Torta Sbrisolona

Back in 2011, I made a Torta Sbrisolona, and we really liked it. It was supposedly a dessert, but we treated it more like a sweet bread - one that you might eat for breakfast or with tea or in a cafe. Again, it was another recipe that used animal products, so I no longer could eat it. Given that the remaining child at home had the same exact complaints (it has nuts and is crunchy), but the adults loved it, I'd say my vegan version is a success!

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp ground flax meal
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup medium yellow cornmeal (I used Bob's Red Mill medium cornmeal)
2/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal (I used Alber's cornmeal)
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup caster sugar or baker's sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 cup vegan butter, cubed, plus extra for greasing
sifted icing or powdered sugar for dusting


Directions:

1. Whisk the 3 tablespoons flax meal with 1/2 cup water and 1 tablespoon vanilla. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 350ºF and grease a 10 in round or square cake pan. 
3. In a very large mixing bowl (minimum 6 quarts, bigger is better), combine the plain wheat flour, the two cornmeals, plus the almonds, sugar and lemon zest.
4. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
5. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the flax and vanilla mixture. 
6. Give it a brief stir, then quickly finish working the dry ingredients into the wet using your hands to give a solid, pastry-like dough. Do not knead the dough; work it until it only just comes together.
7. Press the dough into the prepared pan to no more than 1" - 1 1/2" depth. Smooth the surface over a little but leave it dimpled as this will enhance the crumbly texture. 
8. Bake for 35-45 minutes until the top is just starting to brown. 
9. Leave the cake to cool in the pan. 
10. Dust with sifted icing sugar and break into chunks to serve.

Other details:

• Serves 8-12.
• This cake is traditionally smashed in the center to be devoured in crumbling chunks with sticky wines or grappa.
• Hazelnuts are sometimes used in place of, or in conjunction with, the almonds.

Zucchini Bread

Years and years ago, probably close to two decades in fact, I needed a zucchini bread recipe because someone had grown zucchini and gifted me with more than any person should have. I found this recipe, probably via Allrecipes.com because many of our recipes from that stage of our life did. This one was called "Zucchini Bread IV." I probably found some other recipes, too. This one is fairly easy to make with usually baking items in a well-stocked kitchen. You will note there are walnuts. Below, I show two loaves - a taller one without walnuts (because my Longaberger bread pan makes that shape) and a shorter one with walnuts (because my Bolesławiec bread pan, care of the "Babe collection," makes that shape). My children do not like nuts in their bread, so I made them one loaf without nuts. Conveniently, this recipe makes two loaves, so I simply stirred walnuts into the batter after pouring both pans.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all purpose flour
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325o. 
2. Grease and flour two 8x4” loaf pans. 
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and frothy. 
4. Mix in oil and sugar. 
5. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. 
6. Combine flour, cinnamon, soda, baking powder, salt and nuts in a large bowl; then stir into the egg mixture. 
7. Divide batter into prepared pans. 
8. Bake for 60 to 70 min, or until done.

Notes:

• Serves 24.  
• 231  Calories per slice.

Snickers Bar Oatmeal

Super yum! You need to plan the night ahead so that you can freeze the tablespoon of agave. 

Ingredients:
½ cup dry rolled oats 
3/4 cup water
2 Tbsp vanilla almond milk 
2 Tbsp cocoa powder 
1 Tbsp agave nectar FROZEN 
1 Tbsp peanuts 

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil. 
2. Stir in oats and cook until you have oatmeal at the consistency you prefer. 
3. Turn off heat and stir in a splash or two of milk to cream it up. 
4. Add cocoa powder, stirring to combine. 
5. Transfer to your serving bowl and swirl in frozen agave nectar. 
6. Top with peanuts and serve.

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Per serving: 296 calories, 9g fat, 51.3g carbs, 9.3g fiber, 16g sugars, 9.8g protein

Cinnamon Buns

"Land of Nod" Cinnamon Buns. My daughter made these several times over her high school years to bring to classes as snacks and treats. They were always popular.

Ingredients:
20 Frozen Dough Rolls
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vanilla instant pudding
1-2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:

1. Spray a 10" Bundt pan withi cooking spray.
2. Add frozen rolls.
3. Sprinkle with brown sugar, pudding powder, and cinnamon.
4. Pour melted butter over everything.
5. Cover with a damp tea cloth, and leave out at room temperature overnight.
6. When ready in the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Remove cloth, put the Bundt pan with rolls in the oven.
8. Bake 25 minutes.
9. Let sit 5 minutes, and invert on a plate.

Paradise Breakfast Burritos

I decided to make my own breakfast burritos based upon the Sin City Breakfast Tacos. We still make "crispies" and our own fried potatoes for other things on occasion. Paradise Breakfast Burritos have fresh-made tortillas and are vegan. Paradise would also be someone else making them for you and cleaning them up, or at least it's paradise when you share them.

Ingredients:
Tortillas
1 cup whole wheat flour + additional to form

2 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup water
salt
Crispies
corn tortillas, sliced into strips

Filling
canola oil
1 large potato, peeled and diced
1 large tomato, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
30 oz tofu, pressed and crumbled
1 tsp turmeric
2-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
salt
pepper


Directions:
Tortillas

1. Mix all the tortilla ingredients together in a bowl until combined in a large ball. Add a tad more water if the dough is too dry. 
2. Divide into 4 smaller balls. Use additional flour on your hands to keep the dough from sticking to them.
3. Sprinkle some flour on a flat surface and place the first ball on it.
4. Flatten the ball using your hand.
5. Then use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a thin circle, about 6-8" in diameter.
6. Heat a large pan over high heat. Once hot, place first tortilla in the pan. Watch for it to puff up, about a minute or so. Using tongs or heat-resistant fingers, flip the tortilla. Watch for more puffing.
7. Remove from pan.
8. Repeat steps 3-7 for all balls.

Crispies

1. In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a nonstick pan on medium heat.
2. Fry the corn tortilla strips until crispy. 
3. Put aside on a plate lined with a paper towel. 

Filling

1. To the same pan, add 2 more tablespoons of oil and heat (if necessary).
2. Fry the potatoes until soft but not crispy.
3. Add salt and pepper. 
4. Scoop the potatoes to a plate lined with a paper towel. 
5. If necessary, add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the same pan and heat.
6. Add onion and tomato, and cook until onions are translucent.
7. Add crumbled tofu, turmeric, nutritional yeast, and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Stir to combine well, then continue to cook over medium-high heat until thoroughly warm.

Paradise Burritos

1. Combine crispies, 1/4 fried potatoes, and 1/4 tofu mixture on a fresh tortilla. 
2. Fold in half for a soft taco or wrap for a burrito.

Notes:

• Serves 4.
• Approximately, 370 calories per serving.
• Tortilla recipe adapted from Hurry the Food Up.
• For the filling, you can make any Tofu Scramble you like. 

Maple Peanut Butter Pancakes

By now it is probably obvious our love of pancakes. When Veg News covered these, I had to make them. These pack a super flavorful punch. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup oat flour
3/4 cup gluten-free 1:1 flour blend
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups vanilla almond milk
1/3 cup maple syrup 
1/4 cup peanut butter, just smashed peanuts
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
cooking spray

Directions:

1. Whisk the flours, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together he milk, syrup, peanut butter, vinegar, and vanilla.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until combined.
4. Heat pan or griddle over medium heat.
5. Spray with cooking spray.
6. Scoop the batter in your preferred amounts (1/3 cup or less) onto the pan and cook until bottom is golden and stable.
7. Flip and cook until both sides are golden brown and center is cooked.
8. Repeat with the remaining batter, taking care to re-spray the pan between pancakes.

Notes:

• You can sub all-purpose flour for the gluten free flour blend at a 1:1 ratio.

Ebelskiver (Danish Filled Pancake)

We've been having Aebelskivers for a long, long time. On the theme of making things I loved prior to becoming vegan something I will eat now, I found a vegan Ebelskiver recipe. 

The top photo shows some of the fillings I used this time around: strawberry jam, peanut butter, blueberries, dark chocolate chips, and the pumpkin cream cheese filling from the recipe linked above. I topped with powdered sugar, maple syrup, and soy whip.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp ground flax seed 
3 Tbsp water
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups vanilla almond milk 
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp agave
4 Tbsp vegan butter, melted
1 Tbsp vanilla
cooking spray

Directions:
Making Batter

1. Prepare the flax egg by whisking the ground flax seed in the water and set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2. Warm your Ebelskivar pan over medium or medium-low heat.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the milk and lemon juice. Let sit for a few minutes. Whisk again, add the agave, butter, and vanilla, and combine.
5. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the flax egg, whisking to combine.

Making and Cooking the Ebelskivers

1. Spray the pan with cooking spray. If it turns brown, your pan is too hot. Lower the heat if need be.
2. Fill each well half-full with batter.
3. Add 1 teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon of filling to the batter, then fill remaining well with batter. Be quick!
4. Cook until the sides are golden brown and the top is bubbling (like regular pancakes.) It takes a couple minutes.
5. Turn the ebeskivers over using special turning tools, two spoons, two chopsticks, or another device. Cook through. 
6. Remove from pan, cover with toppings, and serve!

Notes:

• Makes about 27 (just shy of 3 servings in my house).
• You need an Ebelskiver pan to make these. 

Chunky Cinnamon Bites with Cream Cheese Icing

I don't recall where I got the recipe I made in 2011, but it was easy and a keeper. I've been working towards making the stuff I love vegan. I've renamed this because, like the first time, it doesn't really hold together well, so you don't need to pull it apart. The bites pull apart, though. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
16 oz refrigerated biscuits 
1/2 cup Earth Balance, melted and divided

4 oz Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1/2 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp almond milk

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350.
2. Separate biscuit dough into individual biscuits and cut each one into quarters.
3. Mix cinnamon and sugar in a gallon zipper bag. Shake dough quarters in the cinnamon sugar by batches, until coated.
4. Place half the biscuits in a greased 12-cup Bundt pan.
5. Drizzle with half the melted butter (1/4 cup).
6. Top with remaining biscuit quarters, and the remaining melted butter.
7. Top off the unbaked biscuit pile with remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.
8. Bake 40-45 minutes or until golden.
9. While letting the cinnamon bites sit for 5 minutes in the bundt pan, make the icing.
10. Icing: Beat softened cream cheese and powdered sugar until well blended. For a more tangy icing, use closer to 1/2 cup powdered sugar. For a sweeter icing, use 3/4 cup or more powdered sugar. 
11. Add 1-2 Tbsp milk as necessary, beating until desired consistency is reached.
12. Invert the bundt pan with cinnamon bites onto a plate. 
13. Drizzle the icing over the warm loaf.

Notes:

• I used Immaculate biscuits, as seen in the photo. 

Vegan Finnish Oven Pancakes

As adults, we often have to change our diets from the foods of our childhood. But those will always be precious to us. When I went vegan, I thought I would not be eating Finnish Oven Pancakes again. I was thrilled to find a vegan pannukakku recipe. It isn't quite the same consistency, but it is close. And the sweetness and flavor is pretty close. I've modified some of it to be more similar to the Finnish Oven Pancakes my mom made and I grew up eating. 

Ingredients:
3/4 cup silken tofu (soft)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cups vanilla almond milk
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla 
cinnamon-sugar mix 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450^o degrees.
2. Spray a 9 x 13 baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place tofu, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process until smooth.
4. Slowly add milk while the processor is running.
5. Add the flour all at once then pulse a few times to combine.
6. Add melted coconut oil and vanilla. Pulse once more.
7. Pour batter on the baking sheet, being sure it is evenly spread.
8. Bake for 30 minutes until golden.
9. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mix over the top.
10. Serve with maple syrup and your desired toppings.

Notes:

• Makes 4 slices (which is really 2 servings.)

Irish Soda Bread in a Mug

For St. Patrick's Day, serve yourself a treat: Irish Soda Bread for breakfast. This bread doesn't get crusty in the microwave, although maybe you could bake it to make it so. I also removed the raisins, which is probably a definitive component of Irish Soda Bread. But, raisins ruin everything. I got this recipe from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor.

Ingredients:
¼ cup (2-oz) almond milk 
1 tbsp white vinegar 
1 cup oat flour 
2 tbsp raw sugar 
1 tsp baking powder 
½ tsp baking soda
pinch salt 
1 cup applesauce 
12-oz yogurt 
¼ cup jam, flavor of your choice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, whisk milk with vinegar so it curdles. Set aside. 
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk oat flour, raw sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and a tiny pinch of salt. 
3. Stir in milk mixture and applesauce.  
4. Spoon batter into 4 microwave-safe mugs and microwave each separately for 90 seconds, or until firm. 
5. Top with a dollop of yogurt and jam. 
6. Eat remaining yogurt on the side.

Notes:
Serves 4
Per serving: 274 calories, 2.7g fat, 54.4g carbs, 3.4g fiber, 33.4g sugars, 8.0g protein

If you want the raisins, you can add 1/4 cup raisins after the applesauce step.

Maple Cinnamon Rolls

Off the bat, nothing compares to Preston Rolls (original and vegan.) But, if you need something a little easier to make - like so much easier and less pressing, these fit the bill. They are also a different type of cinnamon roll. 

These should be served warm and as fresh out of the oven as possible. You can do most of the prep the night before and finish putting the rolls together and baking the next day - or a couple days down the road if you have a lot of baking/cooking ahead of you. It is okay to freeze these as well. 

Ingredients:

1 quart almond milk

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets

8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour

1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder

1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt

additional flour

1/2 lbs (2 sticks) Earth Balance

1.5 - 2 cups sugar

cinnamon

Maple Frosting

2 lbs powdered sugar

2 teaspoons Maple Extract

1/2 cup almond milk

1/4 cup brewed coffee

1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Mix the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a pan. Heat until steaming heavily. Turn off heat and leave to cool to lukewarm, 30 - 60 minutes.
2. Once mixture is lukewarm, transfer to a mixing bowl. Add both packages of Active Dry Yeast across the top. (Not a single pile.) Let this sit for a minute. 
3. Add 8 cups of all-purpose flour, slowly. Stir mixture together.  For first 4-5 cups, use regular mixing arm. Use dough hook once dough starts for form. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.
4. After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir mixture together. (At this point, you could cover the dough and refrigerate until you need it. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).
5. To prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. 
6. Take half the dough and place on floured surface. Roll the dough in a rectangular shape (longer side nearest you) and thinning the dough. 
7. Drizzle 1 stick or so melted butter over the dough. Then sprinkle 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar over the Earth Balance followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
8. Roll the dough lengthwise on the long side of the rectangle (so you have a long roll of buns rather than a short and very fat stick.)
9. Use cooking spray or extra Earth Balance to grease pans. Cut the rolls approximately 1 inch thick and place in the buttered pans.
10. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for about 30 minutes, then bake at 375 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Check often.
11. For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. Viscosity will vary. Thicker is better, as long as it pours. Taste and adjust as needed. Pour over the rolls.

Notes:

• You can also add other fillings, such as chocolate chunks or caramel. 
• You could also line your baking pans with foil, and turn them upside down after the frosting has soaked in. This creates more of a sticky bun feel.

Scotch Oat Cake with Broiled Brown Sugar Topping (vegan)

Where to put this? It's cake, so that implies dessert. But, it's like a coffee cake in that you would serve this crumbly confection with coffee. Does that mean it's breakfast or bread? I'll keep it as a dessert. 

I based this off a cake I made several years ago. I made the recipe vegan, and I altered some of the ratios. Very tasty. I brought it to work so that I would not eat the entire thing myself. Nearly every person I gave a piece to said how good it is. 

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup apple juice
2/3 cup Scotch oats or steel-cut oats or bulgur wheat
1 2/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup brown sugar or raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:
3 tablespoons vegan stick butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the apple juice to a boil, then add the oats or bulgur. Return to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool, uncovered. 
2. In a medium bowl, mix lemon juice with almond milk. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Oil a 9-inch square baking dish.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt. 
5. In the medium bowl add oil, vanilla, and oat mixture to the milk mixture. 
6. Mix into the dry ingredients, stirring until well mixed. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. 
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. While the cake bakes, make the topping. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, vanilla, brown sugar, salt, and walnuts. When the cake is done, place it on a cooling rack. 
9. Turn the oven to broil, and put a rack 4 to 5 inches from the heat. Drop spoonfuls of the brown sugar topping over the cake, spreading it gently and leaving 1/2 inch bare around the edges. 
10. Broil with the door open, watching closely, just a minute. When the topping is bubbling and melted, take it out to cool. 
11. Serve warm, after the topping has set.

Other details:

• Serves 8 

Sweet Potato Breakfast Mash

This is one of my new favorite breakfasts. I've been eating it regularly for about 8 months now, but it seems like a great holiday season breakfast to share. The photo doesn't do it justice. You can prepare it to order, or ahead of time, and serve warm or cold. Often, I make it ahead of time, so it all coalesces in flavor, and then microwave it to serve warm. I got this from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor Big Breakfast Book. 

Ingredients:
1 sweet potato, cooked 
¼ cup applesauce 
ground cinnamon 
4 tsp brown sugar 
1 tbsp chopped pecans 

Directions:

1. If you haven't cooked the sweet potato yet, do so.
2. Mash potato in a bowl and mix with applesauce. 
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar then garnish with pecans.

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Per serving: 282 calories, 4.8g fat, 58.6g carbs, 6.2g fiber, 36.3g sugars, 5.3g protein
• You can add raisins.
• You can sub peanuts for pecans.

Spiced Vanilla Baked Oatmeal

I am loving baked oatmeal dishes. I first learned about them from Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. This one is a great breakfast any time of the year, but tasty in the fall.

Ingredients:
6 tbsp dry rolled oats 
2 tbsp flour 
¼ tsp baking powder 
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 
dash of ground cardamom 
dash of ground allspice or cloves 
½ cup unsweetened almond milk 
1 tbsp maple syrup 
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F 
2. In a bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, and spices. 
3. Stir in milk, maple syrup, and vanilla, mixing until well combined. 
4. Transfer batter to a ramekin or ovensafe dish. 
5. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until firm.

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Approximately 250 calories

Baby Churros

Breakfast or Dessert! I made these Baby Churros several times. They could stand to be crispier, since churros have a crispy fried outside with a soft inside. But, if you're craving churros, this is a pretty quick and easy recipe to put together.

Ingredients:
1¾ cups flour 
2 tsp ground cinnamon 
¼ tsp baking powder 
¼ tsp salt 
5 tbsp pure maple syrup 
3 tbsp unsweetened almond milk 
1 tbsp raw sugar 
¼ cup applesauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 
2. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. 
3. Make a well in the middle and stir in maple, milk, and sugar into flour mixture and mix well. 
4. Add applesauce, stirring to combine. 
5. Take about 1½-tsp of dough and shape into little elongated ball. 
6. Place the ball on baking sheet and repeat until you have used up all the dough. 
7. Sprinkle churros with additional cinnamon and sugar. 
8. Bake 11-12 minutes, or until churros are golden and bounce back slightly to the touch.

Notes:

• Makes about 20 churros. 
• 5 churros/serving

Sweet Potato Sundae

It was strawberry season when I made this, so I used sliced strawberries. You can really use any sliced fruit that strikes your fancy: bananas, strawberries, other whole berries, even sliced pears, peaches, and apples. I like it as a fall dish, just because I think of sweet potatoes as a fall item. I suggest trying it when the fruit is in season since you can get sweet potatoes any time of the year. This recipe has been modified from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor.

Ingredients:
1 baked sweet potato 
1 tsp ground cinnamon 
1¼ tbsp pure maple syrup 
3 oz vegan yogurt (plain or vanilla) 
½ cup sliced fruit

Directions:

1. Smash potato in a bowl or cut in half. 
2. Sprinkle with generously with cinnamon and drizzle with maple. 
3. Top with yogurt and fruit.

Chocolate French Toast

This was a big hit! Mmmmmm! I modified this recipe from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor.

Ingredients:
8 oz Mori-Nu silken tofu
¾ cup (6-oz) soy or almond milk 
1 tsp agave syrup
1 tbsp peanut butter 
2 tbsp cocoa powder 
8 slices bread (a little thicker is better) 
¼ cup chocolate chips or chunks
2 tbsp finely chopped peanuts

Directions:

1. In a blender, combine tofue, milk, agave, peanut butter, and cocoa powder. 
2. Puree until smooth, adding more milk if needed.  
3. Transfer mixture to a shallow bowl. 
4. Dip bread slices into mixture.
5. Heat a nonstick skillet and cook a few minutes on each side or until warm and crisping. 
6. Top with chips and nuts.

Notes:

• Serves 4.
• These can also be baked. Bake at 400 F on a parchment-lined baking sheet, 7 minutes each side.

Strawberry Shortcake Polenta

This is another breakfast that could be dessert, depending on your sweet tooth. The original recipe for the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor served 4, but I made it serve 2. 

Ingredients:
1-18 oz tube Polenta
5 oz strawberries, sliced
6 oz yogurt
maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cut polenta into 1/2" rounds.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden in color and crisp (no need to flip.)
5. Top each polenta with strawberry slices and a dollop of cold yogurt.
6. Drizzle with maple syrup.

Notes:

• Serves 2. To serve 4, double recipe.
• Per serving: 262 calories, 1.3g fat, 49.8g carbs, 4.0g fiber, 12.1g sugargs, 10.4g protein
• You can use frozen strawberries instead of fresh for a winter breakfast. In that case, warm the strawberries on the stove or in the microwave before adding to polenta.
• You could add more fruit or nuts to this. 

Chocolate Lover's Quinoa

Quite frankly, there is no reason this shouldn't be a dessert. I'm serious. If you aren't a big "sweet breakfast" eater, but you like out-of-the-ordinary desserts, this would be a good one. This breakfast came to me from the Happy Herbivore Meal Mentor. I've changed some of the directions because it took me a whole cup of quinoa, ie 4 tries, to get the quinoa cooked without a problem.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup dry quinoa
1/2 cup (4 oz) almond milk (or other milk)
1 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp chocolate chips
1 cup strawberries

Directions:

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine quinoa with milk.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low, cover partially, and cook until quinoa is fluffy, about 15 minutes.
3. While quinoa is still hot, stir in cocoa powder, maple syrup, and vanilla until well combined.
4. Add chocolate chips. When they start to melt, swirl in.
5. Serve with strawberries on top or on the side.

Notes:

• Serves 1
• Per serving: 295 calories, 7.1 g fat, 52.5 g carbs, 7.8 g fiber, 17.6 g sugars, 8.5 g protein
• I recommend fresh strawberries, but you can use frozen and thaw them before serving.
• You can add more chocolate chips or nuts, too.