If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
While it feels like a tired old saying, there is truth in it. When we sleep, we fast. So when we eat first thing in the morning, it kickstarts our metabolism again and gives us a boost of energy. But, let’s be honest, breakfast isn’t just about preparing for the day. It’s also about taste. Arguably, breakfast foods are some of the most delicious, particularly when washed down with a steaming cup of caffeine-loaded goodness.
From fluffy tofu scramble to crunchy fulfilling oatmeal cookies (yes, cookies for breakfast!), we’ve gathered four simple yet flavorful recipes to break your fast with. In fact, they’re so good, you’ll want to eat them for lunch and dinner too. And who’s to say you can’t? The rules are there are no rules.
Oatmeal Cookies
10 mins to prep
12 mins to cook
Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ⅔ cup plain flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) vegan butter
- ⅔ cup currants (or raisins)
- ¼ cup apple sauce
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
Optional Extras:
- ¼ cup chopped nuts
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
Preparation
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1
Pre-heat oven to 180C (350F).
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2
Melt the butter in the microwave or on a low-heat in a pan. Set aside.
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3
Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (oats, flour, baking soda and salt). Add the raisins to the dry mix.
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4
In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla and applesauce.
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5
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. If the batter is too dry, add a tablespoon of water.
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6
Finally fold in any other additional ingredients. Scoop balls of cookie dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment. Press each cookie down flat with the back of a spoon until they’re half an inch thick.
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7
Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until the edges appear light brown and crispy.
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8
Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool to room temperature. They will stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Cacao Orange Granola
Vegan
Ingredients
- 140g oats
- 40g crushed walnuts
- 50g crushed pecans
- 40g chopped hazelnuts
- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds
- 35g coconut flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt flakes
- 1 tablespoon of cacao powder
- Zests from 2 orange
- Juice from 1 orange
- 20g tahini
- 25ml maple syrup
- 45ml melted coconut oil
To make parfaits (for 2 people)
- 350g coconut yoghurt or dairy free yoghurt of choice
- 1 easy peel orange/clementine
- 1 chunk of dark chocolate (grated)
- 1 teaspoon of orange zest (optional)
Preparation
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1
Begin by preheating the oven to 180c. In a large bowl combine the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, tahini, orange zest and juice.
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2
Next add in the oats, crushed walnuts and pecans, chopped hazelnuts, chia seeds, coconut flakes, salt, and cacao powder.
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3
Combine thoroughly and then scatter onto a large baking tray.
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4
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes before giving the tray a shake and placing back into the oven for 5 minutes further.
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5
Allow the granola to cool before storing in an airtight granola.
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6
Should you wish to make parfaits layer the granola with yoghurt and orange segments in glasses. Top with some grated dark chocolate and orange zest should you wish. Enjoy!
Tofu Breakfast Scramble
Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 cup tofu, crumbled (firm will give a dryer scramble like this one, while silken will result in a creamy “scrambled egg”)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- ½ teaspoon kala namak (black salt)
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon non-dairy butter
- 2 teaspoons avocado or canola oil
- 2 cups shiitake mushrooms
- ½ bird’s eye chili, finely chopped (optional)
- Salt to taste
- 4 cups spinach
- Two slices sourdough bread, toasted and buttered (optional)
Preparation
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1
In a bowl mix together the crumbled tofu, turmeric, nutritional yeast, one clove of garlic, kala namak and non-dairy milk until mixed.
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2
Heat the non-dairy butter in a large frying pan on medium to high heat. Once warm, add the tofu scramble and fry for five to seven minutes until golden.
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3
While you are frying the tofu scramble, heat a second non-stick pan. Fry one clove of crushed garlic in the oil before adding the mushrooms and the chili. Season with salt and cook for three minutes until browned. Add in the spinach and wilt for a further one to two minutes.
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4
Plate the tofu scramble and mushrooms and chili on two plates and serve with roasted tomatoes and toasted sourdough bread.
Six-Ingredient Banana Bread
20 mins to prep
45 mins to cook
Vegan
Ingredients
- 4-5 super ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup nut butter (or vegetable oil if allergic to nuts)
- ⅔ cup pitted medjool dates (4-5 large dates)
- 1 tbsp flax meal
- 1 ½ cups self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
Optional Extras
- pinch of sea salt, orange zest, Demerara sugar, seasonal spices such as cinnamon
Preparation
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1
Line a loaf tin with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 356 F.
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2
Add the dates to a bowl with four to five tablespoons (~⅓ cup) of boiling water and set aside for five minutes to hydrate.
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3
Cream together four to five bananas with the dates (and the water), nut butter and flax meal until completely incorporated. Ideally you want a smooth mix here, so use a stick blender or food processor if you have one. You can use four bananas in the batter and save the fifth for decoration if you’d like.
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4
Sieve together the flour and the baking soda.
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5
Pour the wet mix into the dry ingredients and stir together until fully combined. If the batter is too thick, add a small amount of water or plant milk.
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6
Pour the batter into the loaf tin and add any toppings such as extra banana or Demerara sugar.
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7
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes at 356 F. Take out of the oven and allow to cool, then serve.
