Making Breakfast More Interesting: Sprouted Grain Bagels, Arugula and Fresh Figs

I've written many a time about how I tend to get into a rut with breakfast.  This week, I'm going to make an effort to get out of that rut, but still do something quick and easy.

I've been eating traditional bagels lately, but I wanted to try something a little healthier and a little easier on my stomach.  So, I decided to try Alvarado Street Bakery's Sprouted Wheat Onion Poppy Seed Bagels.  You've probably heard a lot about sprouted grains recently - they've gotten a ton of press (well, at least in the veg-friendly media I read).  According to the Whole Grains Council, "Sprouting grains increases many of the grains' key nutrients, including B vitamins, vitamin C, folate, fiber, and essential amino acids often lacking in grains, such as lysine. Sprouted grains may also be less allergenic to those with grain protein sensitivities." Some folks also claim that sprouted grains are easier to digest, which I was definitely willing to try.

I also thought I'd up the oomph on the toppings. Yesterday, when I was picking up my provisions for football Sunday, I was happy to see that fresh figs were still available, so I jumped at the chance to buy some.  I'm pretty sure the ones I bought were kadota figs - a yellow-green skin with a bright pink interior.  So, rather than just topping the bagel with my new favorite thing, vegan cream cheese, I took some inspiration from the yummy treat I had last week at the PIGS benefit and added some arugula and fresh figs.

It was a cool flavor combination - the sweetness of the figs and the creaminess of the vegan crea cheese contrasted nicely with the onion flavored bagel & peppery arugula.  I think I'll have it again tomorrow!

"Eggs" and potatoes for breakfast

Now that I know I can tolerate Non-GMO soy, I decided to take a stab at tofu scramble.  I always enjoyed scrambled eggs in the mornings, and tofu scramble is as close as vegans can get.

When I picked out my tofu at the store on Monday, I decided to go with Mori-Nu brand silken extra-firm tofu, rather than regular tofu.  My only reason was that the package size was smaller, and since I'm currently the only tofu-eater in my house, it seems less wasteful.

The difference between silken tofu and regular tofu is mainly in texture.  I feel like I see silken tofu more often in dessert recipes - it's allegedly more creamy than regular tofu.  When I opened the package, it definitely looked like a block of cream cheese - less little pockets than regular tofu.  When I handled it, I felt like the texture resembled hard-boiled eggs, which, to me, was perfect for this tofu scramble experiment.  My guess is that silken tofu might also make an excellent "egg salad."

Since I tend to oversleep in the mornings, I need a breakfast which doesn't take a lot of time to prepare (aka, why I usually default to toast).  So I decided to prep my tofu-scramble and some roasted potatoes Monday late afternoon to reheat for today's breakfast.  First, I pressed the tofu for 15 minutes.  While the tofu was pressing, I chopped a small amount of red onion finely.

I heated a little under a tablespoon of olive oil for a minute or so, and then sauteed the onion.  I then crumbled the tofu into the pan, breaking it up further with a wooden spatula.  A number of blogs I've read have suggested adding tumeric to the tofu to give it an "eggy" color, so I stirred in a teaspoon of tumeric, along with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.  I let the mix cook for about minutes, stirring it frequently to keep it from sticking to the bottom of my pan.  When the tofu was lightly browned, I took it off the heat and stirred in some dried parsley, and then put it in a glass container. This morning, I reheated it in the microwave with a touch of mozzarella daiya, along with some leftover cooked broccoli.  I think next time I will need to be more aggressive with the seasoning, but it was tasty.

What goes nicely with "scrambled eggs"?  Breakfast potatoes!  I had some leftover mini red, purple and gold mini-potatoes, so I chopped them up small and tossed them in olive oil, dried minced onion, sea salt and pepper.  I let them roast in a single layer in a pyrex dish at 425 for 30 minutes, stirring them at one point so they wouldn't stick.  I reheated them this morning in the toaster, rather than microwaving them, so they'd stay crispy.

What are your favorite vegan breakfast treats?

I Have Found Shangri-La and it is Vegan Cream Cheese

I love bagels and cream cheese.  I'll just throw that out there.  They may very well be my desert island food.  I love me a good chewy bagel and a huge schmear of cream cheese, the thicker the layer the better.

So, needless to say, when I decided to follow a vegan diet, I missed my bagels and cream cheese.  I'd have bagels and Earth Balance or bagels and hummus.  But, it wasn't the same.  And, since most vegan cream cheeses, if not all, are soy-based, with my allergies, I resigned myself to not having them.  And, to be honest, bagels and cream cheese were what usually made me fall off the vegan wagon.  They are my vegan kryptonite.

However, with my recent discovery that I can tolerate non-GMO soy products, I decided to check out Galaxy Nutritional Foods' Vegan Cream Cheese.  While it's not a dead ringer for cream cheese, it hits the spot enough for me to not miss the dairy variety.

Nutritionally, the Galaxy is neck and neck with Philadelphia, so if you're looking for what's "healthier," it's a draw in terms of fat, saturated fat, protein, and sodium.  So, you might choose the Galaxy if you don't eat dairy for ethical reasons, or if you're lactose intolerant or otherwise sensitive to dairy.

For me, this product is a perfect example of how you might use processed foods in moderation to make a plant-based or vegan diet more manageable.  I still absolutely believe that a healthy plant-based diet focuses mainly on . . . well . . . plants.  Today, I had a big bowl of avocado and tomato for breakfast, a ginormous spinach, carrot, broccoli, onion, cucumber and sunflower seed salad for lunch, an orange and peanuts as my pre-yoga snack, and leftover farro alfredo with carrots and broccoli for dinner.   But, if eating vegan cream cheese on my (whole grain!) bagels makes me less likely to throw up my hands and start eating dairy again, I'm all for it.

A Day of Eating in Reverse - Pete's A Pizza, More Whole Foods and Java Green

 Yes, I ate out for three meals today.  Not my normal routine, but with a early morning doctor's appointment and a date night before I fly out of town for a week, that's what I did to make the day work. 

Let's work backwards from dinner.  Since I'll be gone for eight days for back to back work trips and we had a hectic weekend last week, my husband and I had a date night tonight.  Husband knew I was dying to try the vegan options at Pete's-A-Pizza, so we went to the Friendship Heights location.  As an AU grad, I'd say it's more in Tenley than Friendship Heights, but it's equidistant from both metros, so I won't quibble too much over the description.

I had known about Pete's since their Columbia Heights location opened a few years ago, but never got around to trying it when I was still eating dairy products.  They're known for "New Haven Style" pizza.  I figured I had missed the boat on trying their pies, but then the Washington Post ran an article about the DC's essential vegetarian eats that mentioned Pete's Edge of the Woods Pizza.

After reading that article, I did some more research.  Pete's website is very vegan friendly.  There's a whole section of their website devoted to vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.  The website also notes that the owners' son has been a vegetarian since he was five, and that their chef and co-owner has a history of working with special diets.  To be safe, before we went to the restaurant, I called to make sure they were indeed able to make the vegan version of the Edge of the Woods pizza, and the manager confirmed they had everything on hand to make it that evening.

I did have one funny moment when we actually ordered the pizza.  When I asked for the vegan version, the woman said to me "Do you still want the eggplant?"  I asked her if the eggplant wasn't vegan for some reason.  "Well, it's fried."  My immediate response?  "Was it fried in an animal?"  After a good laugh, I let her know that when I called earlier, the manager said all the ingredients were vegan friendly. 

The pizza was very good.  The pie was topped with daiya, as well as caramelized onions, spinach and the aforementioned fried eggplant.  The eggplant was so thinly sliced that it reminded me of a potato chip.  I forsee some fun with the mandoline and "eggplant chips" in my culinary future.

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I had a craving for Whole Food's Kamut Citrus Salad for lunch today, but, alas they didn't have it on the prepared foods bar.  So, I made do with the pictured mishmash of various items off the salad bar.

Starting with the upper left, we have a vegetarian samosa, creamy kale, mango, raddicchio, cucumbers, kamut, black beans and raw shredded beets.  It is a curious mix of foods to be sure, but I enjoyed all of it, particularly the creamy kale!

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I mentioned earlier in this post that I had a doctor's appointment.  It was my annual physical, which meant bloodwork, which in turn meant fasting, which in turn meant no breakfast.  I knew from my regular lunch stops that Java Green serves breakfast, so I decided to pick up something there after my appointment.  I went with the vegan grilled breakfast sandwich, which is essentially a grilled cheese sandwich made with daiya.  Although the menu didn't specify it, it the woman making my sandwich added some tomato.  I was pleased, but those who dislike fresh tomatoes beware. 

Daiya Cheese Wedges and Home Yoga Practice

I've used daiya shredded cheese quite a bit in my previous cooking adventures, so I was super excited to when the daiya wedges came available at Whole Foods.  I decided to try both the jack and cheddar flavors.

My thoughts?  It's a mixed bag.  I was thinking I'd like this unmelted on crackers or in a sandwich, but I don't particularly care for it unless it's been warmed - something about the smell and the texture.  It's definitely closer to a velveeta than a block of monterey jack or mild cheddar.  I also had trouble using my cheese plane on it.  That said, it melts extremely well, and makes for a less messy vegan grilled cheese or a vegan open face toaster cheese sandwich (like the pumpernickel one I had for breakfast this morning).   But, I think I'll stick with the shreds in the future, though I will try the "jalapeno-garlic-havarti" wedge if I do eventually see it.

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If you know me well in real life, you know that I'm passionate about regular yoga practice.  I've practiced at Tranquil Space in DC for about eight years.   While my practice was sporadic in the beginning, over the past few years it's become very regular, to the point where I find my self in the studio 4-5 days a week.  I completed the level one teacher training course in 2010, and I am seriously considering the level two teaching course for this fall, which would give me a yoga alliance certification to teach (!).  My work travel schedule can make a commitment like this challenging, so I'll have to think about it over the next few weeks, but I am hoping to make it work.

So what does my yoga practice have to do with this blog?  I can tell you that I sincerely believe that regular yoga is the reason I eat a vegan diet.  Part of it is likely from learning more about ethical vegetarianism, but I think it's more than that, really.  Yoga has taught me to stop and listen to the signals my body is sending me and to honor them.  Some people describe it as "mindful eating." This Yoga Journal article describes it more eloquently than I do:

"As you continue to practice yoga, an intuitive sense of what is right for your own body will emerge . . .Just as you'd modify a favorite recipe to fit your own tastes as you prepare it repeatedly, so you can adapt a food system to support your practice." 

Without yoga, I wouldn't be eating a plant based diet, and without a plant based diet, there'd likely be no blog.  SIo, you may see more posts that include some musings on my yoga practice, like today's.

After the aforementioned breakfast of pumpernickel vegan cheese melt with a side of raspberries, I had a strong desire to do a home yoga practice.  Part of my dilemma with home practice is my tendency to criticize myself.  Am I doing this "right?"  Is this sequence "right?"  So, in addition to home practice being a practice of asana for me, it's also a practice of self-compassion.  Today, I just got on the mat, cranked up my playlist, and went for it. I didn't plan what I was going to work on in advance, and the only thing I made sure to keep track of was that I was giving the same amount of attention to both sides of my body.

And, boy, did I have fun, and worked up a good sweat!  My favorite moment was doing a transition from half moon to reverse half moon - wild!

What really makes home practice click for me is a carefully curated playlist.  Similar to the playlists at the studio, I run mine for about 75 minutes in a "bell curve" - slower, mellower songs in the beginning, with more energetic songs in the middle, and then mellowing out again at the end.  At home, I do tend to practice to some louder and crazier songs than I hear in the studio.

I'm particularly pleased with the playlist I used for today's practice, so I thought I'd share that with you all for your home listening pleasure, and perhaps your own home yoga practice!

Exploding Cereal, Rice Cakes and Dinosaur Kale

I'm continuing to focus on simple, easy vegan meals.  Here are some highlights from today's eating adventures.

Breakfast - Or How I Was Traumatized By a Box of Exploding Cereal
I really like cereal, but cereal often does not like me.  Hidden soy can often turn this treat into a sneeze fest.  But, after careful perusal of ingredient labels, I decided to try Nature's Path Flax Plus Multibran Flakes.  This cereal has a lot going for it - it's got 5g of fiber and 4g of protein per serving.  And, since a "serving" is 3/4 of a cup, and 3/4 of a cup would barely feed a squirrel, I figure I'm getting a lot more than that!  The flax in the cereal also is a source of Omega-3.  It's not vitamin fortified, but since I get my vitamins from a variety of plant sources and a vegan friendly supplement, that's not a big deal.

Milk and I also don't get along, but I've enjoyed experimenting with milk substitutes.  Having tried rice milk and almond milk, I thought I'd try coconut milk, specifically So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk.  This product is fortified with a number of vitamins and minerals, Vitamin B12 (50% DV) and Vitamin D (30%). 

So, where does exploding cereal come in?  Well, this morning, when I went to open the cereal, I found the plastic bag a bit challenging to open.  I got a tiny hole in it, so small that basically a flake at a time was coming out.  So, I decided to try and open the bag a little more.  The next thing I knew, cereal was flying everywhere - the counter, the stove, the floor, my hair, my husband's hair and pretty much everywhere but in my bowl.  It was an avalanche of cereal. 

Five minutes of sweeping later, I sat down to enjoy my cereal with coconut milk and blueberries.  I would definitely make sure you add fruit to this cereal or use a vanilla flavored milk substitute, especially if you're used to eating things that are very sweetened.

Snack - Or Rice Cakes Don't Need To Stay in the 80's

I know.  Rice Cakes.  Really?  If you grew up in the 80's, like I did, you probably have not so fond memories of rice cakes, or as some people called them, diet cardboard.  But, recently, when I saw a fellow yogini snacking at them at a yoga workshop, my curiosity was piqued.  I like crunchy, salty things, after all.

The brand I tried was Lundberg's Wild Rice Cakes.  I like Lundberg's rice products, so I felt confident that these would be worth buying,  I was pleasantly surprised with how good these are - nutty and just the right amount of salt.  It was yummy with my giant fuji apple, and the combination made a good pre-yoga snack.

Dinner - When Dinosaur Kale Walked in My Kitchen

I got home later than usual this evening since I was having fun chatting with friends after yoga.  I was tempted to try one of the frozen meals, but I figured I could cook something very fast.  Since I finished the curly kale I bought on Sunday, I decided to make something with dinosaur kale.

Dinosaur kale goes by many names - laccinato kale, Tuscan kale, cavolo nero, etc.  It's flatter and darker than curly kale, and the texture does look scaly, so the dinosaur name is appropriate.

I had half a yellow onion in the fridge, so I minced some of that up, along with a clove of garlic.  I sauteed those in olive oil on high heat for a minute or so.  Meanwhile, I sliced the kale into thin ribbons and then cut the ribbons into smaller pieces.  When I was done cutting the kale, I added in a can of chickpeas and a few scoops of my leftover rice and seasoned the mixture with sea salt and some generous turns of ground black pepper.  Then, I tossed in the kale, gave it a stir and turned off the heat the second it began to wilt, which was pretty fast.  A few shakes of red pepper flakes and it was done.  Fresh, filling and I have leftovers tomorrow.

A Vegetarian Goes on the Road Part II: Getting Creative with Breakfast

A filling, veg friendly breakfast is just minutes away!

It's a cliche that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it's a cliche for a reason.  You've (hopefully) been asleep for at least seven hours, you probably haven't eaten in nine.  What you eat in the morning sets the stage for your energy level the whole day.

When you're on the road for work, breakfast is extra crucial.  You will likely have little control of your schedule or your meals, and you've got to be "on" for meetings, alert for navigating unfamiliar cities and maintain energy while you're away from home.  I know when I have a good breakfast, my day tends to go a whole lot better.

But, what do you do when you're a vegetarian and away from a well stocked home kitchen?  If you're lucky, you'll be at a first or second tier hotel where you'll have access to a breakfast buffet where you can get a variety of fresh fruit, and, if you're lacto-ovo, a veggie omelet.  At some of the nicer short stay hotels - Hampton Inn, Spring Hill Suites, Fairfield Inn, Hyatt Place, you'll get a free breakfast - cereal, bagels, apples, bananas, etc.  Since most of the short stay places have free wi-fi, you can catch up on work while you nosh.

But, what to do if your breakfast options aren't appealing, or if there aren't any at all?  I recommend the following back-up plan that I recently mentioned on Twitter: coffee maker oatmeal. 

This is a quick and easy breakfast you can make in any hotel room that has an in room coffee maker.  Before you leave for your trip, pack the following:

• Small bowl.  You may consider a few disposable ones if you don't want to deal with washing your bowl out in a bathtub.  The coffee cup that comes in your room will also do in a pinch.
• Spoon(s).  See above if you want to go disposable.  You can also likely grab one from a convenience store or restaurant if you forget to pack one.
• Instant oatmeal packets. I recently used Whole Foods Instant Oatmeal - Multigrain & Flax. 
• 'Fixins." Dried fruit, nuts, etc. - whatever you need to punch up the oatmeal.  I use dried cranberries and almonds.  Pack extra - you can eat a mix of fixins as a snack!

In the morning, pour your water in the coffee maker as if you were about to brew a cup of coffee, but don't add in the little individual coffee thingee the hotel provides.  You'll get hot water almost instantly.  Stir it into the oatmeal, add your fixins, and eat.  You can even sweeten it a bit with the sweetener that comes with the coffee if you desire.

If you are lucky enough to have a dual cup coffee maker like the one above, you can even make your oatmeal and your coffee or tea at the same time.

Butternut Squash for Breakfast

The other day on Facebook, I asked my friends to help me get out of my breakfast rut with some easy vegan and vegetarian morning meals that didn't involve toast.  I got a number of great ideas, including smoothies, veg baked goods and egg dishes.

This morning, I tried out a dish suggested by my friend and fellow yogi Melissa: butternut squash, dried cranberries and pecans with maple syrup.  It was super easy to prepare, thanks to the pre-cut butternut squash I picked up from Whole Food's fresh-cut section.  I did dice the squash up a bit more for faster cooking, but a good, sharp knife helped that go quickly.  It took three minutes for the squash and cranberries to warm up in the microwave, and then I tossed in the pecans and drizzled on the maple syrup.

I love the combination of butternut squash and dried cranberries to begin with, and adding in the maple syrup gave it some nice sweetness that is a real treat in the morning.  The pecans added a nice textural element and some additional protein.

Quinoa Two Vegan Ways: Sweet for Breakfast, Savory for Dinner

Breakfast Quinoa with Fruit & Almonds

In trying to break out of my breakfast rut (aka, toast), I decided to try a hot cereal of quinoa and fruit.  I had some leftover pear, blueberry and almond mixture leftover for Saturday's dessert, so I mixed that up with the quinoa.  I don't normally rinse my quinoa before I cook it, because I don't mind the bitter coating in savory dishes.  But, the slight bitterness was enhanced a bit against the sweet fruit.  I'll continue to tinker.

Dinner Quinoa with Vegan Sausage

Since I had made a week's worth of quinoa last night in anticipation of today's breakfast experiment, I decided to have it for dinner as well.  I had some Grain Meat Co. Italian "sausage," which I sauteed in olive oil with onion, pepper, tomatoes and spinach.  I stirred in 2/3 cup of quinoa and some mozzarella daiya, and, voila, dinner tonight and lunch for tomorrow.