Food for Life: How the New Four Food Groups Can Save Your Life (35 page)

Whole-grain breads are another good breakfast alternative, as are muffins, as long as they’re not loaded with fat and sugar. The muffins sold in many bakeries are so high in fat and sugar that they’re really just a way for people to eat cake for breakfast without feeling guilty! This section contains recipes for three fat-free muffins you will find to be delicious, substantial, and nourishing.

For weekends, and those occasions when you wish for more elaborate breakfast fare, I have included recipes for pancakes, waffles, and French toast. Commercially available pancake and waffle mixes can also be prepared without eggs or milk. If you yearn for a “traditional American breakfast,” consider Scrambled Tofu with Cottage Fries and one of the vegetarian breakfast links listed.

If you happen to be one of those people who enjoys nontraditional foods for breakfast, don’t feel limited to recipes in this section. Black Bean Chili with brown rice and hot salsa is a favorite breakfast of mine, and I can highly recommend it as a real eye-opener!

Müesli is a breakfast cereal of Swiss origin, made of uncooked grains, nuts, and dried fruits. It may be eaten with hot or cold soymilk, fruit juice, or applesauce.

Combine all ingredients. They may be left whole, or ground in a food processor until they are of a fairly fine, uniform texture. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Applesauce is delicious on toast, pancakes, and hot cereal. It is also good all by itself.

Peel apples if desired, then core and dice into a large pan. Add apple juice concentrate to just cover bottom of pan, then cook over low heat until apples are soft and mushy. Mash slightly with a fork, if desired, then stir in cinnamon. Serve hot or cold.

Prunes are a delicious source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Combine prunes and water in a covered saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes, until prunes are tender. Serve hot or cold, plain or with soymilk.

Scrambled tofu tastes remarkably like scrambled eggs, without the saturated fat or cholesterol. The recipe that follows is basic and can be embellished with additional vegetables, such as sliced mushrooms and celery, diced zucchini, or grated carrot. Sauté these with the green onions.

Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the green onions for 3 minutes, then add remaining ingredients and cook 3 to 5 minutes longer.

Dice potatoes into generous bite-size pieces. Steam over boiling water until they are just tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Do not overcook!

In a large skillet, sauté the onion and bell pepper in 1 teaspoon olive oil until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and sauté the potatoes over medium-high heat
until they are hot and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Return the onion mixture to the pan, add remaining ingredients, toss to mix, and serve.

Stir flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a mixing bowl. Add soymilk, maple syrup, and vinegar, and stir just enough to remove the lumps. Preheat a lightly oiled or nonstick skillet or griddle. Pour small amounts of batter onto the heated surface and cook until the tops bubble. Turn with a spatula and cook the second sides until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Oatmeal waffles are substantial and slightly moist, a bit like eating oatmeal with a crunchy crust. They are easy to prepare and contain no added fat.

Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Let stand a few minutes; if batter becomes too thick, add enough additional water to make batter easily pourable. Pour into a heated, oil-sprayed waffle iron. Cook for 10 minutes without lifting the lid.

In a blender, process all ingredients except bread until very smooth. Pour into a flat, shallow dish and soak bread slices 1 minute on each side. Transfer carefully to a skillet that has been oiled or sprayed with nonstick vegetable spray. Cook first side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, then turn and cook second side until browned. Serve with fresh fruit, fruit preserves, or maple syrup.

Blend bananas, soymilk, maple syrup, and cinnamon until smooth. Pour into a flat, shallow dish and soak bread slices 1 minute on each side. Transfer carefully to a skillet which has been oiled or sprayed with a nonstick vegetable spray. Cook first side until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, then turn and cook second side until browned. Serve with fresh fruit, fruit preserves, or maple syrup.

Try this smoothie with some müesli or muffins for a delicious and satisfying breakfast. The secret to its thick, creamy texture is frozen fruit. To freeze the strawberries, wash them and remove the stems. Place on a flat sheet in the freezer until frozen, then transfer to an airtight carton for storage. Peel and cut the bananas into 1-inch pieces. Place on a flat sheet in the freezer, then transfer to an airtight carton for storage. Bananas will keep in the freezer for about a month, strawberries for six months.

Place all ingredients into blender and process on high speed until thick and smooth. You may have to stop the blender occasionally and move the unblended fruit to the center with a spatula in order to get the smoothie smooth!

This thick “rich” shake is a real hit with children. Frozen bananas make it thick and creamy. To freeze bananas, peel and cut or break into 1-inch pieces. Place in freezer on flat tray until frozen, then transfer into airtight container for storage.

Place soymilk and banana pieces in blender and blend until thick and smooth.

Variation: For a sweeter shake, toss in 2 or 3 pitted dates.

These quick and delicious muffins contain no added fat and no cholesterol.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Mix the flour, oats, and baking soda and make a well in the center. Add the mashed bananas, the liquid ingredients, and the dates or raisins. Stir together just to mix. Spoon batter into nonstick or lightly oil-sprayed muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes, or until tops bounce back when pressed lightly.

These muffins are made with a flaxseed puree instead of eggs. Flaxseeds can be purchased in most natural food stores.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Mix first 7 ingredients and set aside. Blend flaxseeds and 1 cup water in a blender for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is thick and has the consistency of beaten egg white. Add to the dry ingredients along with the pumpkin, additional ½ cup water, and raisins. Stir until just mixed.

Spoon the batter into nonstick or lightly oil-sprayed muffin tins. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until tops of muffins bounce back when pressed lightly. Remove from oven and let stand 1 to 2 minutes; this facilitates removal of muffins from the pan. Remove muffins and place on a rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a large bowl, mix the flours, oats, spices, salt, and baking soda. Add the chopped apple along with the apple juice concentrate and raisins. Stir just enough to mix. Spoon batter into nonstick or lightly oil-sprayed muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes, or until tops bounce back when pressed lightly.

Bake this quick yeast bread late in the day, and serve it warm with dinner. Its aroma is incredible! Although the recipe specifies the use of a heavy-duty electric mixer, the dough can be mixed by hand. Simply double the mixing time.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix 2 ½ cups flour with the sugar, salt, yeast, and herbs. Stir in the hot water along with the chopped onion, and beat 2 minutes with a heavy-duty electric mixer. Scrape bowl occasionally during mixing.

Add small amounts of flour, beating well after each addition, until the batter pulls away from the sides of the bowl. It will be quite sticky. Beat 2 more minutes at medium speed.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and put it in a warm place to rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

Stir dough and beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Turn into a 5 × 10-inch (or two 4 × 8 ½-inch) nonstick or lightly oil-sprayed loaf pan and let rise in a warm place for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.

Bake for 40 minutes. Loaf should be golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

This bread, reminiscent of the Boston brown bread of my childhood, is sweet and moist without any added fat or oil. It can be mixed in a jiffy and requires no kneading or rising. It keeps well and makes wonderful toast.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Mix soymilk with vinegar and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, stir dry ingredients together. Add molasses, soymilk mixture, and raisins, and stir batter until thoroughly mixed. Do not overmix! Spoon batter into a nonstick or lightly oil-sprayed 5 × 9-inch loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Use a fork to mash peeled cloves of Roasted Garlic into a paste. Spread with a knife onto slices of French bread. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning if desired. Wrap tightly in foil and bake at 350°F. for 20 minutes.

This cornbread, made without eggs, is delicious, and slightly more moist than traditional cornbread.