On a recent drive to the cottage my university aged daughter and her friend announced, “Guess what? We are going to try eating vegan!” My daughter’s friend has had digestive concerns since she was a little girl and my kid is an adventurous eater who loves animals so, I support their choice. I really do! But let’s face it, it wasn’t going to be convenient. At least not that weekend. My plans of tossing a bunch of chicken on the bbq on Friday night and using it creatively throughout the entire weekend had just gone overboard.
While I wagged my finger at them and (sort of) lectured them about the importance of paying careful attention to getting adequate protein while supplementing with B vitamins and zinc, I fashioned a menu in the back of my mind and came up with a few vegan recipes everyone will love.
The most critical part of the day is breakfast so make sure it’s enticing, delicious, and filling with sufficient protein and fibre. I’m a big fan of scrambled eggs as part of a great start to the day, but for those who are looking for vegan options, vegan breakfast skillet tofu and vegan sweet potato oatmeal will be a hit.
Vegan Breakfast Skillet Tofu
So you have an overnight guest who is vegan. Don’t panic! Breakfast is a simple as an extra pan while you fry your usual eggs. And it won’t kill ya to try it yourself…
Makes: 4 Servings Takes: 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 block tofu, firm
- 1 tablespoon walnut oil
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 4 halved tomatoes
- Walnuts for topping
Directions:
- Drain and slice tofu into large pieces, pat dry with paper towel.
- Drizzle tofu with walnut oil and sprinkle with oregano while you warm a cast iron skillet.
- Add more oil to pan and sear tofu on both sides, remove from pan to platter.
- Toss in garlic and fry tomatoes for 1 minute on each side, serve with walnuts.
Vegan Sweet Potato Oatmeal
Makes: 4 servings Takes: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 sweet potato — cooked
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Toppings:
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, roasted
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cup maple sugar
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
Directions:
- Bring water to a boil and stir in oats, simmer until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Mash sweet potato and stir in with cinnamon, warm through 1 minute, serve with toppings.