Vegan breakfast ideas

Hello, my lovelies :)

Today I am back with some ideas for a vegan breakfast.  I made the experience that many people don't know what to eat in the morning and sometimes I also get quite bored of breakfast. So I made up my mind and summed up the most appetizing as well as some common vegan dishes. Let's start with the more common and simple ones and then go on to the more elaborate food.

Jam

Many people don't know that jam is without gelatin but usually made with a gelling agent called pectin which stems from plants, mostly apples. Also peanut butter is generally vegan, so you can enjoy a delicious peanut butter jelly sandwich :D
I also like so spread Tahini (sesame paste) on my bread or roll instead of peanut butter. Sesame contains a lot of iron and calcium so that is very healthy.

 

Cereals

There's no need to abandon cornflakes or cini minis because you can easily substitute cow's milk with plant-based milk like rice milk, soy milk or oat milk for example. Nowadays you find those milk replacements in nearly all the supermarkets. 

Smoothies

Many people like to start their day with a filling smoothie. For me, however, a smoothie is normally not enough except when I get up very late and there isn't much time left until lunch. A smoothie in general is blended fruit and vegetables with a little bit of water or (vegan) yogurt. I think the most essential ingredients for smoothies are bananas because they make the smoothie really creamy and also sweet. 

Porridge/Oatmeal
I really love Porridge for breakfast! It is also quite easy and quick to make. My recipe is 4-5 tablespoons of oat flakes and 1 1/2 cups of rice milk. Heat them up until they boil and then let them simmer for about 5-10 minutes. I don't add sugar because I think the oatmeal is sweet enough, but sometimes I add coconut flakes, a banana or berries at the end.







Scrambled Tofu

That meal is the vegan version of scrambled eggs. I mainly prepare it on the weekends because I don't have time to make a time-consuming breakfast during the week. You need:
☻plain tofu
☻vegetables you like (I usually take tomatoes and bell peppers)
a little bit of turmeric for the colour
☻Kala Namak salt (if you don't have this at hand, you can use normal salt, but this salt adds some "eggy" taste)

I also like to add pepper and a little bit of curry, but that's probably not everyone's taste.

I hope you liked my ideas and that you will try out some of them (if you haven't already)!

Larissi ♥

Enjoy the green side of life!

Welcome back to my blog!
Sorry I haven't posted something for so long but I wanted to celebrate a relaxed Christmas with my family. But I am back and I have a new topic to share with you :)

Some people who know me in person or have read some of my posts might know that I am a vegan. I have been living as a vegan for more than a year now and I still enjoy this lifestyle. I had been a vegetarian before so the adjustment was not that hard for me.

What means being vegan? 
To be vegan means you do not eat meat and and fish and also avoid all the other products stemming from an animal, therefore you also do not consume milk and dairy goods, eggs, butter, honey and gelatin. Vegans also don't use wool, leather, silk, pearls and pelt. Another area you have to take care of as a vegan are cosmetics. There are not only a lot of animal contents (for example dyes, honey, milk) but there also a lot of cosmetic companies who test their products on animals. About 300 million animals are used for testing cosmetics and drugs every year. For some quick information: here is an informative video and here are 11 facts about animal testing. 

Why vegan?
The obvious reason for going vegan is of course preventing the exploitation of animals. But that is not the only reason for a vegan way of living, though it remains the key factor in the decision to change. More and more people are turning to a plant-based diet because of the health benefits. Well-planned (!) vegan diets are rich in protein, iron, calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals. Fruits and vegetables tend to be low in saturated fat, high in fibre and packed with antioxidants. As a result they help to reduce the risk of falling ill with some of the modern world's biggest health issues like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Another reason for changing to veganism is that the production of meat and other animal products places a heavy burden on the environment. Crops and water required to feed animals, transportation and the processing cause a huge environmental problem. The enormous amount of grains needed for animals held for meat is a significant contributor to deforestation, species extinct and habitat loss. What's more, a plant-based nutrition only takes one third of the space we need for a meat-based diet. That means the land left could be used by people in the developing countries to produce their own food if we cultivated plants and not produced meat! 

But what do vegans eat???
That's probably the most asked question by non-vegans. I mean, guys, can't you be a little bit creative? It's so easy to find alternatives for the most essential things! For example, you can use margarine or other vegetal oils instead of butter; rice milk, soy milk, oat milk (and many more!!) instead of cow's milk; agar-agar instead of gelatin; With that you can cook most meals also a vegetarian would eat! Also replacing eggs is not that difficult. When I bake a cake I usually just leave them out and the cake turns out just as good. If you really have to substitute an egg you can use soy flour, lupin flour or commercial egg replacement powder. There are also alternatives of yogurt and cream, for example soy yogurt and soy, rice or oat cream. For people who really cannot (or don't want to) resist the taste of meat, ham, cheese etc. there also exist substitutions for that kind of food, though I have not found many that tasted really good so far. 
Here are some easy but yummy vegan recipes, if you want too try something new! Don't freak out if you can't find some of the ingredients, just try to use the ones you have at hand :)
Chilli-Sin-Carne
Coconut Vegetable Curry
Lentil Spaghetti Bolognese
Chocolate Cake
Blueberry Muffins

Note: Please do not feel offended if you eat meat and dairy products. I do not want to force someone to change their diet, I just want to give you some inspiration and I hope you see things a little different now. 

Have a nice (and delicious :D) day,

Larissi ♥