Tag Archives: breakfast

Nov 10 2013
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Lazy Vegan

The Lazy Vegan: Sweet Sunday Breakfast

When I think about family meals, I find myself being truly grateful that my parents and siblings and I always ate at the table, together. My parents would cook, we would set the table, get our drinks, and then it would just be us and our meal. There was never any radio or TV or smart phone to distract us. Sunday mornings were especially nice: my parents would sometimes cook what I would now consider to be an extravagant breakfast consisting of eggs and sausages and pancakes, etc. Or, we would stop at Dunkin Donuts on the way home from church and have a junky breakfast together.

Fast forward to today. I woke up alone and wanting something comforting but healthy and easy for breakfast. This meal using items I always have in my kitchen met my criteria and was perfectly satisfying! It’s also a great meal for kids.

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Lazy Sunday Morning Waffles w/ Peanut Butter and a ‘Nana

1 frozen Van’s waffle (I love these. There a several varieties, many are gluten-free, and I can find them in any of my usual grocery stores)
1 banana
1-2 tbsp of Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams (again… awesome product from a vegan company that I can find in any of my usual grocery stores)

Directions:

Toast or bake the waffle according to the directions on the box.

Spread the peanut butter on the waffle.

Slice up a banana.

Put it all on a plate.

Eat.

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As easy as it was to make this, I found it to be so comforting. Today is one of those days when a meal can make or break my day. This definitely makes me feel more ready to face my day! –Melissa

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Apr 02 2013
2 Comments
Desserts, Lazy Vegan, Main Dishes

Breakfast Wrap

This particular item more resembles dessert than breakfast but the nutritional profile doesn’t disappoint. All I did was take a flax gluten-free tortilla and topped it with the following

1 tbsp chocolate peanut butter (I used Peanut Butter and Co. but really any vegan nut butter will do)

2 tbsp dried blueberries (dried cranberries or raisins would work well too)

1/2  banana, sliced

1/4 apple, sliced

1/4 cup granola (I used Cascadian Farms)

I microwaved it for 20 seconds so it would soften and then ate it… It kept me full until lunch time. The crisp acidic apple and the soft sweet banana were perfectly balanced with the chewy blueberries and nutty chocolate crunch of the granola and peanut butter. Next time I might add some slivered almonds.

This is Christie, signing off!

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Feb 09 2013
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Cooking

Perfectly Easy Tempeh Bacon

I’ve been working really hard lately and haven’t had time to really cook or even enjoy my meals. My family and my co-workers have been taking good care of me, cooking some meals for me or bringing in vegan sandwiches for lunch. I’m lucky and grateful! But today, before I continue working some more, I wanted to make myself a satisfying breakfast.

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Tempeh and I haven’t always been good friends. I eat it but I’m often underwhelmed by it. Today, I tried out something different and super easy. I cooked the tempeh with a mixture of 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp of maple syrup, and a dash of liquid smoke.

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It looks and smells pretty as it cooks. For you Filipinos out there, I think this is a great (though less garlicky) alternative to longanisa that doesn’t take a lot of effort or require hours of marinating time. This would have been great with some garlicky fried rice, but I’ve had a lot of rice lately. So I roasted some potato straws instead, sprinkling them with garlic salt. I completed the meal by making a tomato salad, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Really easy. Really satisfying. Now feeling really energized to get started on all the work I need to get done today! –Melissa

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Oct 27 2012
2 Comments
Raw, Recipes

A Different Kind of Tofu Scramble

I’ll usually make a tofu scramble for breakfast on the weekend, but I wasn’t quite feeling it today. That said, I had a pressed block of tofu that was ready to be eaten. So I decided to make a different sort of tofu scramble.

This was easy and turned out great with just a few ingredients:

1 block extra firm tofu, pressed and drained using the wonderful TofuXpress
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp dill (I love dill)
chopped green onion or chives
salt and pepper to taste

I ‘crumbled’ the tofu with a fork and then added the olive oil, lemon juice, dill, green onion, and salt and pepper. I mixed it all up really well and then let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes. I served it on toast with a side of tomatoes.

This recipe reminded me of when I was in Israel a couple years ago and had the same thing for breakfast every day: bread with feta cheese. It’s kind of cool that I accidentally made a tofu-based vegan feta! I gobbled this up really quickly and am already planning to make it again with my next block of tofu.

Great on toast, great as a salad topping, great vegan deliciousness! –Melissa

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Sep 22 2012
2 Comments
Cooking

Tofu & Chorizo Scramble

It’s officially fall here in Chicago and I’m happy to report that it actually feels like fall outside. We’re talking sweaters and having to wear socks and weird pumpkin cravings. On a crisp morning, a nice spiced up breakfast of tofu scramble with soy chorizo makes a perfect vegan breakfast.

 

I used silken tofu for the scramble and seasoned it as I usually do. After the tofu was ‘scrambled’ and the spices were mixed in well, I made a hole in the center of the pan and plopped some Tofurky chorizo on there:

 

I added some garlic powder and Tapatio hot sauce to the chorizo and mixed it up before stirring it together with the tofu.

I opted to eat this with buttered toast (butter=Earth Balance) and a tomato-onion salad. My Mom made breakfast tacos instead. Versatility is a wonderful thing.

 

Yum! Have a happy first day of autumn! –Melissa

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Aug 25 2012
7 Comments
Cooking

Perfect Pancakes

I have tried a handful of vegan pancake recipes and they have all been disasters until I decided to try this 5 Minute Vegan Pancakes recipe. I first tried it about one or two months ago. They turned out so well that I really wanted to write about them, but I decided that I better try them again to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.

It wasn’t a fluke.

There is a minimal number of ingredients. In addition, both times I have used this recipe, I didn’t have to do the usual tossing of the first pancake. You know what I’m talking about.

I tweaked the recipe a bit today and used the following ingredients:

1 cup flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour)
1 tbsp turbinado
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tsbp flax meal
pinch of salt
1 cup almond milk (I used soy milk the last time; either is fine)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 c or so of dried blueberries

I mixed all the ingredients in a bowl…

…and then I cooked the pancakes. That’s all there was to it.

Yay! Fluffy vegan pancakes! As you can see, I couldn’t even pause to take a photo before digging in. Actually, I ate the first pancake as soon as it came off the pan. That’s how delicious these are. They’re even better with some maple syrup and a side of tempeh strips.

Next vegan pancake challenge: Swedish pancakes! –Melissa

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Jul 28 2012
7 Comments
Dining Out

Being Vegan is Easy at Over Easy Cafe

Dining out when you’re vegan is generally a challenge, but it seems to be even more of a challenge when going out for breakfast. Pre-vegan, I would get overwhelmed at the vast breakfast/brunch selection at some restaurants. Now I go to those same places and get frustrated because the only vegan thing on the menu is a bowl of fresh fruit.

This morning, I perused several prospects in the hopes of finding a place that would please both myself and my non-vegan dining companions. I was really glad to come across Over Easy Cafe. Why? Because they have a tofu scramble on the menu! My Mom and niece didn’t have to be weirded out by menus that vegan/vegetarian places tend to have (let’s admit it… sometimes supremely vegan spots can be kind of weird for those who aren’t vegan) and I was able to enjoy a hearty vegan breakfast.

The Spicy Tofu Scramble consists of tofu scrambled with “chorizo” spiced veggie crumbles, red peppers, & jalapenos, topped with salsa verde & guacamole. It came with a red potato hash and a choice of whole wheat, multi-grain, sourdough, or rye toast. Let me pause here and mention that I’m not certain that the veggie crumbles were vegan and I didn’t think to ask when I was there.  Um, it was delicious. Here’s a close-up:

I hope that more places will follow the lead of Over Easy Cafe and come up with at least one vegan/vegetarian-friendly dish on their menu. It makes a huge difference.

If you’re in Chicago, try out Over Easy Cafe! –Melissa

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Jun 02 2012
2 Comments
Recipes

Smoked Soy Curls

This morning, I found myself missing smoked sausage. On weekend mornings, we would often have smoked sausage or hot dogs with fried eggs, fried rice, and tomatoes (we’re Filipino so this is completely normal for me). While Gimme Lean has a great vegan soy sausage product that would be great for this type of meal, I was really craving something smoked. So, I grabbed half a cup of dry soy curls and improvised.

While the soy curls were rehydrating, I mixed together about 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of agave nectar, and added a few drops of liquid smoke. I have never used liquid smoke before, but I read in some places to be careful about the amount used. So, I tried to be conservative without even really knowing what that meant. Let’s just say that I wish I had put a few more dashes of liquid smoke in the mix. Once the curls were rehydrated, I drained them and let them marinade in the mixture for a few minutes.

I baked the soy curls in the toaster oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. While it was baking, I fried some brown rice in garlic, and cut up some tomatoes and green onion which I seasoned with salt and pepper.

Breakfast was served! My smoky marinade can use some tweaking, or maybe I need to let it marinade for a bit longer. I was worried that I used too much soy sauce and was surprised when the sweetness of the agave nectar seemed to be the prominent taste. I’ll probably use maple syrup next time, too. I don’t have any right now which is totally tragic. This still tasted great, though, and is one recipe I won’t mind experimenting with repeatedly. I’ll take whatever suggestions y’all may have! –Melissa

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Jan 21 2012
3 Comments
Cooking, Recipes

Toasty Taters and Cheezy Tofu Scramble

Today is my niece’s birthday (Happy Birthday, Juliana!). I had plans to have breakfast with her to celebrate. While I looked forward to spending time with my niece on her special day, I was disappointed to realize that the only vegan options on the menu were home fried potatoes hold the cheese, fruit, or oatmeal (which I would have to make sure didn’t have milk mixed in already). Anyhoo, plans changed. I got to sleep in today and make myself a vegan breakfast: tofu scramble with home fries.

Toasty Taters:
Any potatoes, sliced or cubed
1 tbsp garlic, minced
salt
pepper
ground cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper
olive or safflower oil

Put the potato slices in a bowl and add just enough oil to coat all the pieces. Mix it all together with the salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper until the potato pieces are coated evenly. The cayenne pepper will make it spicy so leave it out if you’re not a fan. Loosely bundle the potatoes in foil, stick in a toaster oven–I love toaster ovens, you guys–and bake for 20 minutes or so at 375 degrees. Then, open up the foil, carefully mix the potatoes a bit so they separate, set the toaster oven on the toast setting, and toast for 3-4 minutes. This will make them nice and crispy.

Cheezy Tofu Scramble
1 block extra firm tofu (about 1/4 pound), patted dry and smooshed with a fork
1 tbsp garlic, minced
salt
pepper
onion powder
turmeric
shredded ‘cheese’
olive or safflower oil

Fire up a frying pan and heat your oil, then toss in the garlic and tofu. When the tofu is nearly browned, add the spices–how much you want to use is up to you. Mix it nicely until the tofu is nice and browned. Lower the heat, and add the shredded ‘cheese’ (I used Daiya cheddar). When it starts to get melty, remove from heat and fold the cheese into the tofu.

Yum. Check out those crispy garlic bits. Pardon me while I stuff my face… Melissa

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Dec 11 2011
4 Comments
Recipes

A Breakfast Date With Quinoa

I am entering week 5 of going vegan, and it is just now that I am starting to really miss the convenience and ease of making eggs for breakfast. Tofu scrambles are a fine alternative, but I was fresh out of tofu this morning and felt mild depression at the thought of having plain toast or fruit. Christie posted a recipe for Quinoa Pudding a few months ago on her Facebook page and I thought today would be the perfect day to try it out. I had to get creative, though, because I was missing one of the key ingredients. So, here is my variation on Christie’s original quinoa pudding recipe.

1 cup quinoa
2 cups almond milk
6-8 dates, pits removed
walnuts (optional)
water

Rinse the quinoa well and cook. I won’t get much more specific here since I cook quinoa in a rice cooker… follow the directions on the package. Using a rice cooker also allowed me to do everything else without having to keep an eye on the quinoa.

You may want to soften the dates before you start the next step: I took 7 dates, warmed them in a shallow bowl with some water for about 20 seconds to soften them, and then I removed the pits. Using a food processor or blender, mix together the dates and almond milk until smooth. I only had one 8 oz package of almond milk, so I added a 1/2 cup of water into the mix. The mixture was really sweet as-is, so I didn’t add any sweeteners.

Add the mixture to the cooked quinoa. Stir gently over medium heat until it’s creamy, about 10 minutes.

While it’s heating up, take a handful of crushed walnuts and then added it to the mix if you’d like. I used the bottom of a glass to crush the walnuts I had.

Remove from heat and eat it warm!  I wish I had more almond milk so that it would have come out more creamy. My Dad had some and added some regular milk to it (I grew up adding evaporated milk to my oatmeal). Sprinkle cinnamon or add raisins to make it more fun.

P.S. I was never a fan of dates, which may explain why I am still single… oh, wait. Wrong blog. I was never a fan of dates until I started using them in recipes. Now, I sort of love them!

If you’ve got vegan breakfast recipes or ideas that you’d like to share, head on over to the contact page and let us know! Til then, happy cooking. –Melissa

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