Plant-Based Breakfast

I am a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast because I love eggs on toast with avocado, I could have that every day (and often do). But last year I went on a personalized eating plan which restricted my egg intake and instead had me eating sheep yoghurt. I am not a huge fan of any yogurt especially first thing in the morning. But I persisted and lost the weight I wanted.

Enter COVID-19 and I am sitting at home eating and drinking too much, and of course, the weight is back. So I want to get back to the program but cannot stomach the sheep’s yoghurt for breakfast. And because I don't eat the planned breakfast I feel like I can't do the program.

So, I realised I needed to come up with some new ideas for breakfast. On my plan, I can also have nuts and seeds so I needed to find some good breakfast meals to replace the sheep's yoghurt. Don't get me wrong sheep's yogurt is a healthy option, as it is full of nutrients and high in omega's.  I was looking for some plant-based ideas that are good for gut health.

So on my list of yummy items to make are:

• Cashew Cream

• Raspberry Chia Pods

• Chocolate Buckwheat Porridge

• Granola

• GF Loaf (buckwheat)

STEP ONE: Soaking

It does take some planning to make these recipes as you need to soak all the nuts and seeds. You do this to activate them and allow the nutrients to be easily accessed. This means you get more of the good stuff that will help your gut.

Some need more soaking than others and it depends on what you are making with them. The cashew cream only required 2 hours of soaking and was super easy to make.

But the buckwheat for the bread needed 24 hours or overnight, as this makes it more mushy. Buckwheat is usually activated in a shorter time (7 hours) but I wanted it to be softer and I also used the gelatinous substance in the bread.

1. CASHEW CREAM

Cashew Cream

This was very easy to make. And it was the first time I have made this.

You just needed to soak the cashews for at least 2 hours and then put them in the blender with lemon juice and salt (for a savory cream) or maple syrup and vanilla essence (for a sweet cream). Add some water and blend until nice and creamy.

Recipe

• 1 cup of cashews

• 1/4 cup of water (more for soaking)

Savory

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• 1/4 tsp lemon juice

Sweet

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

• pinch of sea salt.

RASPBERRY CHIA PODS

Raspberry Chia Pods

Another super easy one and you don't have to soak before making this one. Although they do need to soak overnight once you have made it.

I have made plenty of chia pods before and the trick to making a tasty pod is to mix some flavour into your milk before soaking. For this one I used raspberries (as I have a large quantity in the freezer from my own crop) which I blended with some coconut milk and a little vanilla essence. The coconut milk was left over but you could use almond instead. Almond milk will increase the protein level where as coconut will increase the fat content.

You could also add a little maple syrup if you need a bit extra sweetness. I didn't need it as the raspberries were enough.

Recipe

• 1 cup of raspberries

• 1 1/2 cup of almond/coconut milk

• 1/4 cup of chia seeds

• 1 tsp vanilla essence

To serve add some mint, kiwi or more berries and some maple syrup ( I used the cashew cream and granola which was delicious).

Blend your fruit and half the milk and then pour into jars. Divide and add the rest of the milk and the vanilla, give it a stir and put into the fridge. About an hour later give it another stir then leave overnight.

CHOCOLATE BUCKWHEAT PORRIDGE

Chocolate Buckwheat Porridge

I have used buckwheat flour and groats for along time due to eating gluten free, but I had never made a porridge out of them and not a chocolate one either. So this recipe really appealed to me.

This recipe does require you to soak your buckwheat groats (you will find them at the supermarket usually in the health section) for at least 6 hours. This will release the phytic acid and make them easier on your digestive system as well as releasing all the good stuff.

Buckwheat is full of protein, fibre and energy and is great for coeliacs as it is gluten free. It is a similar grain to quinoa and is beneficial for heart health, the digestive system and weight control.

Recipe

• 1 cup of buckwheat groats

• 1 banana

• 1/2 cup of almond milk

• 2 tbsps cacao powder (unsweetened)

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 1 1/2 tbsps maple syrup

• pinch of sea salt

To serve: top with any of these, more banana, some nuts, shredded coconut, raw grated chocolate, cashew cream or granola.

GRANOLA

Granola

If you eat gluten free or are a coeliac you will understand how hard it is to find a good muesli or granola that tastes nice (and not like cardboard) and doesn't cost a bomb! So when I saw this recipe I decided to give it a go. I have made granola before but not like this.

This recipe does recipe soaking for at least 6 hours, then you need to rinse and because you are soaking sesame seeds and chia seeds, you need a fine sieve to rinse. This ends up looking quite gelatinous due to the chia seeds but it is still easy to handle.

This is also required to either dehydrate for 24 hours or oven-bake on a very low heat for 10 hours. I put mine on overnight in the oven and lowered the temperature (as I know my oven tends to overcook). The recipe calls for 45 C (115 F).

Other than that you can add whatever you like. I swapped a few items off the list because I didn't have them. The result was great (and not burnt like I thought was going to happen), with crispy lightweight granola and slightly chewy fruit parts. I can eat it as a snack, but that is because I love nuts and dried fruit together.

Recipe

• 1/2 cup of raw walnuts (I used pecans)

• 1/2 cup of raw almonds ( I used a cup because I love almonds)

• 1/2 cup of raw hazelnuts

• 1/2 cup of buckwheat groats

• 4 tbsp pumpkin seeds

• 4 tbsp sunflower seeds

• 4 tbsp chia seeds

• 4 tbsp sesame seeds

• 2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 1 tsp cinnamon ( I added extra because I love cinnamon)

• 1/4 tsp cloves ( I omitted as I didn't have any)

• sea salt to taste

• 4 pitted dates

• 2 tbsp sultanas ( I used cranberries)

Set aside a handful of the nuts and seeds. Place the remaining nuts and seeds in a bowl and cover with water. Let soak for at least 6 hours. Drain and rinse. Transfer to a towel to remove the remaining liquid and pat dry.

Process in a blender for 10 seconds to break up the mix. Then add coconut oil, maple syrup, spices and salt. Pulse to combine.

Mix in the reserved nuts and seeds, along with the dried fruit. Spread onto trays and cook for 10 hours in the oven or 24 hours in a dehydrator.

Serve with cashew cream or yoghurt (even some sheep's yoghurt!)

GF LOAF

Buckwheat Bread

I normally buy a good GF bread from GF Precinct and I especially like their sprouted bread. But it can be hard to find as my local only gets a delivery twice weekly and if they are out I need to travel to find it. It is also a fairly costly product.

I have tried to make gf bread before with some success and many failures! I have often made a sprouted buckwheat bread, which tastes nice but tends to fall apart and it takes 48 hours to ferment. Then I have made coconut based breads that turned out like a brick and tasted a bit like one as well!

So I decided to try a combination using the sprouted buckwheat groats and a paleo flour. The flour contains flaxseed flour, tapioca and coconut flour. I also added some seeds including pumpkin and sesame. Not sunflower as they tend to turn your bread green when baked!!!! The first time I saw that I thought I had mouldy bread!!

The result was not quite as I hoped as the loaf didn't rise as much as I would have liked. It could also have been cooked a little longer as it is very dough-like. But even so, I quite like heavy bread and it tastes nice. It was great with a bit of butter and homemade jam. It will also go very well with my avocado and eggs in the mornings!!!

At least it is not like a brick and it also doesn't fall apart, so I would call that a mild success!! I have since mastered the Soda Bread Recipe which is much quicker and works well.

Either way, all of these recipes are good for your gut health as sprouted nuts and seeds, which are activated, allow better extraction of nutrients and therefore are better for your gut. If you suffer from bloating then soaking is a great idea as it will reduce gas-causing compounds.

Breakfast should contain a nice balance of macronutrients, that is protein, fats and carbs. These recipes contain a good balance of these (except for the loaf, but when you add a topping of nut butter or avocado it will help with the balance).

It is very important if you are eating vegan to understand where you get your protein and omega's from as these are often lacking when not eating animal products.

Eating a plant-based diet is good for your digestive and cardiovascular system. I am not vegan or vegetarian, but I do like to have a broad range of foods including using plant-based food. Sometimes my body craves it.

Recipes thanks to "The Raw Kitchen".