-spiced tofu Scramble, Curried Tofu Scramble, Indian-Style Tofu Scramble, and this Tofu Scramble with Broccoli Noodles. Omelets are always a brunch favorite, and it’s easy to learn How to Make a Vegan Omelet. Choose between making them with tofu like this Low-Fat Silken Tofu Omelet and this Vegan Soufflé Omelet, or with chickpea flour like this Chickpea Flour Omelet with Spinach, Onion and Bell Peppers and my Chickpea Omelets With Mushrooms, Greens and Vegan Swiss.

Baked egg dishes such as frittatas and quiches are elegant brunch items. They can be made vegan for an impressive and delicious brunch dish. Try this Roasted Vegetable Frittata, Mexican Frittata, Tofu Frittata with Smoky Eggplant Salsa, Vegetable Frittata, and my Spinach, Artichoke Vegan Mozzarella Tofu Frittata. Everyone will love a plant-based quiche filled with amazing vegetables and vegan cheese. Make this Spicy Eggless Coriander Quiche, Savory Sweet Potato Quiche, Swiss Chard Quiche with Wild Mushrooms, Basil and Walnut Pesto Quiche, Simple Butter Bean Quiche, and Easy Spinach and Pepper Quiche. Make these Spinach, Tomato, and Cheddar Mini-Quiches with Lemon Cashew Cream, and each guest can have their very own quiche.

Another egg dish you can serve vegan is The Perfect Vegan Fried Egg – Sunny Side Up. Eggs Benedict gets a vegan makeover with this Eggs Benny and Flo and my Asparagus Tofu Tartines with Light Hollandaise Sauce.

8. Crepes

Technically, crepes should fall under the egg-free category, but they are so special, they deserve their own place. If you want to show Mom how much you love and appreciate her, nothing is better than beautiful, delicate crepes filled with vegan cheese, potatoes, or vegetables and covered with creams, fruits or sauces. See 7 Ways to Make Grain-Free Wraps and Tortillas to get my recipes for crepes made from chickpea flour, almond flour, and coconut flour. I prefer savory crepes like these Chickpea Blinis With Grilled Vegetables and Lemon Cream, and my Gluten-Free and Vegan Potato Blintzes.

For those who love sweet dessert crepes, these Blueberry Blintzes, Gluten-Free Crepes With Lime, Maple Syrup, and Toasted Coconut, Maca, Orange and Almond French Crepes, and these Crepes with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread are a must.

9. Breads and Pastries

There should be an assortment of breads and pastries at a brunch. Cinnamon Apple Toast and Chocolate Toast are crunchy ways to start the meal. English muffins, croissants, rolls, and bagels are favorites. Try these Pretzel Roll Bagels and these Old-Fashioned Montreal-Style Bagels. Nothing compares to home-baked bread. Delicious options include French Baguettes, Walnut Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Roasted Garlic, Chipotle Chile Pepper Rolls, and vegan Challah. Of course, you will want to have vegan butter and cream cheese to spread on these breads. Try this Cashew Coconut Cream Cheese and this Garlic Herb Avocado Cashew Cream Cheese.

Sweet types of breads and pastries include Chocolate Chip, Apricot and Orange Scones, Baked Blueberry Donuts, Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Bread, Banana and Blueberry Bread, Whole Wheat Peanut Butter and Jelly Bread, Chai Marzipan Cinnamon Rolls With Maple Glaze and Vegan Cinnamon Rolls. Be sure to look at 12 Mouthwatering Vegan Muffins for lots of yummy muffins and these Sweet Breads That Are Perfect for Tea Time.

10. Sandwiches and Salads

The lunch portion of brunch means that sandwiches are on the menu. Classic salads for sandwiches made vegan include Eggless “Egg” Salad, Chickpea “Tuna” Salad, and Crunchy “Chickn” Salad. Hummus is incredible on sandwiches, like this Hummus, Avocado and Sundried Tomato Sandwich, and the Vegan Humdinger – Hummus, Carrot, Cucumber, Avocado, and Alfalfa Sprouts Sandwich. This Vegan Tempeh Tomato Herb Sandwich and this Raw Vegan Tomato Cucumber Sandwich on Onion Corn Bread are also amazing choices. These Green Tea and Mango Sandwiches are beautiful and perfect for brunch.

Of course, you want to have salads, fruit, and fresh food available. Provide a fresh and healthy crudité platter with carrots, celery, bell peppers, broccoli florets, and some of your favorite dips and spreads. Have some fresh salads, like this Thai Peanut Quinoa Salad, Cinnamon Spiced Apple and Grape Salad, Buttery Spinach Salad with Crumbled Tempeh and Crispy Shallots, Super Protein Kale Caesar Salad, and this lovely Rainbow Salad. Everyone will love a bowl of fresh fruit, but they will love this Quinoa Fruit Salad, Super-Healthy Vegan Berry Fruit Tarts with Chia Seeds, and Raw Fruit Tartlets even more.

11. Side Dishes

For me, the best parts of almost any meal are the side dishes, and that includes breakfast and brunch. For brunch, you want to be sure you have delicious sides to go with all the amazing food. Your guests will love choosing from dishes of Coconut Bacon, Beet Bacon, Shitake Bacon, Seitan Bacon, and Breakfast Sausage. Serve some vegan and gluten-free Breakfast Sausage and this Breakfast Andouille Sausage with Biscuits. Some assorted sauteed vegetables, like this Early Light Summer Veggie Saute or some lightly sauteed greens, make wonderful side dishes. Don’t forget the potatoes. Brunch just isn’t complete without some Ketchup Baked Home Fries, Curried Hash Browns, and Potato Hashcakes.

12. Desserts

People don’t usually have dessert after breakfast, but that’s what makes brunch so special. Tell Mom to save room for something sweet and then knock her off her feet with delectable, decadent, and delicious desserts. Show Mom your heart with these heart-shaped Chocolate Raspberry Shortcakes with Coconut Whipped Cream, Snickers-Inspired Chocolate, Caramel and Peanut Butter Pie, Chocolate-Coated Key Lime Coconut Crème Pie, and this Raw Vegan Chocolate Tart. Coffee cake is always a favorite for breakfast and brunch. Try this Hazelnut Coffee Cake and Carrot Cake with Creamy Cashew Lemon Frosting.

If Mom prefers fruity desserts, serve this Classic Rhubarb Crisp, Berry Chocolate Cheesecake Squares, and these beautiful Raw Coconut Mango Tarts with Figs, Walnuts, Cinnamon, and Ginger. Have some light choices for dessert like sorbets, mousses, and ice creams. This Mango Sorbet with Banana and Pineapple or Chocolate Mousse with Homemade Coconut Whipped Cream are incredible choices. Forget giving Mom store-bought candy. Make her some handmade truffles instead,d like these Almond Maple Crunch Truffles, Chocolate Macadamia Butter Truffles, and Raw Strawberry Crème Chocolate Truffles.

Moms are the most special and precious people in the world. They spend their whole lives caring for others, so at least once a year, it’s nice to treat them to a special celebration in their honor. Treat them like royalty with an amazing Mother’s Day Brunch that will leave them feeling full and loved.

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental well-being, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer,  prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend grabbing our favorite plant-based cookbooks and downloading the Food Monster App — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals, and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

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