Help me come up with vegetarian make-ahead breakfast ideas?

April 17, 2018 12:49 PM

I'm trying to reduce dairy and grains in my diet, while increasing fruit/vegetables/fiber/fermented foods. To give you an idea of my tastes, my favorite breakfast ideas so far are berry/almond/quinoa salad, and egg/veggie "muffins" with israeli side salad. Savory is good: I am not opposed to eating sauerkraut with breakfast. Difficulty level: microwave/slow cooker available, but no stove or stovetop.
posted by hungrytiger to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

Best answer: Ful medames is savory, fiber-y, protein-packed, and infinitely customizable. There are lots of different recipes online.

The Serious Eats piece says that canned fava beans are hard to find, but that's not my experience. There are several different brands, even, on my grocery store's shelf. No reason why you couldn't make it in a microwave or slow cooker (especially if you use dried beans).
posted by mudpuppie at 12:59 PM on April 17, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Do you mean reducing refined grains? The quinoa and "muffins" are giving me mixed messages. I sometimes put whole oats and various nuts in a plastic container with soy milk and stick it in the fridge over night. The nuts soften and the oats absorb most of the soy milk. Then I drop some berries and flaxseed on top. It's convenient for eating on the go. You could probably swap the oats with a more acceptable grain or something like chia seeds, if you prefer.
posted by cichlid ceilidh at 1:02 PM on April 17, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Warm greens makes a surprisingly good breakfast food. Heat up frozen spinach or leftover kale/collards/whatever, add salt and maybe some butter or hot sauce. Throw an egg on top if you want more calorie density.
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:04 PM on April 17, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: When I had a 2-hour commute to work, I survived by making and freezing breakfast burritos that I could eat on the bus. A microwave is perfect for making them. Here is one recipe but you know, you could throw whatever the hell you wanted into it as well as use something other than a tortilla for the wrap.
posted by Bella Donna at 1:04 PM on April 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Do as nebulawindphone suggests, cos you can totally poach an egg in the microwave! Throw it atop a salad or some reheated cooked greens, add a little dressing or hot sauce if you're so inclined, maybe add some nuts. Slice half an avocado to enjoy on the side if you feel decadent.
posted by halation at 1:07 PM on April 17, 2018

Best answer: Speaking of avocado: in hot weather, I love a simple avocado-and-fruit salad. Dice a mango, dice an avocado, and throw in some blackberries or raspberries, and it's breakfast! (Serves two if you're reasonable, and one if you're ravenous; you can pop the leftovers in the fridge to throw atop a green salad later or have as a side dish, tho the avocado may brown.) I like to stick mine in the freezer for a bit; it's nice and cold and super refreshing.
posted by halation at 1:10 PM on April 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Wait, I think I misspoke. I do have a stove and stovetop, and recipes that use them ahead of time are fine (i.e. I'd be happy to soak and cook beans for ful medames which could be reheated in the microwave). Long prep times are OK, especially if it's for something that can be batch cooked and frozen.

The no stove/stovetop is just because I don't want to be on my feet cooking in the morning! I have morning issues and am trying to find a way to eat nutritious food in bed :)
posted by hungrytiger at 1:18 PM on April 17, 2018

Best answer: Ah! Then yeah, cook up a big pot of greens and hardboil a whole bunch of eggs, and have a nuked bowl of greens with an egg on the side.
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:22 PM on April 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Oh and in response to the grains question, I'm not going grain-free, just trying to reduce the primacy of wheat and oats in my diet. A bit of wheat and oats is acceptable, and I feel even more open-minded about other grains, provided they have substantial fiber or protein.

And egg "muffins" are grainless -- basically the lazy person's premade omelet :)
posted by hungrytiger at 1:29 PM on April 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Rice and kimchi bowls are a go-to breakfast food for me. I find that brown rice reheats in the microwave quite well, you can make a big batch at once and have a week's worth of rice to go. Do hot rice, cold kimchi, a little bit of sesame oil, and one of those microwave poached eggs as suggested above, plus whatever diced up reheated proteins and veggies you like. Frozen peas are a great sweet counterbalance that I pretty much always have on hand.
posted by Mizu at 1:39 PM on April 17, 2018

Best answer: I don't have a specific recipe, but if you google Japanese savory breakfast, you'll find a lot of ideas that might work. Natto is fermented and can be a breakfast food, but I hear it's an acquired taste.

There are also lots of recipes for savory oatmeal. Add "vegan" to avoid dairy.
posted by FencingGal at 1:43 PM on April 17, 2018

Best answer: Things that can be made ahead that fit your requirements (god, do I love thinking and talking about breakfast):

- Smoothies or smoothie bowls (top the latter with toasted buckwheat if you’re avoiding grains)
- Scrambled tofu of various stripes e.g., Mediterranean or Thai veg (make enough and it has the advantage of stretching to a second batch another morning); microwave pre-cooked sweet potato wedges to accompany and add an avocado if you have an appetite to rival mine
- Miso soup (chuck the ingredients - carrot, tofu, celeriac, seaweed, whatever - in a bowl in the fridge the night before and then just add the miso and hot water); serve with a side of pickled veg
- Carrot and apple breakfast salad (it’s lovely; the recipe is viewable in 'The Vibrant Table' on Amazon via Look Inside)
- Raw buckwheat breakfast porridge
- Spinach muffins (I use the Green Kitchen Stories recipe and make with almond milk)
- Frittata filled with veg
- Savoury buckwheat (I follow the Oh She Glows savoury oatmeal recipe and figure it could be made with buckwheat)
- Lunchtime Rooty Bircher by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a recipe I love, easily retrieved by Google (given you're dealing with a Luddite here who hasn't yet figured out how to embed links), and worth trying if you're not entirely adverse to using the oats
- Something like HF-W's nutty gratin of leeks and greens, made with cashew cream, would go down well for me in the morning (you're giving me ideas); it ticks my 'simple to make the night before' box, keeps well in the fridge, and yields three servings

Some excellent websites for breakfast recipe ideas:
Oh She Glows
Post Punk Kitchen
Golubka Kitchen
Green Kitchen Stories
posted by Lilypod at 1:53 PM on April 17, 2018 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Farro has substantial fiber and protein. You can cook up a batch a day or three beforehand. Crack an egg into a serving and heat to scramble, or mix it with greens and a light dressing. Or go the sweet route, mix with cranberries, raisins, nuts, sliced apples, whatever.

In conclusion: Mmmm, farro.
posted by praemunire at 2:15 PM on April 17, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I used to eat frozen bean burritos or frozen bean pupusas everyday for breakfast. You could make your own if you wanted. I don't know why this has been a go-to breakfast - I guess I love Mexican food, prep was quick, and both are a handheld item in its own little container, so it's easy on the go. Also good for fiber and protein.
posted by AppleTurnover at 11:53 PM on April 17, 2018

Best answer: This is what we have most mornings. 3 minutes of prep the night before, and a few minutes in the morning to cut up an apple. It's better than the URL, I promise.

https://www.vermontcrafttours.com/cold-oatmeal/
posted by terrapin at 9:51 AM on April 18, 2018