Tuesday 19 November 2013

Vegan breakfast (what can we eat?)

Vegan breakfast

So, this was the hardest part for me. As a Norwegian I eat a lot of bread, often both for breakfast and lunch. The first week I only ate peanut butter and jam as I didn't know where to find anything I could eat, after being a big time cheese eater my whole life. Booooring! So if you want to be vegan and don't know what to eat on your bread, please read on! 


Spreads


Jams (but they put animal products in jams? Seriously?)
Argh. Be careful and read the labels, sometimes it includes gelatin). Easy, cheap and available, but not as healthy. A great tip is to make your own apple jam. SO easy, quick and you don't have to put much sugar in it, unless you want to store it for a long time. (I have made a great apple jam by boiling it with a few sticks of cinnamon. Yummy!)



"Cheese"

Yay! As a lover of cheese I was thrilled to know there are nice vegan "cheeses" available. On bread and crispbread I recommend Jeezini. They have several different flavours and it both look and taste like similar types of (real) cheese. Another great thing is that it doesn't contain palm oil.

If you are Norwegian I have bought Jeezini in "Sunkost" stores. (F.eks: Gunerius) I have also seen Bute Island cheeses and tofutti cream cheeses in Meny stores. 


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Cream cheeses
I have only tasted Tofutti cream cheese till now. And it is a good vegan "Philadelphia cheese". I have seen if you want to make a cheese cake you can add tofutti instead of your normal dairy cream cheese. To make it a bit healthier and interesting I put some avocado/tomato on it. Lovely! It is a great base for making interesting sandwiches. Just add whatever green and healthy stuff on and feel great!

(Norwegians: I have found this in Meny stores). 




"Meat"
Mock meat & Jeezini cheese

Yeah, I used to love meat on my bread. I admit it. So I was VERY surprised and happy to find products that were cruelty-free but still satisfied my "meat-hunger".

These two are ok tofu "meats", quite strong in taste.


(Norwegians; Also bought at "SunKost" at Gunerius and in a "Life" store at Grønland). 


Paté & spread
Pepper, chilli taste

I used to love liver paté and again happy to find vegan alternatives. The Granovita Organic Herb is the one closest in my opinion. The other flavors they offer are great if you want an interesting spread. 

Flavors: Spicy mexican, herbs, tangy tomato, original, mushroom. 

I also have bought this Cremisso spread, but haven't tried it yet!

(Norwegians: I have found this in Meny stores. They are our friends obviously ;) 


Mayonnaise

There are vegan alternatives out there, or you can make your own. In Norway you can buy it in Meny stores, although it is a bit pricey. Perhaps you can make your own? 


Margarine

This is easy to find, but choose something without palm oil.There several almond, hemp and nut alternatives, but I haven't tried them out yet. The most common I find is soy alternatives. 


Cereal

Sometime you just want to eat some cereal and skip the bread. I thought it was difficult to drop the milk at first, but then I tried Rice milk and almond milk. I think these are the best for cereal, but you can try and find what you prefer! (There are also different brands of "milk" so you can try and find your favorite). 

When I drink;

Chai latte: Almond milk
Latte: Soya milk
Cereals: Almond and rice milk. 

PS: Remember to buy unsweetened milk, or you get a lot of sugar. 

(Norwegians: Rice, oat and soya is easy to find in almost any store. But almond I have bought in Sunkost and Life stores). 



Yogurt

I love yogurt and Alpro have several flavors for us to enjoy! My cats loves yogurt and still think this is the real deal ;) These are best served cold straight from the fridge, when they get warmer they start tasting a lot more like soya. 

You can make it more interesting (and healthy) by adding berries and seeds! 




Then of course you can eat something else for breakfast? 

Basic vegan pancakes
Strawberry shortage pancakes
Raw Buckwheat Porridge
Apple pie oatmeal
Many different vegan porridges for you to explore!



Fun fact about my journey to veganism

14 days before I became a vegan overnight, I had to explain why I was a vegetarian. I ended my "defense" by saying; "but I am not a vegan, because they are really extreme and wouldn't it be silly to stop eating cheese?" BAM! 14 days later I was a vegan, and wow was I surprised. 
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My view on Vegans before I became one ;)
I blame it all on "Earthlings" (see my post about my experience). I have never seen anything on TV who have made a greater impact on my life, than this documentary. I had to face my own hypocrisy and I just couldn't be a part of it any longer. Later I saw "Fork over Knives" who had a different angle (mainly on human health) and also strengthened my resolve.



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