5-Minute Blueberry Pancakes

Breakfast again! I figure that after posting my all time favorite savory breakfast recipe a few weeks ago, it's a good time to complete the circle and post my all time favorite sweet breakfast recipe. While this recipe may not boast the variety of healthy vegetables present in tofu scramble, it does hold up pretty well as a not only delicious, but remarkably heathy breakfast option. That and it takes 5 minutes to make. Seriously, 5 minutes. I promise!

I make these pancakes with whole wheat flour, mostly because for some reason, in this dish you really can't tell that they are whole wheat, so why not? There are 8 ingredients. Mix together the dry ones first:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

Once these are blended up, add the wet ingredients:

1 cup soymilk (vanilla, original or unsweetened, I've done them all)

2 Tbsp. canola oil

Mix well to combine then stir in 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries. Cook pancakes in a medium-hot griddle sprayed with nonstick spray. I like to sprinkle each side with a bit of cinnamon for extra flavor.

This recipe is fairly small and makes about 6 large or 8 small pancakes (perfect for two very hungry people). The baking powder allows them to rise very nicely and creates a thick, fluffy pancake. The sweet and tangy flavor of the blueberries gives the pancakes a sweet, rich flavor with only 1 Tbsp. of added sugar. Even I, a self-proclaimed condiment addict, don't have to use that much syrup on these pancakes. The flavors stand on their own and the moisture of the blueberries goes a long way.

So the next time you want an extra special breakfast, or a leisurely brunch, or the perfect item to whip up in no time for house guests, try these blueberry pancakes. I promise you won't be disappointed.

P.S. I feel that I say this quite often, but this is another recipe J and I like to take camping. In fact, I don't think we have ever had a camping trip that did not include these pancakes. I mix up the dry ingredients in a ziplock and pack the oil and soymilk in little plastic jars. In that case, we use dried blueberries rather than fresh and they work quite well. Nothing like a hot breakfast after a night of sleeping in a tent!

Tofu Scramble

Tofu Scramble. It's a dish that strikes fear into the heart of non-vegetarians everywhere. Honestly, I had never even heard of such a thing before I became vegan, so I don't really know what I would have thought, but ever since the first time I tried it, I have loved tofu scramble. Now, one of the main reasons I feel that my cholesterol got so out of hand when I was a young adult was because of my love for eggs. During my first couple of years living in tiny studio apartments in New York City, I don't think I can possibly count the number of nights when fried eggs on toast was my dinner. Or my breakfast. Or my leisurely brunch on a Saturday morning. It takes about 4 minutes to prepare, it's delicious, it's salty, it's filling. Honestly, it's not too bad for you nutritionally and so I thought I was doing a good thing by eating this meal so frequently. Better than a Big Mac and fries I figured. Needless to say, several years later when my doctor threatened to put me on Lipitor or something like it within a year if I could not lower my cholesterol, I looked back at those decisions with some regret.

Even later, as a vegan, I still crave the taste of eggs on toast. Frequently. Lucky for me there is something so delicious, so easy to prepare and SO healthy which more than satisfies my craving every time: tofu scramble!! If you have doubts about my claims, just look at the picture above (or below). Doesn't it look delicious?? Even sort of like scrambled eggs? Go on, give it a try. I've read a few different recipes for tofu scramble and eaten it at a handful of restaurants. This recipe pulls all of those experiences together into one perfect master recipe. The veggies I list here are my ideal combo, but you can adjust them to your liking...or more likely, adjust them to whatever you happen to have in your fridge when the inspiration strikes. Gather up the ingredients:

1 package extra firm tofu (Lite if you can find it)

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

10 cremini mushrooms, sliced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1-2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

salt and pepper to taste.

Start by draining and pressing your tofu. If you're new here, I explain in detail how to do this in this recipe here (which happens to be for another incredibly delicious tofu-based breakfast dish, Tofu Benedict). Crumble to tofu with your hands into a bowl and set aside. Chop your veggies and heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray and saute your onions and garlic for a couple minutes, then add peppers and mushrooms. Cook until the veggies are done to your liking, then add the crumbled tofu to the pan. Add all spices, and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the tofu is heated through and is bright yellow (thank you turmeric).

I find that this dish is best served with toast or bagels and with avocado and pico de gallo salsa. Sometimes I'll add a little hot sauce to my plate as well. I love this dish with all of my heart. It is pretty much a sure thing any time my husband and I have a lazy morning to sleep in and eat a big yummy breakfast. It also comes up quite frequently when we have overnight guests and I want to put out a nice spread. And I'm not ashamed to say that it makes it's way to the dinner table on more than a few occasions.

End note: the long vertical picture was taken by a good friend of mine who was visiting recently. She has a real camera (alas I'm still saving up) and snapped a few pictures of various things we ate that weekend. After a late first night catching up out on the town, we woke up the next day and made, what else? Tofu Scramble! Thanks, Holly, for the picture :)

Nutrition Facts: Serving = 1/3 of recipe. 133 calories; 3.2 g fat (0.1 sat); 0 mg cholesterol; 123 mg sodium; 13.7 g carbohydrate; 5.6 g fiber; 3.7 g sugars; 17.3 g protein; 110% vitamin A; 93% vitamin c; 29% calcium; 21% iron. If these nutrition facts seem too good to be true, welcome to the secret! This dish feels like a naughty (and large) breakfast but it's actually...like the healthiest thing ever. Feel free to eat a heaping serving and to indulge in some avocado and a bagel...you've got calories to spare!