Are you new to veganism? Or just trying to be healthier and do your little bit for the planet? Creating vegan meals can seem quite daunting at first: what do vegans actually eat? Do I need to stock up on quinoa and seaweed? Well, the answers to those questions are: more than you think and no (unless you want to!).
Read on for three simple breakfast recipes that are super easy, as in being-able-to-operate-a-toaster level of easy. This is the first post of my easy-plant based meals series, so stay tuned for more!
Vegan breakfast #1: Five-a-day smoothie
A vegan smoothie recipe? Groundbreaking! But hear me out: this is a great way to start your day, because it ticks a lot of the boxes in one go. It’s also ridiculously purple, so you could probably have it in a bowl and make it Instagram-worthy if you wanted to.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of frozen berries
- An apple
- A carrot
- A cup of leaves (I used lettuce because that is what I had, but you could use spinach or whatever you have at hand)
- ½ tin of pineapple chunks (leftover from a vegan Hawaiian pizza… which will appear in an upcoming post)
Instructions
- Cut the apple and the carrot into bite-sized chunks
- Rinse the pineapple chunks – this is to get rid of most of the gooey juice that they swim in
- Chuck everything into a blender, along with a large glass of water, and blend! East peasy.
Daily Dozen score: Six (seven if you add flax seeds). This video explains the logic behind the Daily Dozen – check it out!
Note: Breakfast is an important meal in my day and I would rarely only have a smoothie. This would go well with a slice of toast, with either Marmite, or my favourite spready “cheese” with herbs sprinkled on top.
This recipe makes about two large glasses worth of smoothie. So sometimes I’ll have a glass of it before a run and the second one afterwards.
Vegan breakfast #2: Peanut butter and tomato toast + berry yogurt
This is very easy to put together and quite yum!
Ingredients
- One slice of wholegrain bread (if you eat the white stuff we can’t be friends haha)
- Peanut butter
- Flax seeds (optional)
- A medium-sized tomato
- Salt, pepper and herbs (oregano or basil) to taste
- Vegan yoghurt – I really like coconut and it seems to keep longer than soy. This can hopefully be found in your local supermarket or in a “health” / organic shop
- Chia seeds (optional)
- ½ cup of berries (I used blueberries, but you could use anything you can get your hands on)
Instructions (again, easy peasy)
- Put bread in toaster
- Slice your tomato
- Pour some chia seeds and the berries onto your yoghurt (my pot only had a third left so I poured the seeds straight it and ate it out of the pot)
- Spread peanut butter on toast
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of flaxseeds, as well as the salt, pepper and herbs onto the peanut butter
- Put the tomato onto the toast
- Enjoy! You might need to eat it with a knife and fork to save yourself from a tomato-y mess. To avoid such a hazard, or if you’re quite hungry, add another slice of toast and make it a sandwich.
Daily Dozen score: four to seven (+1 with the herbs, +1 if you add flax seeds and +1 for the second slice of toast)
Vegan breakfast #3: Peanut butter and berries sandwich
Do you sense a theme here? Berries are yummy and good for you, which is why they are included in all three recipes. I know they can turn pretty quickly, so I keep a stash of frozen ones, as well as buying fresh berries.
This is my breakfast “to go” when I head out early in the morning. Between the time I make it and the time I actually eat it, frozen berries have a bit of time to thaw!
Ingredients
- Two slices of wholegrain bread
- Peanut butter
- Flax seeds (optional)
- ½ cup of berries
Instructions
- Toast bread
- Spread peanut butter on both slices of toast
- Sprinkle flax seeds on one slice
- Plop your berries onto the bottom slice
- Place the other slice on top, cut into quarters and go!
Daily Dozen score: four (five with the flax seeds)
I don’t have any photos for this one – it’s literally a sandwich, so that’s what it looks like. 🙂
You may also like: 16 vegan alternatives to eggs 🌱 With easy conversion tables
There you have it – three no-excuses, easy and satisfying ways to start your day the plant-based way!
Please share your own recipes in the comments, or your Instagram handle if you want to show off your vegan creations. Mine is @thejessicagoodenough – follow me for fuss-free food inspiration (now say that ten times)!
Jessica
