Mother’s Day is quickly approaching and coming up with ideas on what to do isn’t so easy. Yeah, going out to brunch is always fun, but if you haven’t already made reservations, then it’s likely all of the good places are probably already booked.
Besides, I think taking the time and effort to cook and host a brunch for the mommy figures in your life is way more special than just going out. Don’t we already do that enough?! Trust me, I know it can be stressful to find recipes that work together and food that everyone will enjoy (especially if you’re vegan). That’s why I decided to come up with the perfect plant-based brunch spread for mom’s special day!
My mother’s birthday was this past weekend; my grandma’s approaching this week, and as most of you know, I am obsessed with hosting. I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to host a brunch for them and share the set up and recipes I used to make this a mother’s day to remember.
If you’re vegan, then you already know that the biggest challenge in hosting is finding recipes that appeal to everyone’s palette. My grandmother is from Puerto Rico so my family is accustomed to having meat with every dish. She only eats plant-based when she comes to visit me and even she approved of everything that was made. Of course, you can always make this your own and, while still using this menu, adjust the recipes to your liking 🙂
Let’s get started!
*My alterations and suggestions for each recipe can be found towards the bottom of the post
Mimosa Station
First things first, let’s start with the best part of brunching… mimosas! It wouldn’t be considered brunch if there wasn’t champagne involved, right?!
For the juice, try using freshly squeezed orange and/or grapefruit; you will notice a HUGE difference between the juice you buy at the grocery store and juice you freshly make at home. If you’re on the fence about whether buying a juicer is worth the money (it took me 3 months to convince my boyfriend), believe me when I say it pays for itself. I use the Breville Cold Press Juicer, which you can purchase on Amazon here!
Champagne: Rule of thumb, get 3 bottles for every 4 people. Depending on how big each pour is, you should get about 4-5 mimosas from each bottle!
Fresh Fruit: Not necessary but we’re all about being extra here so why not add it to your glass to make it look fancy
Non-alcoholic drinks
We also have to add at least one non-alcoholic drink in the mix! I wanted to go with something summery and refreshing.
I decided to make a Watermelon Mint Iced Tea, but any iced tea or lemonade would work. It sounds a lot harder to make than it really is. Trader Joe’s sells this tea in bags seasonally and I highly recommend you check it out! Just follow the directions on the tin and add sugar (I used Monk Fruit) as the water is boiling if you want it to be sweet.
parfait station
Alright, next let’s move on to the parfait station. This is probably the easiest item on the brunch menu to prepare. Tiered serving trays are a god send when serving multiple people because it saves space on your display. The one pictured below is from Macy’s! I went with the following set-up:
- Parfait cups filled with So Delicious Coconut Yogurt, aka AMAZING (Parfait cups can be found here).
- Your favorite granola (Tip: It’s cheaper to bag this yourself in the bulk section of your grocery store!)
- Fresh fruit (I decided to go with blueberries, raspberries and strawberries)
Next to the parfait station, I have lavender blueberry scones. I wanted to make something a little fancy since it was my mom’s birthday, but also something that kids would enjoy. I used the recipe from the book “Thug Kitchen.”
main course
At this point, you and your guests will probably need some food to soak up the champagne ;). Since we started with yogurt parfaits, scones, and (soon to come) cake, the main course will consist of savory dishes. The menu is as follows:
- Southwest Tofu Scramble (Click for Recipe)
– Served with guacamole, chipotle salsa, and diced tomatoes - Breakfast Potatoes (Click for Recipe)
- Zucchini and Corn Fritters (Click for Recipe)
– Served with vegan sour cream and spring onions - Salad
*Check bottom of the post for alterations and suggestions
I highly suggest you pre-chop and measure everything the night before. It makes cooking the day of SO much easier.
Also, using food warmers allows you to cook everything in the morning. Just light the gel fuel before you expect guests so that it’s hot by the time they arrive.
Dessert
PINEAPPLE COCONUT CAKE! Ladies, if you love Pineapple and Coconut then you HAVE to try making this cake.
Use the Carrot Cake recipe by Minimalist Baker (Click for Recipe) as a base, then substitute the carrots with coconut and the applesauce with crushed pineapple. The cake is moist, flavorful and rich. For the icing, I made a coconut cream cheese frosting (Click for Recipe).
Since it is Mother’s Day, you have to go all out and make only the best. Add crushed walnuts and toasted coconut to decorate the cake. It makes a huge difference and I can guarantee everyone will think its store bought.
Seriously, how gorgeous is this cake!?
Most importantly, enjoy the time with your family and remember to show your mom how much you appreciate her.
Recipe Notes and Alterations
- Added ~1/4 to 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
- Try adding a few Morning Star sausage patties (chopped)
- Guacamole and salsa are great additions. You can also provide warm tortillas on the side to create breakfast burritos
- Boil the potatoes until they are soft before baking. This makes them extra crispy
- Omit bacon / bacon grease and substitute using vegan butter
- Definitely serve with sour cream (I used Kite Hill’s plain greek yogurt)
- Replace the applesauce with crushed pineapple. Next time I am going to use diced pineapple so that the flavor is more prominent
- Replace the shredded carrots with unsweetened coconut shreds
- I replaced the sugar with Monk Fruit (white) and Swerve (Brown)
- Add 1 tsp of coconut extract
- To decorate, I added chopped walnuts to the sides then toasted shaved coconut pieces in the oven @ 400 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown (make sure they are fully cooled before adding to the cake)
- Trader Joe’s Vegan Cream Cheese
- 1.25 – 1.5 cups of powdered sugar (adjust sweetness to your liking)
- 2 tsp coconut extract
Happy Birthday to the most amazing women in my life! I love you!
