HEALTHY BREAKFAST RECIPES

By Vegan Victoria, Nutrition Consultant

In my last post, I mentioned that breakfast is not necessarily mandatory to lose weight.  But if you are inclined to eat a good healthy breakfast (and I am definitely in that camp!) here’s a couple ideas to get your day off to a nutritious start.

My morning meal of choice during the week is a thick rich green smoothie.  I make it the night before, which is not ideal since that can cause a loss of nutrients, but I’m willing to make that trade-off.  It’s also portable and quick which is mandatory with my schedule and time constraints.

On the weekends, I love to treat myself to a delicious warm bowl of cooked oatmeal, filled with fresh fruit in season.  That would mean peaches and berries in the summer or apples and bananas in the winter.

Other options might be home-made muffins, pancakes, granola and fresh fruit, or a tofu scramble with a good helping of vegetables.

Here’s a few recipes that I’ve used over the years that have worked for me. Let me know if you have any favorites you enjoy.

Vegan Victoria Breakfast Smoothie

Ingredients

1 cup filtered water (can use ½ cup orange juice & ½ cup water if sweeter flavor desired)

2 cups fresh dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, lettuce, parsley are all good options)

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup chopped peeled cucumber

¼ cup chopped peeled carrot

8 1-inch chunks of frozen chopped banana

½ cup frozen berries

2 Tbs ground flax seed or chia seeds

2 scoops of protein powder (I like chocolate-flavored pea protein powder NutraSumma)

2 scoops of green powder

Instructions:

Put water in a strong blender like a Vitamix. Add all the vegetables and mix on high for 1 minute. Stop blender, then add frozen fruit along with the flax seed and protein powder. Mix on high for another minute.  Add more water if it’s too thick.

Makes 2 smoothies. Feel free to experiment with other fruits and vegetables.

Oatmeal – makes 1 serving

Ingredients;

1 cup non-dairy milk

½ cup rolled oats (not instant)

1 Tbsp ground flax seed

1 Tbsp maple syrup

½ cup fresh fruit in season

Directions:

Put non-dairy milk in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add oatmeal, and gently boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid is gone. Put cooked oatmeal in a cereal bowl, add fresh fruit, flax seed and maple syrup on top. Enjoy!

GINGER PEACH MUFFINS

Ingredients:

1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk

1 Tbsp ground flaxseeds

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour

3/4 cup cane juice sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

4 medium peaches, peeled, halved, pitted and cut into 1/4 inch slices (about 2 cups)

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin baking cups

-In a large glass measuring cup, use a fork to vigorously mix together the milk, flaxseeds and

 vinegar. Mix for about a minute, until it appears foamy. Set aside.

-in a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, ginger and cinnamon.

-Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the milk mixture.

-Add the applesauce and vanilla and stir together with the milk mixture in the well.

-Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients just into dry ingredients are moistened.

  Do not over-mix. Fold in the peaches.

-Fill each muffin cup all the way to the top.  That way you'll get nice muffin domes!

-Bake for 24-27 minutes or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean.

-Remove the pan from the oven. Let muffins cool completely for 20 minutes

Source: Forks over Knives-the Cookbook

Tofu Scramble

Ingredients:

¾ cup sliced fresh mushrooms

2 tomatoes

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup fresh spinach, chopped

1 lb. firm or extra firm tofu, well pressed and crumbled

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sautee tomatoes, garlic and mushrooms in a small amount of wter, 2-3 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium low and add spinach, crumbled tofu, soy sauce and lemon juice. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle with dash of salt and pepper before servings.

Makes 2 servings.

 Source: Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, M. Murray