Category: Breakfast

Categories
Breakfast Family Friendly Snacks

Fried Banana Toast

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Fried Banana Toast

Pan-fried bananas taste decadent but are so simple to prepare. In this recipe I used sunflower butter and sprinkled some sunflower seeds over for a little extra crunch.

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients:

  • Avocado oil or olive oil
  • 2 bananas, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 2 slices of your favorite wholegrain bread
  • 2 tablespoons nut butter
  • Maple syrup for drizzling (optional)
  • Cocoa powder or cinnamon for dusting

 

Instructions:

  1. Coat a nonstick pan with a small amount of oil and place over medium heat.
  2. When heated, place bananas in pan and cook both sides until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side, turning carefully.
  3. Toast the bread and place onto a plate. Spread each slice with a tablespoon of nut butter, top with 2 slices of banana.  Drizzle with maple syrup (if desired) and sprinkle with cocoa powder or cinnamon.
Categories
Breakfast

Tofu Scramble

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Tofu Scramble

Makes 3 servings

Difficulty level: very easy

For a real egg flavor, add a sprinkle of Indian kala namak black salt. You only need a little! (You can find this in specialty shops or online.)

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 package firm tofu (approx.16-ounce), drained
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons thinned cashew cream or other plant-based milk.

Instructions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Crumble the tofu into the pan with your hands. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until the tofu is cooked through and no water is remaining in the pan.
  2. Add the nutritional yeast, salt, turmeric, black pepper and garlic powder. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.
  3. Pour the thinned cream into the pan, and stir to mix.
  4. Add Indian black salt, if using, adding a sprinkle at a time until desired taste is achieved. 
  5. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings such as sliced avocado, chopped tomato, chopped fresh herbs, toast, etc.

Variations:

Southwest (add to the above recipe):

  • 1/4 red onion (thinly sliced)
  • 1/2 red pepper (thinly sliced)
  • 2 cups kale (loosely chopped)
  1. First, sauté the red onion and red pepper in the pan with the olive oil over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
  2. Next, add the tofu, crumbling as you add. Cook as above, adding the chopped kale at the time of the spices.  Cook until the kale is softened and wilted.
  3. Serve with salsa, cashew sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, tortillas, etc.

 Sweet potato tofu scramble (our favorite):

  • A use for left over roasted sweet potatoes.
  1. Add ½ of a cooked sweet potato (diced) with the spices and warm through. Continue with recipe.
Categories
Breakfast Snacks

Muesli

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Muesli

Makes: 16 servings

Difficulty level: very easy

Muesli was created by a Swiss physician and nutritional pioneer who used this food to improve the health of many of his patients, with impressive results.  Muesli is a great weekday breakfast as it is very nutritious, can be altered to your tastes, and can be prepared ahead so it is ready to go when you are. 

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of grains
  • 1 ½ cups nuts/ seeds
  • 1 cup dried fruit
  • Grains: Rolled oats, wheat bran, oat bran, whole barley, quinoa flakes, millet puffs, or other.
  • Nuts/seeds: Sliced almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, pepitas, chia seeds, or other
  • Dried fruit: Blueberries, apricots, cherries, gogi berries, barberries, mulberries, figs, raisins, currants, apple chips, unsweetened coconut flakes, or other.

Instructions:

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine grains, nuts, seeds and dried fruit. Mix well. Store muesli in an airtight container. Keeps for 2 months at room temperature.

Variations:

For added nutrition, I recommend adding 2 teaspoons of ground flax seeds to any of the muesli preparations. (I don’t add it ahead because it is so fine that it sinks to the bottom of the storage container.) If desired, drizzle with a sweetener of your choice (yacon syrup, maple syrup, agave syrup, honey).

  • For a quick breakfast or snack, add desired amount of Muesli to a bowl, then add desired amount of milk (preferably plant-based). Top with fresh fruit if desired. Eat immediately or let rest for 20 minutes for a softer texture.
  • Use overnight-oats style by adding 2/3 cup of muesli into a small jar, adding 2/3 cup (plant-based) milk, top with frozen fruit. Cover with the lid and refrigerate overnight. Perfect for a quick summer breakfast.
  • Stir into yogurt.

Warm with milk or water for an oatmeal-style breakfast.

Categories
Breakfast Family Friendly Snacks

Health Smoothie

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Health Smoothie

For breakfast, a light lunch, or a snack, quickly create a delicious, healthy smoothie.  A fresh, home-made smoothie not only tastes great, it’s a wonderful way to give your body a large number of the healthy items on your target list. 

Ingredients (if you have a small blender or Nutribullet, decrease by half):

  • 1 cupful of greens (chopped and tightly packed spinach and/or kale)
  • 2 cups of fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, and/or strawberries)
  • 1 cut-up apple (include the apple peel!)
  • 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder
  • Pinch of freshly ground pepper (to increase absorption of turmeric)
  • 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds
  • 1/2 package of silken tofu (optional)
  • 1/2 banana (optional)
  • 2 cups of water (you can add more or less, depending on how thick you like your smoothies)

Instructions:

  1. Add all of the ingredients to your blender. Secure the lid and blend, starting on the lowest speed and then increasing speed until you achieve a smooth consistency.
  2. Taste your creation and add a sweetener of your choice if needed (yacon syrup, honey or agave syrup are healthy choices). 
  3. Pour your smoothie into a tall glass and enjoy!

You’ll be rewarding your body with an abundance of healthy nutrition in one delicious drink!

Note: The above recipe will make about two large servings. If you have a large capacity blender, we recommend that you double the recipe and create smoothies that will last (in the refrigerator) for four days.  And remember, this “starter recipe” is simply a guide, so experiment by changing amounts and/or types of nutritious ingredients until you find the smoothie mix that you most enjoy.  One hint: try increasing the amount of greens over time – they may change the color but you don’t really taste them and they’re great for your health!