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Most vegans eat oatmeal because it’s vegan, whole, fiber-rich, cholesterol-lowering, and wwhen we’re out of more appealing options. But options there are and we can use them — especially in summer.
Once when my daughter was small, she looked lovingly at my mom and said, “Grandma: your oatmeal is so good, you should open a restaurant.” That is a rare degree of porridge appreciation. Most of us eat this particular food because it’s vegan, whole, fiber-rich, cholesterol-lowering, and we’re out of more appealing options.
But options there are and we can use them — especially in summer. Here
are a dazzling dozen to get you started:
Avocado toast
The hipster’s fave is easy to make and benefits your body with avocado’s
potassium, vitamins K1, C, B5, B6, E, and folate. Lightly toast your
preferred bread and slice on avocado, adding a spritz of lemon juice, a
drizzle of EVOO, and a sprinkle of cumin and ground rock salt.
Alternatively: mash all that up and spread on the toast.
Ayurvedic chocolate shake
This balancing breakfast consists of 10 ounces soy, almond, or flaxseed
milk, 1 peeled banana, 2 pitted dates, 1 tablespoon each cocoa powder and
ground flaxseed, 1 teaspoon each vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, 1/2 teaspoon
each allspice and cardamom, and 1/8 tsp. each nutmeg and ground cloves.
Double if you’re blending for two.
Beans on toast
This UK classic is traditionally made with white bread and Heinz baked beans
from the can, but you can use crusty brown bread and black beans with
Mexican seasonings (i.e., cumin and chili powder), or lentil dal with Indian
spices (dry mustard, turmeric, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, and cayenne).
Chia pudding
The way fiber- and antioxidant-rich chia seeds magically swell and soften
brings out the kid in anybody, so make this super summer breakfast with the
little ones in your life. For each serving, use 1 tablespoon chia seeds to
1/2 cup almond or coconut milk. Sweeten if you like with maple syrup, and
flavor with vanilla and cinnamon.
French toast
The “egg” can be blended chickpeas, mashed banana, flaxseed and cornstarch,
or commercial vegan eggs, i.e., Just Egg. My go-to batter is 1 1/2 cups
vegan milk, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes, and
1 teaspoon each sugar and cinnamon, energetically whisked. Dip in the bread
(sourdough is heavenly) and fry on a lightly oiled skillet.
Granola
Okay, technically it’s oats but not oatmeal. The health-savvy may pooh-pooh
this hippie staple because of its traditionally high oil and sugar content,
but you can make your own and keep rich ingredients to a minimum; or buy a
super-healthy commercial option such as Engine 2 (at Whole Foods),
fruit-sweetened and no oil at all.
Green smoothie
Green smoothies remind me of people on Instagram who do impossible yoga
poses whilst being impossibly gorgeous, but enjoying a good green smoothie
is quite is the purview of the rest of us too: frozen ripe banana, fresh or
frozen berries, water or coconut water, and a handful of mild — that’s the
secret — greens, i.e., spinach or baby kale. The miracle of these is that
don’t taste green, just yummy.
Classic Pancakes
Mix 1 cup buckwheat flour (or use half wheat flour), 1 teaspoon each baking
powder and vanilla powder, 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and a dash of salt; in a
separate bowl whisk 1 cup vegan milk with 1 tablespoon ground flax and 1
tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, and let stand 5 minutes. Re-whisk and
then mix liquid into dry ingredients and fry 1/4-cup cakes on lightly oiled
griddle — bubbles on the top tell you it’s time to flip your flapjack.
Savory breakfast bowl
If the plate becomes extinct, it’s because bowls are so inviting. For this
one, layer steamed rice, millet or quinoa (leftovers work); red, white, or
black beans; and a quick veggie stir-fry — onions, garlic, tomatoes,
greens). If you want to get fancy, add a simple sauce, i.e., plain vegan
yogurt mixed with ground cumin, fresh cilantro, and salt to taste.
Scrambled tofu
A classic for a reason! Drain tofu and wrap in towels to remove some of the
water. Saute onion and garlic in avocado oil; when soft, stir in turmeric,
black pepper, egg-y tasting Indian black salt (it’s really pink), and
nutritional yeast; add crumbled tofu (and more oil or some veggie broth if
needed) and stir-fry. Finish with chopped tomotoes and baby spinach, and
serve with vegan sausage, toast and jam.
Sweet rice
On my trips to India and Nepal, sweet rice was synonymous with
breakfast. Basmati rice forms the base, sometimes with the addition of split
mung beans. When cooked, these are mixed with jaggery, Sucanat, date or
coconut sugar, chopped raw cashews (or pistachios if you have them), soaked
raisins and/or chopped dates, with a sprinkle of cardamon or nutmeg.
Yogurt parfait
Layer plain, unsweetened, vegan yogurt in a parfait dish with blueberries,
sliced banana, chopped walnuts, blanched and slivered almonds, ground flax,
skinny drizzles of maple syrup, deliberate dashes of cinnamon, and less
heavy-handed sprinkles of cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, and — use even less —
clove. If you love these toppings and you’re without yogurt, you’ll find
that they also work great on . . . oatmeal.
Victoria Moran, CHHC, AADP, RYT-200, is the founder of Main Street Vegan Academy and the host of the Main Street Vegan Podcast. She is hard at work on her 14th book, this one about aging like a yogi. Victoria loves breakfast and if oatmeal is on the menu, she likes it with lots of hot soy or almond milk. Follow her vegan/ayurvedic adventures on Instagram: @VictoriaMoranAuthor.
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We began this archive as a means of assisting our visitors in answering many of their health and diet questions, and in encouraging them to take a pro-active part in their own health. We believe the articles and information contained herein are true, but are not presenting them as advice. We, personally, have found that a whole food vegan diet has helped our own health, and simply wish to share with others the things we have found. Each of us must make our own decisions, for it's our own body. If you have a health problem, see your own physician.