In a prior article, Ideal Healthy Breakfast, I compared an unhealthy breakfast with a healthy breakfast, and I presented my Spicy Tofu Scramble recipe. Since that time, I’ve shifted my diet toward being about 90% vegetarian for health and ethical reasons. In this article, I’ll be giving you an even healthier and tastier vegetarian breakfast recipe.
When I learned the truth about the myth that you can’t get enough protein from a vegetarian diet, I became very interested in this lifestyle. After I watched a documentary about how farm animals are treated, my appetite for eating dead animals disappeared almost immediately.
When I talk to people who aren’t into healthy eating, especially those who love to eat beef, ham, and bacon, I always hear the same two concerns. 1.) They can’t imagine that a healthy diet, especially one that is vegetarian, could taste good. 2.) They can’t imagine that you can fulfill all of your body’s protein needs with a vegetarian diet.
The truth is that a healthy diet, even one that is 100% vegetarian, can be more satisfying than a junk food diet. Once your body adjusts to a healthy diet, salty, sugary, and greasy foods will disgust you. And as far as fulfilling your body’s need for protein, plant foods are generally abundant in protein. You can see examples in this article: Ultimate Healthy Lunch.
My favorite meat and egg replacement is tofu, which is made from soybeans. Soy is considered to be the perfect protein by many nutrition experts. Soy is high in protein, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and fiber.
So it goes without saying that the main ingredient in my vegetarian breakfast recipe is once again – drum roll – tofu! Unlike my Spicy Tofu Scramble recipe, in this one I leave out the eggs, switch the rice type to jasmine, and add a few new ingredients that liven it up, make it heartier, and boost its health benefits. The result is a 100% vegetarian breakfast.
The new ingredients are yams and/or sweet potatoes, chili pepper (various options), powdered red pepper (cayenne), and “jasmine” whole-grain brown rice. Each of these has many health benefits that are too numerous to list here.
All the accompanying food and beverage items that complete my breakfast are the same as those in my ideal healthy breakfast recipe. I’ve named this recipe Veggie Delight Breakfast. Here it is.
Length – Please don’t let the length and details of this recipe overwhelm you. In a few days or weeks, making it will become second nature and you’ll get it done in about 15 minutes or less.
Veggie Delight Breakfast – Recipe
Download recipe below.
Ingredients (1 serving)
- 5 oz. extra firm tofu block, drained and diced.
- 1/3 cup pre-cooked “jasmine” whole-grain brown rice.
- 1/4 cup pre-cooked chopped spinach.
- 1/4 cup of diced yams and/or sweet potatoes.
- 1/8 cup of diced pasilla, poblano, anaheim, or jalapeño chili pepper.
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder or other low or non-sodium (salt) seasoning.
- 1/8 teaspoon powdered red pepper (cayenne) or similar seasoning.
- 1/2 diced small (Hass) avocado.
- 5-7 (based on size) cherry or grape tomatoes.
Equipment
- Microwave oven. Used for speed, easy cleanup, and to avoid frying.
- Medium size (deep & 6-8” wide) microwave-safe bowl.
- Microwave-safe cover. (I use a plate.)
- Heat protection pads or gloves.
- Medium size kitchen knife.
Preparation
- Tofu usually comes in 14-16 oz. blocks packaged in a tub filled with water. Using a knife, cut an opening in the plastic covering along one side of the tub and discard the water.
- Completely remove the plastic cover. Cut the tofu block into thirds to get three pieces. Place one of the pieces into a medium size (deep & 6-8” wide) microwave-safe bowl. Put the remaining tofu into a storage container, cover it with filtered water, and refrigerate. To keep the tofu fresh, change the water every day or as you use it—as I do. Dice the tofu: First, slice it into 3-4 strips. Turn it on its side and do the same. Then cut it in the other direction across the strips so you end up with a bunch of 1/2”–1/4” cubes.
- Add 1/4 cup of diced yams and/or sweet potatoes.
- Add 1/8 cup of diced pasilla, poblano, anaheim, or jalapeño chili pepper. Important: Remove seeds and membranes before dicing, as very hot.
- Mix the yams, chili pepper, and tofu.
- Cover the bowl with a microwave-safe cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 minutes.
- Using heat protection pads, remove the bowl from the microwave.
- Push the cover (a plate works best) slightly to one side of the bowl to create a tiny opening. Using heat protection pads, firmly grasp the bowl and cover it, and then carefully rotate it toward the opening until the water from the tofu begins to drain. Shake up and down to encourage thorough draining. Reverse the process by creating an opening on the opposite side and then drain again.
- Add 1/3 cup of pre-cooked “jasmine” whole-grain brown rice.
- Add 1/4 cup of pre-cooked chopped spinach.
- Mix ingredients thoroughly.
- Cover the bowl and microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes.
- Drain in the same manner described above. Little or no liquid should drain out.
- Add 1/4 teaspoon chili powder or other low or non-sodium (salt) seasoning.
- Add 1/8 teaspoon powdered red pepper (cayenne) or similar seasoning.
- Mix in seasonings.
- Add 1/2 diced small avocado on top.
- Add 5-7 (based on size) cherry or grape tomatoes on top.
Details
You don’t have to measure each ingredient exactly or include every item. If there are ingredients that you like or don’t like, increase, reduce, or eliminate them. However, I encourage you not to remove ingredients simply because you’ve never eaten this particular combination of foods before. Be bold! Try it!
Draining is necessary because tofu has a high water content. There is also some water in spinach. Although it’s a bit of a hassle, draining it well makes the recipe much better by preventing it from being watery.
For expediency, I make a 5-7 day supply of brown rice and chopped spinach in advance. Doing it in the way that I will explain takes minimal effort.
I buy 32 oz. bags of uncooked “jasmine” whole-grain brown rice. To keep it fresh, I only cook one cup at a time in a rice cooker. It takes about 35-40 minutes and yields 2 1/4 cups of cooked rice. My rice cooker automatically switches from cooking to warming when it’s done. To allow for the additional cooking I’ll do later when preparing this recipe, I put the rice into a storage container and refrigerate it as soon as it’s done.
I used to buy frozen precooked brown rice for these recipes until I discovered “jasmine” brown rice. It tastes better, and it’s less expensive. To me, it smells like freshly cooked buttered popcorn, especially when it’s cold.
I buy 16 oz. bags of frozen chopped spinach. I cook 1/3 of the bag in the microwave for 1 minute less than the instructions say, to account for the additional cooking I’ll be doing when I make this recipe.
Once I add the brown rice and chopped spinach to the recipe, I microwave it for 1 1/2 minutes rather than 1 minute to account for the fact that it is usually cold from refrigeration and is mixed in with the other ingredients.
You can adjust the seasonings to make the recipe match your favorite flavors. One word of caution, though. It’s easy to overlook the high sodium (salt) levels in many seasonings. For example, most hot sauces are high in sodium. That’s why I use chili powder instead. It’s low in sodium and doesn’t make the recipe watery.
Recipe Download
Get a copy here: Veggie Delight Breakfast – Recipe
To your health and fitness.