Four Breakfast Options (Maple-Oat Bread, Vegan Pancakes from scratch, Apple Muffins, Sweetened Couscous)

A vegan can always just eat cereals with soy milk, oatmeal, toast, etc. for breakfast.  But these are four options that my family likes.  I make big batches and freeze the pancakes and muffins, refrigerate the oat bread or couscous.  Just warm up what you want in the morning for a quick bite to eat. 

Side note on whole-wheat flour:   I use almost ALL whole-wheat. But I did not start out that way.  It takes a little bit to get used to the texture of it.  So if you don’t use it exclusively, try using a mix of the white and whole-wheat flours.  Start with just a small ratio (like 3:1) and work your way up to all whole-wheat over the course of a few months.  Some things, though, are just better with white flour (like the pancakes).   Both my son and my hubby refuse the whole-wheat pancakes and waffles.  But they both love the muffins.  So test it on your own and let me know if you have any questions.

The Maple-Oat bread is my own recipe.  It is a quick bread that comes out tasting kind of like a coffee cake, but the texture is kind of a combination between a coffee cake and a scone??  Just try it, it’s good.   My family and my daycare kids request it a lot.  It gives you the sweet maple taste without the sticky mess of syrup and it’s easy on-the-go.  I almost always make a double batch because it doesn’t last long. (In my pre-vegan days I made this with an egg and skim milk.  Still a very healthy and yummy option for your family.)

NANETTE’S MAPLE-OAT BREAD

3 c. whole-wheat flour

1 c. quick-cooking oats (plus a couple tablespoons for sprinkling on top)

¼ c. sugar

3 t. baking powder

¾ t. salt

1 Egg substitute (I use 1 T. cornstarch dissolved in 3 T. water)

1 ¼ c. soy milk (vanilla or unflavored)

½ c. sugar-free maple flavored syrup (plus a little more for drizzling on top)

3 T. vegetable oil

Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl and all wet in another.  Stir wet into dry just until moistened.  Spread into a greased 9” round (or 8” square) pan.  Sprinkle with about 2 T. oats and drizzle with a little more syrup.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Serve warm.  Wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap and keep refrigerated.  Warm up for a few seconds in microwave to serve.

VEGAN PANCAKES

1 ¼ c. flour (I use half white and half whole-wheat)

2 T. sugar

2 t. baking powder

½ t. salt

1 ½ c. water (I use half water and half vanilla soy milk)

1 T. oil

Mix together and make as you would any other pancake.

APPLE (and carrot/raisin) MUFFINS

(feel free to substitute in other dried fruits as you like)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour

4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons salt

1 cups finely grated carrots and/or raisins

3 large apples - cored and shredded (I don’t peel mine)

1 Egg replacer (I use 1 T. cornstarch dissolved in 3 T. water)

1 1/4 cups applesauce

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In a large bowl combine brown sugar, white sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Stir in carrot/raisin and apple; mix well. In a small bowl whisk together egg substitute, applesauce and oil. Stir into dry ingredients. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes for regular size muffins or 12 minutes for mini-muffins.

SWEETENED COUSCOUS (with dried fruit and nuts)

1 ½  c. water

 ¼  c.  sugar

1 ½  c. Unflavored, plain couscous (be careful not to buy the tri-colored, sundried tomato, etc.)

Your choice of:

½ c. dried cranberries

½ c. dried apricots, chopped

½ c. dried cherries, chopped

½ c. coarsely chopped toasted slivered almonds

½ c. coarsely chopped toasted and skinned hazelnuts

½ c. coarsely chopped pistachios nuts

Cinnamon and sugar and/or soy milk to serve.

In a medium sauce pan, combine the water, sugar, and dried fruit. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Stir in the couscous and remove the pan from the heat. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid until the couscous has absorbed all of the cooking liquid, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Using a fork, fluff the couscous to break up any lumps. Add the nuts and toss. Serve warm with soy milk and/or cinnamon and sugar as you like. (Think of it like oatmeal.)

To save: spread the mixture evenly on a baking sheet until completely cooled, about 10 minutes. Transfer the couscous to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. Serve warmed.

This is good with apples and raisins, dried cherries and blueberries, cranberries and almonds.  Make your own combination with what you like.  My favorite (and Gracie’s) is to use the dried Fruit Bits.  Feel free to stir in a small amount of vanilla or almond extract if you like.  This is one of those dishes that is never the same twice.