A Decadent Breakfast: Ginger-Pecan Baked Peaches with Lettuce, Tempeh Bacon, and a Potato Pancake

I’m back!  A week after moving day, I finally get a new post up here.  I only just finished going through my Google Reader, and I must say everyone was showcasing some really good late summer food!  It made me hungry and inspired all at once!  There really are a lot of talented vegans out there.

Our new apartment is still full of stacked boxes, both empty and full, and my kitchen is almost completely put together.  While I’ve gained a lot more charm than our last kitchen had, I’ve also lost space to move and store things, so there will have to be some creativity involved in getting everything to fit.  (I’ll post a picture someday when it’s finally clean!)

The last few weeks at our old place had me feeling pretty unconfident in my abilities to cook – probably because I didn’t have everything at my disposal, and I was trying to use up groceries rather than make anything I wanted to.  But setting up a new kitchen and getting to do some real shopping again has steadily increased my self-confidence and creativity.  Which brings us to peaches.

A recent produce run got us a basket full of fresh fruit, including a couple of beautiful peaches.  They sat for a few days until almost malleably ripe and my mind wandered back in time to an ancient dinner party I had where I served baked peaches for dessert.  This was before I was vegan, and if my memory serves me well it probably involved lots of butter and mascarpone cheese.  I’m all for veganizing that, but this was going to end up as breakfast food which called for something a little lighter.  Instead of a heavy, spiced, creamy dessert, think of a light, bright, and simple one.  You can really taste the peaches and the fresh lemon and ginger, with just a hint of brown sugar sweetness and the crunch of pecans.  If you’re a sugary guy or gal, add more sugar (or even maple syrup), and if you don’t have pecans, use walnuts or almonds, or even some granola.  And you don’t have to be weird like me and serve them for breakfast; they still go well as dessert!

I feel a bit guilty calling this a recipe, since I encourage playing around with the ingredients and amounts.  And my own amounts are pretty varied.  But for anyone who must know how these came to be, here you go:

Ginger-Pecan Baked Peaches (serves 2-4):

2 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2-4 teaspoons vegan margarine (I love me some Earth Balance!)
2-4 teaspoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons pecan pieces
fresh grated ginger, to taste

Place the peaches, cut side up, in a baking dish.  Grate the zest and squeeze the lemon juice over each half, and place a small dab of margarine in each hole.  Sprinkle the brown sugar and pecans on top, and finish with some fresh grated ginger.

Peaches with lemon zest and Earth Balance

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until sugars are caramelized to your liking.  (For an extra golden color you can place them under the broiler for a few minutes.)  Serve warm (with vanilla Rice Cream or Purely Decadent for dessert!).