Tor is Animal Aid’s Farming and Slaughter Campaign Manager.
Just because your breakfast or brunch is vegan, it doesn’t have to be dull, in fact it can be a voyage of taste discovery!
To drink:
Vegan ‘power’ very berry smoothie
A banana
A small handful of (frozen) berries
A couple of tablespoons of oats
For a slightly sweeter tooth add a couple of dates, a dash of agave or maple syrup.
(Optionally you can boost the protein levels by using a powder such as hemp, flax, chia or pea protein powder).
Keep adding your choice of plant milk and a little water to create your desired consistency.
Cold brewed caramel almond coffee
Requires: almond milk, cafetiere ground coffee and optional dates and a little salt.
Pour some unsweetened almond milk into an ice cube tray and leave to set overnight in the freezer.
Load your favourite brand of ground coffee into a cafetiere with cold water and leave it to stand overnight in the fridge. Alternatively, in place of a cafetiere, it is possible to leave the grounds in a covered bowl of water but note that it will eventually need to be filtered through a fine cloth or muslin.
Optionally, you can add some salted caramel…
To make the salted caramel
Leave a handful of dates to soak in cup of warm water for around an hour. Then pulse the date mixture in a blender/ or alternatively apply a stick blender on a slow setting to create a date paste. Optionally add a pinch of salt. If you want to make a larger mount it will keep for around a week in the fridge.
Now it’s time to plunge your coffee, add a few almond cubes and a spoon in the salted caramel to taste.
Amazing and a fraction of the price of what you’d pay in a coffee shop!
To eat:
Quick scrambled eggless
Requires: A packet of firm tofu works best (but silken tofu is fine), turmeric, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, fresh or dried parsley, ½ an onion /or a couple of spring onions, a little salt or pepper to taste, olive oil and optional nutritional yeast or black salt – if you’ve time to track these ingredients down.
It is also possible to use tinned ackee in place of tofu if you’re able to track some down.
In a small bowl, mix together nutritonal yeast flakes, turmeric, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, water, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Lightly coat a pan with some olive oil and place it over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and garlic, and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Crumble the tofu into the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Pour the seasoning over tofu and mix well, trying to color as much tofu as possible. Cook for 2 minutes or until tofu is hot throughout. Finally add the parsley and cook for a further couple of minutes.
Butter
If you crave a buttery taste on your toast check out this recipe from Fork and Beans: http://www.forkandbeans.com/2015/07/11/vegan-butter-substitute/
- 1½ c. melted refined coconut oil (not extra virgin coconut oil)
- ½ c. nondairy milk (unsweetened)
- ¼ c. canola, grapeseed, or light olive oil
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- 2 teaspoons liquid lecithin (if using granules, you will need 2-4xs the amount)
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Place all the ingredients in a blender and process at medium speed for about 1 minute.
2 Pour into container of choice–something made of silicone is great, as it will pop out easily, but any storage container will do (line it with wax paper first for easy removal).
3 Set it in the refrigerator for a few hours until hard or in the freezer to expedite hardening.
NOTES
This glorious butter substitute will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks or many months in the freezer.
Now to the beans…!
Gallo Pinto
Add a little spicey Costa Rican flavour with this national favourite dish which literally translates as ‘Painted Rooster’.
Requires: ½ cup rice, ½ onion diced, 1 red bell pepper diced, 2 cloves of pressed garlic, ¼ teaspoon 
of salt, coriander, and hot sauce. This pairs very well with avocado, a splash of lime juice. It is traditionally served with a splash of ‘Salsa Linzano’ – a peppery sauce (available online or at some world food shops).
Sauté the onions and bell peppers in frying pan over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes or until the onions start to turn light brown and translucent. Routinely add a little water to prevent the mix from sticking to the pan. Then add the garlic. Add the rice and a cup of water. Cover the pan and gently simmer for around 20 minutes to allow the flavour to infuse.
Top with avocado and a sprinkle of freshly chopped coriander.
Serve!
Spice up your baked beans!
Add a dash of chilli sauce, bbq sauce, smoked paprika and some lightly fried onion to bring a bit of originality to a classic favourite.
Easy pancakes
Check out this recipe from Genius Kitchen:
Requires: dry ingredients: plain flour, sugar, baking powder, salt.
Wet ingredients: 1 cup of plant milk (almond, oat of soya work well), cider vinegar.
Choose your topping! Fresh berries, soya yoghurt, sliced bananas, syrup (maple, agave, date), melted chocolate, pecan nuts, shredded coconut and/or peanut butter all work well. Or for the summer months why not add a scoop of dairy-free ice-cream.
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1⁄8teaspoon salt
- 1 cup soymilk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Directions
- Set out all your ingredients.
- Set a stove element with a pan to medium heat.
- Combine the 4 dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder — two Tablespoons, not two Teaspoons as some have suggested, salt) in a bowl.
- Add the soy milk and vegetable oil to your mixture.
- Mix until smooth.
- Now the pan should be ready for your batter, so spoon one pancakes’ worth of the mixture into the pan.
- Flip [carefully] when you see bubbles in the middle of the pancake, or if the edges are looking stiffened.
- Repeat until the batter is gone, and try not to eat them all while you’re cooking them.
http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/5-minute-vegan-pancakes-132263
Tempeh Facon
Requires: a packet of tempeh (available in most health food shops), 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, ½ cup soya sauce/ tamari, a tablespoon of liquid smoke, a tablespoon of nutritional yeast flakes, a 
mixture of ½ teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of black pepper, ½ a teaspoon of smoked/ hot paprika and oil.
Delicious served with vine tomatoes (cooked under the grill with a splash of sweet balsamic vinegar glaze.
Preheat the oven to 240 degrees and whilst it’s doing so combine the pepper, garlic powder, and paprika, tamari (soya) sauce, liquid smoke, nutritional yeast, maple syrup and oil in a bowl and mix into a large flat dish.
Cut the tempeh into 5mm thick slices and place them for a couple of hours to marinade in the mixture. Then place them onto a lined baking sheet, pouring any remaining mixture on top.
Bake them for around 7 minutes on each side.