This is what I want for breakfast in the summer (and especially the hot Texas summer): something simple, quick, healthy and filling, which absolutely does not require cooking. These three vegan recipes fit the bill, and as a bonus there is a lot of overlap in ingredients, so you can hit the grocery store once and have everything you need for a few weeks of breakfast.
Overnight Oats
(makes 1-2 servings)
Overnight oats are really making the rounds on Pinterest these days, and it’s no wonder why. The recipe is nutritious, delicious and totally foolproof. If you can measure food into a jar, you can make overnight oats.
If you haven’t tried chia seeds yet, here’s a good chance to try this superfood. The price point might be off-putting at first—my bag of chia seeds cost $12 at HEB—but since you only eat one tablespoon at a time, it goes a long way.
1/2 cup oats
3/4 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
1/4 cup fresh, frozen or dried fruit
1 tablespoon chia seeds or flaxmeal (ground flaxseed)
1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave nectar (optional)
tiny pinch salt
Add all ingredients to a lidded jar, shake to combine, then refrigerate overnight. The oats absorb the liquid for a dried-foodstuff-to-tasty-food effect simliar to cooking, but without heating up your kitchen or dirtying a pan.
Suggested variations: strawberry banana (sliced bananas and 1 tablespoon of strawberry jam as the sweetener), blueberry almond (almond milk, blueberries, 1 tablespoon of slivered or sliced almonds), apple cinnamon (chopped apples, maple syrup, pinch of ground cinnamon added), peanut butter and Jelly (omit fruit and sweetener; add 2 tablespoons of grape or strawberry jam and 2 tablespoons organic peanut butter)
Granola
(makes 12-18 servings)
When I said there was no cooking involved, I was lying a little bit. You need to cook this granola once, but then you will have a big batch of granola!
6 cups oats
¼ cup flaxmeal
½ teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
⅓ cup canola or coconut oil
¼ cup agave nectar or brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
½-1 cup of mix-ins: coconut flakes, raisins, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, whatever floats your boat
Preheat oven to 225. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease with oil. (Parchment paper is handy because it will make transferring the granola to a storage container very easy.) In a large bowl, combine oats, flaxmeal, cinnamon and salt. In a microwavable container, combine oil, sweetener, and vanilla and heat for 15-20 seconds in the microwave. You could also do this in a small saucepan on the stove if you prefer. Add wet ingredients to bowl of oats and stir the mixtures well until oats are well-coated. Dump onto your lined baking sheet, smooth out for even distribution of heat, and bake on a middle rack for 20 minutes. Take out and stir the granola around. Return to the oven for another 15-20 minutes. Granola should be nearly uniform in color. Place the baking sheet on a baking rack to cool. When completely cool, use the parchment to help you transfer to a storage container, at which point you can add in your mix-ins.
The Only Two Smoothie Recipes You Need
You can doctor up these basic recipes a million different ways. I never tend to make the same exact smoothie two days in a row, but every smoothie I make is based on one of these.
The only hard and fast rule I follow when I make smoothies is that I never, ever add ice. Ice is the enemy of the smoothie! If you use frozen fruit, the smoothie will be cold enough; adding ice will just make it taste watered down.
The Green Smoothie
(makes 1-2 servings)
I always use spinach and orange juice here because spinach and orange juice are best friends! Spinach is an excellent dietary source of iron, and when you eat iron in combination with a food which is high in Vitamin C, it increases the iron absorption six-fold.
1 cup loosely packed baby spinach leaves
½ cup frozen fruit
1 pitted date or 1 teaspoon agave nectar
2 teaspoons chia seeds or flaxmeal
½ cup orange juice
Put in blender and blend. Drink.
The Creamy Smoothie
(makes 1-2 servings)
½ cup frozen banana
½ cup frozen fruit
¼ cup coconut milk yogurt
1 pitted date or 1 teaspoon agave nectar
2 teaspoons chia seeds or flaxmeal
½ cup unsweetened soy, almond, or coconut milk
Put in blender and blend. Yum.