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Jump to RecipeEvery Christmas morning growing up, Christmas breakfast was something I always looked forward to. My Mom always made some next-level goodness, and this dish was one of them. Originally dubbed “Superman Breakfast”, I’ve tweaked the recipe to be completely vegan, and kind as a result.
Cruelty Free
The Vegan landscape is one of the areas in food that is experiencing exponential growth. As of December 2019, as many as 6% of North Americans reported being vegan, up 500% from 1% in 20141. There are many different reasons for one choosing to go vegan, but being cruelty free is at the top of my list, with health reasons and concern for planetary health a close second and third. The conditions that animals endure are horrific, not only in the meat industry, but the egg and dairy industries as well. If we can stop turning a blind eye to these horrors, we as humans, and the world at large will be better off as a result.
Vegan Substitutes
The vegan landscape is booming these days, with a plethora of alternatives for sausage, ground beef, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, yogurt, and even eggs that look, cook, and taste like their animal counterparts. These alternatives have made breakfasts like this possible. If you’re considering going vegan, this is a great place to start. You can still create recipes that you’re familiar with, while adopting a cruelty-free lifestyle.
Veganuary
Veganuary is a campaign that was launched in the UK originally, but has since expanded to launching campaigns in the US and other countries. For the month of January each year, people can pledge to go vegan. When I say that veganism is booming, this is a great place for statistics. In 2019, 250,310 people took the pledge to go vegan for the month, and 2020 saw a 60% increase to 400,350! That’s just one year. I can’t wait to see the numbers roll in this year. I pledged – and you can too! Please join me, and I’ll take care of you with amazing plant based recipes. Sign up to my weekly newsletter, and as a result, you’ll get a free download of my “From The Earth” e-book. It outlines pantry staples for a successful vegan kitchen, 5 dinner recipes, and a grocery/pantry list to get you started.
Christmas Strata
In the mean time, please enjoy this recipe with your family on Christmas morning! Sending abundant love from my family to yours this year, and cheers to a cruelty free holiday!
Tools Used
Christmas Strata
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ Red Onion medium, diced
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Large Zucchini cut into quarter moon slices (about 3 cups)
- 9.3 ounce Package Field Roast Apple Maple Breakfast Sausages
- 1 Jalapeño fresh, finely diced
- 8 ounce Package Violife Colby Jack Blend Shreds
- ½ Loaf Sourdough Bread cut into bite sized pieces (about 4-5 cups)
- 2 Containers Just Egg
- 2 Cups Milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, and onions, salt & pepper, and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, or until translucent. Add in the zucchini, and jalapeños, and sauté until the zucchini is browned on both sides, about seven minutes more. Add in the maple breakfast sausage, crumbling with your hands as you add it to the pan. Cook for five minutes more until everything is hot. Remove from heat.
- To a large bowl, add the bread cubes, cheese, sausage mixture, Just Egg, milk, and mix everything well. Spray a 11 inch by 14 inch casserole dish with olive oil, or grease with vegetable oil. Turn the egg mixture into the dish. From here you can cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight, so you can go straight to the oven on Christmas morning, or bake it right away. If baking from the refrigerator, remove from the refrigerator and allow the chill to come off of the casserole while the oven preheats. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the mixture is set and only slightly bubbly. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Penny Cuff says
No salt or pepper mentioned?
Natalie Wiser-Orozco says
Thank you so much for that observation, Penny! The recipe is updated. Merry Christmas!
Penny says
So this was pretty nice as a empty nester with no family near, my husband and I took the time to prep this on Christmas Eve. He is usually the cook in our family, so I let him do all the chopping. I had to laugh that this says “prep time 15 minutes” we easily spent over an hour chopping and measuring everything out- he is such an annoying perfectionist. lol
Anyway, that night I messaged the website because my husband (the king of spice use) says, “I cannot believe there’s no mention of salt or pepper, that’s cooking 101!” I thought, well it is meant to be a healthy recipe, so maybe she’s just letting all these natural things stand on their own? But awesomely she responded before we put it in the oven the next morning and I was able to add the salt and pepper.
We both enjoyed it so much the two of us finished of the entire tray in less than 12 hours!
Here we are NYE, we both have the stupid virus (thankfully so far mild symptoms) and I online ordered enough ingredients to make this again for tomorrows breakfast and probably lunch too. lol
Thanks so much for the fun new recipe! I will be adding more jalapeño this time because I am a huge fan and he lost his sense of taste anyway 🙁
I appreciate learning new stuff and love your ideas.
Thanks from the “Rockstar Alto soloist in Ca.”
Natalie Wiser-Orozco says
Hello Penny! Thank you SO MUCH for the amazing comments, and thank you for sharing!! I hope you’re well and recovered by now. I’m happy to have been a part of your celebrations, and am so grateful for the kind words.