I admit, I reach for a bowl of cereal and milk almost every morning. Mostly because when I roll out of bed, I’m usually to lazy or cold to think about making anything else! (My brain needs more time to wake up, that’s my excuse. ;) But it seems Lyn from Beautiful Vegan isn’t going to let me make anymore excuses…just look at her yummy breakfast menu featured below!

You’ll find everything from fresh fruity smoothies (that you can even enjoy as a snack!) to chocolate pudding! Ah, yes — finally, chocolate for breakfast! Plus, the best part? You don’t have to slave away in the kitchen while you’re still rubbing away the sleepies that Mr. Sand Man left behind; these delicious breakfast and snack foods are also very easy to eat, as you can see!

Let’s see what other sweet and savory (but healthy!) foods Lyn puts on her breakfast menu! Even if you like taking it easy on the weekends, try whipping up one of her recipes tomorrow morning!

Please note: T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon and c = cup

Here is a great way of avoiding all the health problems associated with dairy, whether you are allergic, asthmatic, vegan or simply don’t like the taste of cow’s milk.
You can use raw, unsalted cashews or almonds for this recipe.

Make Your Own Almond or Cashew Milk!

1/2 c *soaked almonds (or if you are using cashews they do not need to be soaked) *Soak almonds in a bowl of water overnight or at least for a few hours.
3 or 4 T raw agave nectar (or raw sugar)
4 c water
3/4 t sea salt
1 t vanilla extract (optional)

1. Put the ingredients in a blender for a couple of minutes and…
2. pour it through a sieve if it is made with almonds- (you don’t need to filter the cashew milk because the cashew are soft and turn into cream easily). Use a sieve with larger holes at first to catch the bigger pieces of nuts and then pour it through a finer one so it will be smooth.

Use this milk as a replacement for any recipe that calls for cow’s milk, or chill it and drink as is. I love it so much. I make milk shakes by adding bananas, ice, cinnamon and clove powder to the blender. My son has it on his cereal in the mornings and we also love making hot chocolate with it.

Coconut Porridge with Fresh Blueberries

1c coconut (shredded, unsweetened)
1 c rolled oats
1 1/2 c water
1/2 t sea salt

1. Bring water to almost boiling, add the ingredients and turn off the heat.
2. Stir for about a minute and cover with a lid for another minute.
Serve with almond or cashew milk and brown sugar (or agave nectar). We added blueberries in this one! It’s a very quick breakfast that has a lot of protein (coconut) and B6 (oats), antioxidants (blueberries), among other nutrients. This is definately one of my favorite things, and it just happens to be one of the simplest too (I’m pretty lazy in the morning!).

Vegan Cranberry Pancakes with Cinnamon

This is what we had for brunch today! I’m finally posting the recipe for these beautiful vegan cranberry cinnamon pancakes…
It’s extremely simple and the taste is out of this world! I like my pancakes more like crepes because my Mom used to make them that way in Quebec when I was growing up; but simply add less water if you like them fluffier.

2 c unbleached flour
3 T custard powder (most custard powders are vegan before you add the cow)
1/2 t sea salt
2 1/2 c water (add less if you like them fluffier- I enjoy them more crape-like)
1 T apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar if you don’t have apple)
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t cream of tartar (optional if you like them fluffier- and yes it’s vegan)
1 t vanilla extract
1 t cinnamon
dried cranberries

1. Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk.
2. Heat up a pan on medium to low heat with a little coconut oil (or sunflower or vegetable oil).
3. use a ladle to pour the batter into the pan in medium-sized pancakes.
4. As one side is frying sprinkle dried cranberries over it.
5. flip it over when the right time comes (you will know because small holes will start to form on the surface).
6. Flip the beautiful pancake onto a plate and drizzle it with REAL maple syrup and powder it with a little cinnamon. (do not use false syrups- it’s a crime).

Recipe makes about 8 medium-sized pancakes. Love it!!

How to Make a Healthy Breakfast that Rocks!

This is what I had for breakfast and it’s my son’s favorite at the moment.
How do you make it?

1c fresh or frozen fruit (I use frozen mixed berries because it’s winter in Canada and the fresh berries are not local)
1/4 c rolled oats or granola
1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1 T agave nectar (or maple syrup)
3 T water
a handful of raw, unsalted almonds

1. Put the berries in a small pot on low heat with the agave nectar or maple syrup.
2. Stir it until the juices start coming out (a couple of minutes)
3. Stir in the coconut, rolled oats and water.
4. Serve and top with chopped raw almonds.

Easy as pie! (OK easier than pie). It has a wonderful flavour and texture so try it yourself. Your kids will love it and the sugar content is minimal. You don’t really have to cook it, especially if the berries are fresh. You just want the juices to come out to mix with the coconut and oats, so you can simply press them with a fork instead of heating it if you want to have a raw dish and keep all the enzymes. This recipe serves 1, so adjust it with the number of people you are making it for.

A Creamy and (Way Better) Alternative to Yogurt!

This is something you can whip up before work! If you visit my site you can see the frozen cousin of this one. Either one will make a great breakfast and it’s raw, vegan and has no processed sugars added! You will impress the pants off anyone who tries it. If you have a very powerful blender like the vitamix then you can skip the food processor and do it all together- otherwise do it like this:

In a blender mix:
1 1/2 c ‘raw’, unsalted cashews
1 c water
1 t vanilla extract or a small bit of scraped vanilla bean
1/4 c agave nectar
1/2 t sea salt

In a food processor mix:
4 c frozen (or fresh) berries of any kind
3 T fresh lime juice

then add what was in your blender to the food processor until it becomes smooth.

That’s it! You can use it for a breakfast, snack or desert. I added some shredded apple and blueberries- awesome!

My Raw Vegan Chocolate Pudding!!!

Chocolate pudding for breakfast?? Why not when you don’t have to feel guilty because it’s actually good for you!? You’re going to freak out when I tell you that it takes only 3 minutes to prepare…
In a blender mix:
1 avocado (pitted and peeled of course) -should be a ripe one
3 heaping T of raw cocoa powder (you can use normal cocoa powder if you don’t have raw)- *make sure it’s fair trade though!
1/3 c raw agave nectar
1/2 t sea salt
2 t vanilla extract (or the scrapings from a vanilla bean pod)
1/2 c water (or more depending if your blender wants more water to work or not)-sometimes it needs quite a bit more.

Make sure it’s really creamy, use a spatula to get the pieces of avocado that get missed. And that’s it. I know it sounds weird to make chocolate pudding with avocado, but it turns out creamy and absolutely delicious! My son’s friends (who are not vegan) love it and ask me to make it when they are over. It can be used for a breakfast, snack or formal desert. Just add berries (especially strawberries) or use it as a fondu with cut up bananas and other goodies. this recipe serves 2 big bowls.