by Christine Pesta | Live Your Life Vegan
Growing up, I was never one for breakfast. Maybe I’d have a bowl of cereal on occasion, or my mom might make french toast or pancakes. For the most part, I was just never that hungry in the morning. I remember her insisting on us having something when we were very small, but as we got older, it was our choice to eat whatever we liked and she wouldn’t force us to eat if we just didn’t want food that early in the morning. There was always food at school when we got there – cafeteria breakfast or we could eat something we brought with us from home at recess if we wanted and that was the time I would usually be more in the mood for something to eat.
One thing I pretty much never ate growing up was oatmeal. It just wasn’t something we kept in the house much, and when it was there, my brother would eat it before I would.
Once I became vegan, it seemed that you couldn’t get through a video, article, or conversation about having a vegan breakfast without the mention of oatmeal. It has now gotten to the point where I see a few people introducing the topic of vegan breakfasts by starting off with the promise that there won’t be a single oatmeal recipe in the bunch.
While I have always found that quite amusing, I know that there are some people out there – both vegan and non-vegan – who just happen to like oatmeal for breakfast. it is also, in all fairness, a very good choice for many people, for many reasons.
For starters, it’s a very healthy food. It can help to heal people with all sorts of conditions or dietary issues. It’s also very versatile. You can eat in the traditional manner; as a warm bowl of cereal. However, you can eat also eat it cold, you can prepare it with water or milk (for this article, plant based of course), it can be sweet or savory depending on what you add. You can even bake them into breakfast bars or breakfast cookies, which are portable and easy way to eat a healthy meal.
The following oatmeal recipe includes lots of healthy ingredients that contribute to a balanced meal. Of course, anything you wish to add or substitute in the basic recipe you can. Give this recipe a try and I guarantee It will become a favorite way to start the day!
Vegan Tropical Oatmeal Bowl
Ingredients:
1 cup oatmeal
2 T. pineapple chunks
4-6 slices kiwi
4-6 slices banana
2 T. mango or papaya chunks or 1/4 of either fruit, sliced
2-3 T. Nut or seed butter of choice
Coconut flakes
Directions:
1. Prepare oatmeal according to package directions. Use whichever liquid you prefer to prepare the oatmeal: water, plant-based milk, or coconut milk.
2. Place fruit on top of oatmeal.
3. Drizzle nut or seed butter over oatmeal and fruit.
4. Sprinkle coconut flakes over bowl
5. Enjoy.
Options:
As stated above, you have a couple of options in the preparation of the oatmeal. You also have choices with the fruit, such as banana chips instead of fresh bananas, dried mango instead of fresh, or perhaps guava, if you prefer it to mango or papaya. You can also sprinkle sunflower seeds or macadamia nuts on the bowl if you like.
Christine Pesta is a writer, and the owner and Executive Editor of Live Your Life Vegan. You can follow her here, on Live Your Life Vegan, where she contributes regularly, as well as on social media.
