Vegan Practically

Yesterday I saw a Time magazine article that recommended veggies for breakfast. I don’t normally love stories of the “you should eat this” variety, but this one got me thinking because in general, savoury breakfast is not typical for me since becoming vegan. I used to really like eggs and potatoes back in the day. But now I’m much more likely to reach for oatmeal with fruit and brown sugar — my go-to breakfast on a weekday. On the weekend I might make a breakfast sandwich with Just Egg, and when I go out I’ll get avocado toast. But even in those cases, just because it’s savoury doesn’t mean it’s loaded with veggies. The Time article suggested that eating veggies before carbs is good for your blood sugar. Ideally, it said, you’d have half the plate with veggies, and then 25% carbs and 25% protein.

But let’s face it, most of the time, vegan or not, vegetables aren’t the main event for breakfast. If you go the pancake or waffle route, it’ll have fruit if it has anything. That got me thinking about what veg-heavy breakfasts might be out there. I mean, of course I know about tofu scramble. But even if I add some broccoli or spinach (which I often do), it’s more tofu than veggies unless I serve it with a side of fried mushrooms or grilled tomatoes. And my explorations landed me on this “Healthy Vegetable Pancake” from BVT: Veganizing Indian Recipes for You.

The pancake looked so good that I had to make it for lunch. It’s quick and easy to make. You prep your veggies, slicing up some carrots, onions, and red peppers into thin strips (I also added broccoli to mine), then mix it all up with chickpea flour, some spices (which you can improvise to your liking and taste), and water to make a batter loaded with the veggies. Then you fry it in a pan (of course, it’s a pancake!). From start to finish it takes about 20-25 minutes to make a thick and delicious pancake.

Anjali recommends serving it with her mint coriander chutney or some soy sauce. I went with the soy sauce and some sambal olek (my favourite everyday hot sauce). The recipe makes 2-3 servings and I have plenty left over for at least one more meal — maybe breakfast, though it makes a darn good lunch.

Do you have any savoury, vegetable-packed vegan breakfasts in your repertoire? If so, please let me know what they are!

Bon Appétit!