4 Low Carb Vegan Breakfast Ideas [High-Protein & Low Glycemic]
Are you hungry or rather hangry only two hours
after you've had your sweet smoothie or oatmeal with dried fruits, bananas and peanut butter?
Most probably you'll grab for something sweet or a coffee to get rid of the shakiness and the
cycle continues. When it comes to balanced blood sugar levels throughout the day, breakfast
becomes crucial. Once you choose a meal that triggers a blood sugar roller coaster, you won't
be able to get off board for the rest of the day. Believe me, I've been there many times!
Besides, people also tend to eat more of a sweet breakfast as opposed to savoury one as it
takes longer to feel satiated.
And it's likely you're addicted to sweet taste if you need
to start off your day having something sweet in your mouth. High-carb sweet breakfast can
also influence how well you sleep at night. Fascinating, isn't it? What should you be eating
then? A healthy blood sugar balancing breakfast is mainly made of fibre, fat and protein. And
it is savoury or only subtly sweet. Think of the sweetness of wild blueberries. They're almost sour
right? In this video I'll be making four kinds of low glycemic plant-based breakfasts. So, let's
get on with it! Starting with these delicious sandwiches with avocado mash and the rest of
the goodies. First, mash half an avocado with fork (this is the healthy fat part of the meal),
drizzle on some lemon juice (about a teaspoon). Then garlic powder, turmeric, I
also added some horseradish powder, black or regular salt.
And then mix it all
up. Spread the avo mash on two slices of whole grain sourdough bread — either store bought or
homemade. I'm using my buckwheat-quinoa bread. It counts as both fibre and protein. I
personally am in love with fermented tofu for its texture and flavour. And we have both fat and
protein. By all means, add as much as you can fit. You might use any tofu, tempeh, edamame or even
seitan instead.
Here come the extras — kimchi for tanginess and microgreens for further nutritional
boost. And it's ready for savouring! Next up is scrambled tofu plate. We start with
preparing the scrambled tofu. Take an extra firm tofu bar and scramble it with your hands.
It will take some time, but you'll get there. You might also use a food processor if this is
what you prefer. Here we go! And now let's add the spices — turmeric, smoked paprika, black salt,
and garlic powder. Incorporate everything well. Throwing in some sun-dried tomatoes. I used
dry ones that I soaked in water beforehand. If yours are preserved in oil, rinse
them thoroughly under hot water. Okay, and now we are ready to cook. Sauté a
chopped onion with two tablespoons of water for a few minutes until the onion becomes
translucent. Then add the tofu mix into the pot and add some more water. Stir and simmer
covered until everything is heated through. Mix in some chopped greens like wild garlic,
parsley, green onions or coriander.
If you'd like to go for kale or baby spinach, add it together
with the tofu mix and heat for a few minutes. OK, let's assemble our breakfast plate. Adding
some scrambled tofu, shredded red cabbage for extra nutritional boost and antioxidants, and
a slice of whole grain sourdough bread with avocado spread. We've got tofu for fat and
protein, bread for fibre as well as protein, and avocado for healthy fats. It wouldn't hurt
to add some sprouts or micro greens as well. Bon appetite! The third breakfast is my absolute
favourite at the moment. You don't need to cook anything, not even ahead, don't need any special
equipment, just a bowl and a spoon suffice. It's really a mix and go! Also, it's grain-free
and seems to keep me satiated the longest. I start with thawing a cup of wild blueberries.
I must admit I use microwave oven, but you can also put them in the fridge the night
before. Also, I prefer to mash them up a little to get puree like consistency.
While the berries are thawing, in a bowl, I mix together the rest of the ingredients —
ground flaxseeds and chia seeds for fat and fibre, mesquite or Peruvian carob powder for subtle
sweetness (it's quite fibrous as well), pumpkin seed protein powder for well…
Protein. Use
any preferred defatted nut or seed powder/flour. I add a bit of cardamom too, because together with
blueberries they significantly increase natural killer cell activity. Now, adding any plant milk
of preference. I vary between oat and soy milk. Pour in enough for desired consistency
and add it gradually to be able to adjust. Soy yogurt will make it creamier
and will add extra protein as well. Use any unsweetened plant yogurt you like,
but remember that soy and nut-based ones have more fat and protein whereas grain based
contain more sugars. Mix it all up. Looking so yummy already! Add more milk if necessary, in
other words, adjust to your liking.
And now the magic happens by mixing in the blueberry puree.
You'll get the most gorgeous colour imaginable! You may disagree of course, but that's me. Topping
it off with some more healthy fats. Alternating between pumpkin, sunflower, and hemp seeds. By the
way, I soak and dehydrate pumpkin and sunflower seeds before consuming to make them easier to
digest and the micronutrients more absorbable. On another note, you could also use an immersion
blender or a regular one to process everything at once. Lately I've been also adding baby spinach,
parsley and micro greens blending them with thawed blueberries and plant milk first and then
adding the dry ingredients along with yogurt. It's a true bliss every morning after my
walk.
And last but not least let's compile a truly wholesome breakfast Buddha bowl. Cook
the buckwheat and edamame beans ahead. Make a bigger batch to last for at least for a few days
so that you can save time in the morning. I like to prepare my buckwheat or any other grains
really with a bay leaf and some kombu seaweed. The former makes grains and legumes easier to
digest and the latter adds an extra nutritional boost in the form of iodine.
And now it
simply comes down to assembling the bowl. Starting with cooked buckwheat for fibre and
protein, edamame beans for fat, fibre and protein, which by the way have a glycemic load so low
that you wouldn't be able to eat enough to mess with your blood sugar. Miso-tahini dressing the
recipe of which you'll find in the description. Next, shredded red cabbage and arugula for
extra micronutrients. Mix it up or don't, it's up to you. I prefer it well combined. Of
course, you're free to substitute buckwheat with any other grains like quinoa, sorghum, teff,
brown rice, millet, barley, or even spelt berries. As it's wild garlic season I throw in a
dollop of my wild garlic pesto as well. And oh yes, I entirely forgot about avocado —
the healthy fats of the meal. Everything we've made today, besides the blueberry bowl, would
also make an excellent brunch, lunch or dinner. In fact, I like to have those sandwiches for
lunch. And you can have a smaller berry bowl as dessert using any berries you like — raspberries,
strawberries, blackberries and whatnot.
