Quick, simple, but still super tasty, these breakfast recipes will kick-start your day.

1. Scrambled tofu on toast

When it comes to breakfast, I’m much more of a sweet over savoury kind of gal, but ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you how much I’m addicted to this meal. I like to mix it up by adding different toppings, and recently I’ve been obsessed with mushrooms so they’ve been my go-to. This breakfast takes no more than ten minutes to make, and a really healthy breakfast option, as it’s low in calories but a great source of protein, as well as containing calcium and iron.

Ingredients for one serving:

• 1/4 of a block of tofu (roughly 100g)
• salt and pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• juice from 1/2 of a lime
• gluten free sourdough loaf (or any bread of your choice)

Optional:

• mushrooms
• tomatoes

Feel free to use any toppings you fancy, smashed avocado is another favourite of mine. Method:

1. Mash up the tofu with a fork until it resembles scrambled egg, before adding in the salt, pepper, paprika, and lime juice
2. If using mushrooms, slice them and season
3. Heat up 1 tbsp of oil in a pan (I keep the heat medium-high)
4. Once the oil is hot, add in the tofu and the mushrooms and cook for around 8 minutes
5. I serve my tofu scramble on top of toasted gluten free sourdough bread, and to finish it off I add some sliced tomatoes on top

2. Banana oat pancakes

I like to make these on days where I don’t have any classes or tutorials and I can have a bit of a lazy morning. As much as I love a bowl of overnight oats with some fresh berries on top, I find I get a bit bored of them, but these ‘pancakes’ take a basic oatmeal and elevates it.

Ingredients for one serving;

• 25g of oats
• 50ml of almond milk (or any dairy-free milk of your choice)
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp of maple syrup
• 1 tbsp of flaxseeds

Optional toppings:

• fresh berries
• peanut butter
• linseeds

Method:

1. These are super easy to make, I just blitz all the ingredients in a blender until a smooth pancake batter forms.
2. Heat up some coconut oil in a pan, then add some of the mixture, using a spoon to form a circular shape, cooking it for 2-3 minutes on one side then 1-2 minutes on the other.
3. Once the pancakes are cooked, I top mine with some strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, then drizzle some melted peanut butter over the top, as well as sprinkling some linseeds and some extra cinnamon.

3. Homemade granola

For as long as I can remember I’ve always been obsessed with granola, I love it on top of an Alpro high protein yoghurt with fruit, or on top of my smoothie bowl. The only problem is, shop-bought granola’s are full of sugar and they can be pretty pricey, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own low sugar version, and I have never looked back. This recipe easily fills a large mason jar and will last for a couple of months (although it rarely lasts longer than a week in my house..) I always like to add in different nuts or dried fruit, but I think I’ve now found my favourite combination.

Ingredients:

• 300g of oats
• 100g of pecans
• 75g of desiccated coconut
• a pinch of salt
• 150g of coconut oil
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 50g of coconut sugar
• 50g of raisins

Optional:

If you don’t like raisins or nuts feel free to miss them out, I sometimes add in dried blueberries or cranberries instead, or if you fancy a more indulgent granola add in a little bit of dark chocolate as soon as it comes out of the oven so it’ll melt into the oats (this is my gran’s favourite.)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 140°C, and line a baking tray with greaseproof baking paper
2. Add the dry ingredients (the oats, chopped pecans, desiccated coconut, sugar, salt) into a mixing bowl and mix until well incorporated
3. Add in the wet ingredients (melted coconut oil and vanilla extract) and mix it altogether
4. Pour the mixture onto the baking tray and press down with a spoon until it’s flat and even.
5. Bake for around 40 minutes (I start checking it regularly at about 35 minutes because the edges can start to burn out of nowhere)
6. Take it out of the oven and let it cool slightly before adding in the raisins, before leaving it to cool completely
7. Store it in an airtight container (I tend to keep mine in the fridge to ensure it stays crunchy)

4. Chocolate protein smoothie

This is my favourite post-workout breakfast. I love going to the gym at 6am and coming home to this thick and chocolatey, yet still healthy, treat. I turn it into more of a meal by adding some fresh fruit, my homemade granola, and some linseeds on top.

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana (using a frozen banana just means you don’t need to use ice, making sure the smoothie remains thick and creamy)
• 80ml unsweetened almond milk
• 3/4 of a scoop of vegan chocolate protein powder (my favourite brand is MyProtein)
• 1 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter
• 1 tbsp flaxseeds

Optional toppings:

• 20g of granola
• berries
• banana
• linseeds
• cinnamon

Method:

1. I just throw all the ingredients into my food blender, but make sure to add the protein powder last (if you’re using it) otherwise it won’t fully incorporate and will just stick to the bottom.
2. I whizz the mixture on the medium speed until all the ingredients are fully combined and it’s formed a thick milkshake texture.
3. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add any toppings of your choice, it’s as easy as that.

5. Banana Bread

Last but not least we have my favourite baked good, the humble and severely underrated banana bread. This recipe definitely takes the longest and has the most ingredients, but one loaf does ten servings, so it’s something that’s quick to grab in the morning when you’re rushing out the door.

ByChloe is without a shadow of a doubt the cult vegan restaurant. Their mac and cheese is to die for, but the real holy grail is their banana bread. Moist, chocolate-y, and full of walnuts, this baked good is like a not-so-little slice of heaven. When I first went to ByChloe in Covent Garden in 2018 I was immediately obsessed. The only problem is that I live in Glasgow, where there are no ByChloe’s (although they are looking to open up new restaurants in different locations, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.) So I had to take matters into my own hands and try replicate the banana bread myself, and I’m so glad I did. It’s a fairly straightforward recipe, but the finished product is honestly so incredibly tasty and more-ish. If I fancy a change from my protein shake for breakfast I’ll have a slice of this with some fresh berries, but it also serves as the perfect mid-day snack with a cup of coffee.

Ingredients:

• 250g of plain flour
• 75g of light brown sugar
• 75g of caster sugar (alternatively just use 150g of one type of sugar for convenience, but I find the molasses from the brown sugar makes the bread extra moist and stops it from drying out)
• 2 tbsp of cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
• a pinch of salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon (or ground allspice/nutmeg, the choice is yours)
• 110g of dairy-free butter
• 60ml of dairy-free milk (unsweetened almond is my go to)
• 3/4 ripe bananas (the riper the better)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional:

I say optional, but adding these to your mixture really elevate the bread, and the melted dark chocolate just makes it even more indulgent.

• 80g of dark chocolate (I always use Bourneville)
• 60g of walnuts

Method:

1. Firstly you want to preheat your oven to 180°C, and line a loaf tin with greaseproof baking paper.
2. I prefer to mix my dry ingredients first before adding in the wet ingredients (and I’m sure many people are the same). I just pour the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, bicarb, and salt into my mixing bowl and just let my KitchenAid incorporate them. Alternatively, just do it the old fashioned way and use a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon.
3. Once they’re all mixed together I add in the almond milk, vanilla extract, and the melted butter, and again I just let the KitchenAid combine them.
4. Mash the bananas with a fork (I find this makes incorporating them into the mixture easier), then add them into the mixture.
5. Once a thick mixture has formed and all the ingredients have been fully combined, I add in the chopped up pieces of dark chocolate and walnuts and mix them in by hand.
6. Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin and put it in the oven for around 50-60 minutes (double check that it’s cooked properly by placing a skewer in the middle, if it comes out clean you’re good to take it out of the oven.) Take the loaf out of the tin and let it cool, before storing it in an air-tight container.

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